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I™ 


D  &•  J,  *l]DIi3E]E  &  €  ID, 
fEW  YORK. 


LIFE 


BLESSED  YIRGIN  MAEY, 

illotl)ct  of  Boh; 


WITH   THE 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO  HER. 


COMPLETED   BY   THE 


TRADITIONS    OF    THE    EAST, 


ritings  of  t|e  iM\txs,  anb  i\t  |rihte  fistors  d  l|e  |cte. 


TRANSLATED  FROM  THE  FRENCH  OF  THE  ABBE  ORSINI, 
BY 

MRS.    J.    SADLIER. 


PUBLISHED    WITA  THE   APPROBATION    OF   THE  LATE  MOST  REV.    JOHN  HUGHES,   D.  2>., 
AND    THE  MOST  REV.   J.   MeCLOSKET,   D.  D.,   ARCHBISHOP    OF  NEW   YORK. 


A   NE-W,    ENLARGED   AND   REVISED   EDITION. 


few  ftfflt: 

PUBLISHED  BY  D.   &  J.  SADLIER  &  CO.,  31  BAKCLAT  STREET. 

MONTREAL  :-CORNER  OF  NOTRE  DAME  AND  ST.  FRANCIS  XAVIER  STS. 

1872. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  CongresB,  in  the  year  1868, 
Br  D.  &  J.  SADLIEB  &  CO., 
In  the  Clerk' I  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern  District  of  New  ToiK. 


lOAN  STACK 


■Unotrpad  b7  Vncrsrr  Dnx,  36  A  27  Kew  ChAmb«n  St..  ■.  f. 
Printad  Iqr  Edwaxs  O.  Juxixs.  U  North  WlUiun  Bk,  K.  T 


P  i    JTiS  it^^ 


HIS  translation,  made  many  years  ago  at  the  suggestion  of 
an    illustrious   prelate,   since   dead,   has   been   so   well   re- 
ceived by  American  Catholics,  that  it  has  passed  through 
many   editions.     The   magnificent   work  of  the   Abb^   Or- 
sini,  is   confessedly  the  fullest   and   most  complete   life  of 
the   Blessed  Virgin   Mary  that  has  yet  been  given  to  the 
Catholic  world.      It   does   not   end,  as   others   do,  at   the   close   of  her  mor- 
tal  life,   but   follows  the    course   of  the    universal   devotion   wherewith   the 
Church    has   honored,  and    does    still,    and   shall  ever    honor,  the  Virgin   of 
the    Prophecies,   the   glorious  Mother    of    God.       It   shows  how  literal   has 
been  the  fulfillment  of  her  own  inspired  prediction  that  all  generations   should 
call    her   Blessed.       It   shows   how   devotion  to   her   has  grown    and  prospered 
with  the   growth   of  Catholicity,  and  records  the  shrines   and  churches  erected 
in    every   land   under   her  invocation   and  to    her  honor   and  glory.     Those   of 
America   I   have   myself    added    to   the   work,   as   there  was   little  or  nothing  in 
the    edition   which   I   translated    relating    to    the    devotion   in   America.      The 
work    also   embodies   the   Eastern   traditions   concerning  her,   with    the    conclu- 
sive   testimony  of   the   Fathers;   the   little   which   is  related   of   her  in    Scrip 
ture    being   but   a  very  faint   sketch   of  her   life. 


4:3' 


TRANSLATOR'S  PREFACE. 


It  is  trulj  a  labor  of  love  for  a  Catholic  to  celebrate  the  praises  and  re- 
eord  the  glories  of  Our  Most  Dear  Mother,  and  it  was  with  the  filial  devo- 
tion of  a  child  of  Ifary  that  I  translated  this  great  work  some  fifteen  years 
ago.  In  common  with  all  who  are  truly  devout  to  Mary,  I  have  much,  very 
much  to  thank  her  for — many  a  priceless  favor,  many  a  sweet  consolation,  many 
a  ray  of  light  when  all  was  dark  around,  and  when  earthly  hopes  had  failed. 
In  thanksgiving,  then,  and  with  all  reverence  and  affection,  I  have  now,  prob- 
ably for  the  last  time,  revised  this  noble  work,  hoping  that  it  may  ever  tend 
to  make  others  love  and  honor  Our  Lady  the  Help  of  Christians  as  I  love  and 
honor  her. 

M.  A.  S. 

Hew  You,  Mat  8,  187a 


HIS  book,  wMcli  the  public  has  vouchsafed  to  receive  favor- 
ably, is  not  an  ambitious  attempt  to  obtain  celebrity ;  it  is 
a  work  of  patience  and  of  faith,  a  flower  laid  on  the  altai 
of  Mary,  with  the  simple  sincerity  of  a  pilgrim  of  the  good 
old  times.  The  Blessed  Virgin  was,  doubtless,  deserving  of 
a  better  historian,  but  she  could  find  none  more  desirous 
of  glorifying  her  name  and  propagating  the  devotion  which 
is  her  due. 

The  life  of  the  Queen  of  Angels,  of  the  Mystical  Eose  of  the  new  law,  is,  of  itself, 
a  theme  so  poetical  that  it  naturally  called  forth  all  graceful  and  touching  ideas,  as 
well  as  the  noblest  expressions  of  our  language.  It  is  an  Eastern  Tale,  reflecting 
the  customs,  the  pageants,  and  the  scenery  of  Asia;  is  it,  therefore,  surprising  that 
the  style  should  be  tinted  with  an  Oriental  coloring  ? 

We  have  studied  the  Fathers  enough  to  know  that  they  did  not  disdain  the 
graces  of  diction,  and  that,  in  this  respect,  they  fought  paganism  with  equal  arms. 
This  is  what  the  great  St.  Jerome  called,  in  his  figurative  language,  cutting  off  tlie 
head  of  Goliath  with  his  own  sword.  What  can  be  more  elevated,  more  poetical, 
than  certain  descriptions  of  St.  John  Chrysostom  ?  That  sacred  orator  often  chimes 
in  with  the  Oriental  poets,  and  it  is  in  one  of  his  homilies  that  we  find  the  simili- 
tude of  the  earth  emhalmed  with  the  perfume  of  roses,  which  has  since  been  repro- 
duced by  Saadi  in  his  Gulistan. 

The  letters  and  the  homilies  of  St.  Basil  the  Great,  replete  with  agreeable  pic- 
tures, imitated  but  not  surpassed  by  Fenelon,  have  all  a  poetical  cast  very  fit  to 
frighten  those  timorous  minds  who,  now-a-days,  take  poetry  for  a  spectre,  and 
would  fain  exclude  it  from  all  manner  of  works.  It  is  the  same  with  St.  Gregory 
of  Nazianzen,  that  sublime  Christian  dreamer,  who  questioned  himself  on  the  nature 


Ti  PREFACE. 

of  his  soul,  under  the  ehade  of  thick  fdiage^  whilst  the  zq>hyrs^  mingled  with  Hie  songs 
of  the  InrdSf  shed  from  the  topmost  branches  of  the  tree  a  s^joeet  and  dreamy  tranquility; 
whilst  the  grasshoppers^  hidden  beneath  the  herbage,  made  all  tJie  woods  resound,  and 
a  limpid  stream  flowed  past  his  feet,  winding  on  in  its  refreshing  course  through  the 
wood.    If  that  be  not  poetry,  I  know  not  what  it  is. 

In  order  to  convert  the  nations  it  is  necessary,  first  of  all,  to  obtain  a  hearing ;  to 
confirm  in  the  Roman  faith  masses  long  agitated  by  the  successive  shocks  of  revo- 
lutions, beaten  by  the  wind  of  systems,  indifferent  from  weariness,  and  open  to  the 
attacks  of  an  audacious  sect  which  raises  its  head  higher  than  ever,  for 

D^ja  de  sa  faveur  on  adore  le  bruit ; 
the  first  thing  to  be  done  is  to  induce  them  to  read  our  works.  The  preacher  who 
would  divest  the  sacred  Word  of  all  the  ornaments  of  elocution  would  soon  have 
our  churches  deserted,  and  might  say,  like  the  Greek  musician  left  alone  in  a  public 
place,  "  Ye  temples,  hear  me  ! "  The  religious  writer  who  would  affect  a  dull  and 
arid  style,  in  the  midst  of  a  nation  which  prides  itself  on  its  taste  and  literary  skill, 
would  assuredly  fare  no  better ;  he  would  fall,  with  all  his  weight,  into  that 
oblivion  where  nothing  floats,  and  his  book,  had  it  the  intrinsic  value  of  gold  and 
pearls,  would  be,  nevertheless,  the  most  useless  thing  in  the  world,  for  none  would 
touch  it.  St.  Basil  was  so  persuaded  of  this  truth  that  he  strenuously  urged  the 
young  orators  of  his  time  to  a  profound  study  of  human  letters,  so  as  to  transfer 
their  beauties  to  Catholic  works.  "  Human  letters,"  says  that  great  doctor,  "  are 
like  leaves  which  serve  to  cover  and  to  ornament  the  words  of  truth  and  wisdom. 
If  Moses  and  Daniel  were  the  two  most  brilliant  lights  of  the  Synagogue,  it  was 
because  they  had  acquired  all  the  arts  of  the  Egyptians."  St.  Jerome  subjected  to 
the  anti-literary  attacks  of  the  priest  Rufinus,  who  accused  him  of  mingling  the  filth 
of  paganism  with  the  word  of  tlie  Lord,  coolly  sent  him  word  that  being  himself 
Uind  as  a  mde  he  ought  not  to  mock  those  who  had  tlie  eyes  of  a  goat.  And,  in  fact, 
when  the  sumptuous  decoration  of  altars  and  of  tabernacles  was  regarded,  even  in 
the  most  austere  ages  of  the  Church,  as  a  good  and  commendable  practice,  proper 
to  heighten  the  majesty  of  Christian  worship,  wherefore  should  we  make  of  religious 
literature  a  barren  and  dreary  waste,  whereon  none  would  wish  to  enter  for  fear 
of  sinking  on  the  way  under  a  load  of  weariness  ?  Is  it  thus,  then,  that  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  which  St.  John  Chrysostom  declared  full  of  pearls  amd  diamonds,  were 
conceived  ?  Are  not  all  kinds  of  composition  found  in  the  Bible,  from  the  eclogue 
to  the  epic.     The  saints  of  those  remote  times,  which  we,  in  om*  courtesy,  are  wont 


PREFACE.  vii 


to  call  harbaroiLSj  were  far  from  wishing  to  deprive  religious  works  of  all  literary 
merit.  "  Wliat !  "  says  an  illustrious  writer  of  tlie  ninth  century,  "  we  enshrine  the 
ashes  of  the  saints  in  gold  and  precious  stones,  yet  their  actions  are  clothed  but  in 
rude  and  homely  language  !  We  adorn  our  love-stories  with  all  the  graces  of  fiction, 
and  we  describe  in  the  driest,  the  dullest,  and  the  most  uninteresting  manner,  the 
immortal  deeds  of  the  heroes  of  Christianity  !  Is  it,  therefore,  that  elegance  of  style 
is  only  to  be  used  for  glossing  over  the  turpitude  of  iniquity?" 

"  Would,"  says  a  pious  and  learned  author  who,  in  1722,  dedicated  the  life 
of  a  holy  personage  to  the  Bishop  of  Blois ;  "  would  that  Catholics  would  give 
to  the  admirable  achievements  of  the  saints  those  ornaments  wherewith  sinners 
embellish  their  guilty  passions,  and  thereby  show  that  they  know  better  how  to 
adorn  virtue  than  those  worldlings  to  adorn  vice." 

If  it  be  ever  permitted  to  throw  poetical  flowers  on  a  religious  theme,  it  is, 
assuredly,  when  treating  of  the  Mystical  Rose  of  the  new  law.  This  is  so  true,  that 
the  gravest  doctors  of  other  ages  became  poets  without  their  knowing  or  wishing 
it,  when  they  spoke  of  that  glorious  creature.  St.  Gregory  of  Neocesarea,  that 
cold,  austere  thaumaturgus,  finds  the  most  charming  appellations  for  the  Mother  of 
God,  whom  he  styles  source  of  light  and  immaculate  flower  of  life.  St.  Ephraim, 
that  melancholy  and  enthusiastic  solitary,  compares  the  Blessed  Virgin  to  the 
golden  censer  exhaling  the  sweetest  perfumes.  St.  Epiphanius  calls  the  Virgin  a 
spiritual  ocean  containing  the  celestial  pearl.  St.  Cyril  of  Alexandria,  the  inex- 
tinguishable lamp  which  has  brought  forth  the  Sun  of  Justice.  "With  what  marvel- 
ous flowers  of  eloquence  shall  we  weave  thee  a  crown,  O  Mary !  "  says  St.  Basil  of 
Selemia ;  '■'-from  thee  has  budded  the  floiver  of  Jesse,  which  embellishes  us  with  glory  and 
honor."  St.  Gregory  the  Great  compares  Mary,  that  virgin  fair  and  adorned  with  the 
glory  of  her  fruitfulness,  to  a  very  high  mountain,  towering  above  the  angelic  choirs, 
and  reaching  even  to  the  throne  of  the  Divinity.  Alcuin,  that  light  of  the  court  of 
Charlemagne,  accustomed  as  he  was  to  dry  and  arid  labors,  became  a  poet  for  Mary : 
"  Thou  art  my  beloved,"  said  he,  "  thou  art  my  joy  and  glory,  0  Virgin  I  tliou  art  the 
life  of  heaven,  the  flower  of  theflelds,  the  lily  of  the  world."  Pope  Innocent  III.  com- 
pares Mary  to  the  dawn.  St.  Thomas  of  Aquinas  to  the  star  of  the  ocean  which  guides 
and  directs  those  %oho  navigate  the  waters.  "  Hail !  noble  daughter  of  Kings,"  cries 
the  learned  and  mystical  Erasmus,  "  tliou  art  more  brilliant  tlmn  the  dawn,  milder  than 
the  silvery  moon,  purer  than  the  fresh-blown  lily,  whiter  than  the  mountain  snow,mjOrt 
graceful  than  the  rose,  more  precious  than  the  ruby,  more  chaste  than  the  angels.  .... 


TUl 


P  REFA  CE. 


Impressed  with  these  counsels,  encouraged  by  these  examples,  we  have  lightly 
touched  with  the  honey  of  Engaddi  the  edge  of  the  cup  which  we  present  to  the 
people  of  the  world— those  spoiled  children  who  reject  with  scorn  every  beverage 
which  has  not,  like  the  sherbets  of  the  East,  the  perfume  of  the  violet  and  the  rose. 
Some  have  made  this  a  crime,  and  bitterly  reproached  us  with  having  sacrificed  to 
false  gods ;  but  when  they  set  about  giving  quotations,  the  result  was  rather  unfor- 
tunate for  them,  for  they  have,  without  knowing  it,  found  fault  with  Scriptural 
idioms  and  phraseology ;  that  is  to  say,  even  the  Word  of  God  itself.  "  I  do  not 
always  quote  my  authority,"  says  Montaigne,  "because  nothing  is  more  amusing 
than  to  see  a  thrust  made  through  me  at  Virgil,  Tacitus,  Horace — in  a  word,  at  the 
greatest  writers  of  antiquity — by  some  who  are  scarcely  able  to  read  them."  Pre- 
cisely the  same  thing  has  happened  to  us,  although  we  did  not  intend  to  lay  such 
a  snare  for  the  simplicity  of  certain  censors,  who  are,  alas !  in  the  highest  degree, 
ignorant  of  their  own  ignorance,  which  is  the  worst  ignorance  of  all,  if  the  Orientals 
are  to  be  believed.  We  have  heard  the  Prophets  gravely  descanted  on  by  small 
critics,  who  are  reputed  to  know  the  whole  Bible  by  heart.  What  could  we  do  in 
such  a  case  as  that  ? 

All  evil  passions  are  up  in  arms  against  this  book,  and  men  who  ought  to  have 
sustained  it,  were  it  only  for  the  sacred  cause  which  it  espouses,  have  stealthily 
pursued  it  with  a  malignity  truly  Pharisaical.  May  God,  who  lifts  the  seven-fold 
veil  of  malice  from  false  hearts  to  penetrate  to  the  actuating  motives  of  their  works 
— may  He  forgive  them,  even  as  we  do !  We  have  had  such  fair  and  honorable 
suffrages  to  console  us,  that  we  may  well  afford  to  overlook  these  puny  attempts. 

The  foreign  press,  namely,  the  Italian,  the  German,  and  the  Spanish,  have  taken 
much  notice  of  this  Life  of  the  blessed  Virgin.  Being  unable  to  quote  all,  we 
shall  confine  ourselves  to  this  extract  from  a  learned  article  in  Za  Cruz  (The 
0?'OSSj)  a  Spanish  journal,  religious,  political,  and  literary,  which  is  honored 
with  the  patronage  of  the  eminently  Catholic  clergy  of  Spain: — 

"  The  Abbd  Orsini,  in  tracing  the  annals  of  the  worship  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  which  commenced 
with  Christianity,  and  in  raking  up  authorities,  which,  but  for  him,  might  perchance  have  remained 
in  oblivion,  presents  to  the  reader  the  titles  whereon  hyperdulia  and  the  worship  of  the  Virgin  are 
founded — ^a  worship  which  certainly  occupies  a  golden  page  in  the  calendar  of  the  world,  and  is  con- 
nected with  the  most  glorious  associations.  Nor  is  this  all  that  the  Abbd  Orsini  has  done.  His  book 
comprises  the  biography  of  Jesus,  and,  in  some  measure,  the  history  of  the  terrestrial  globe,  which 
dates  from  the  fall  of  man  and  the  promise  of  a  Redeemer.  In  this  work  we  find  profound  theology, 
■vast  erudition,  good  literary  taste,  and  enchanting  touches  of  poetry 


P  REF  A  C  E. 


*'  The  translator,  Dr.  F.  Y.  P.,  has  added  another  jewel,  in  the  name  of  the  Spaniards,  to  the 
crown  wherewith  the  literati  of  Europe  have  adorned  the  brow  of  the  author  of  The  Complete  Life 
of  the  Mother  of  God.  This  book  is  one  of  the  great  works  of  the  nineteenth  century,  and  merits  a 
place  in  the  first  rank." 

We  refer  not  to  these  eulogiums  (wMcli  are  certainly  somewhiit  exaggerated) 
througli  a  ridiculous  vanity  or  self-laudation,  but  to  demonstrate  that  the  lAfe  of  the 
Motlier  of  God  has  been  well  received  by  Catholics  abroad,  whose  sympathy  is 
exceedingly  precious  to  us.  It  is  no  less  consoling  to  see  that  it  is  also  becoming 
popular  in  Germany,  in  England,  in  Russia,  and  in  America,  where  it  has  probably 
assisted  in  dispelling  some  unjust  prejudices  amongst  dissenting  Christians. 

As  for  the  French  press,  it  has  treated  this  book  just  as  it  pleased,  for  we  have 
never  attempted  to  influence  it  either  by  intrigue  or  solicitation  of  any  sort ;  not- 
withstanding which  it  has,  in  general,  expressed  itself  in  such  a  way  that  we  have 
only  to  return  our  best  thanks.  By  a  providential  chance  it  has  happened,  that 
most  of  those  literary  men  who  have  taken  cognizance  of  our  work  are  men  of 
feeling,  knowledge,  and  intellect,  and  have  acted  generously  by  us.  But  great 
minds  are  usually  indulgent  and  lenient  towards  others ;  lions,  conscious  of  their 
own  strength,  often  magnanimously  spare  the  weaker  prey ;  it  is  not  so  with  the 
vipers  who  hiss  and  bite  in  the  mire  of  their  native  marsh,  by  way  of  satisfying 
their  conscience. 

Happy  the  author  who  falls  into  the  hands  of  men  able  to  appreciate  a  book, 
to  examine  it  without  prejudice,  and  with  the  probity  which  becomes  the  magis- 
tracy of  thought.  Criticism  is  a  trade  in  which  many  meddle,  but  which  very  few 
understand ;  to  do  it  as  it  should  be  done,  there  is  need  of  learning,  taste,  and 
conscience ;  things  which  every  one  has  not. 

A  learned  prelate,  whose  name  was  still  unknown  to  us  when  we  wrote  the 
jpreface  to  our  first  edition,  the  late  Bishop  Cotteret  of  Beauvais,  a  profound  theo- 
logian and  a  very  distinguished  writer,  after  having  justified  our  use  of  Oriental 
traditions — "  Traditions^''  says  the  learned  Bishop,  "  wliich  the  author  has  not  given 
as  articles  of  faith  " — goes  on  to  say  :  "  The  Abb6  Orsini  is  one  of  the  writers  of 
our  time  who  has  the  most  perfectly  mastered  the  language ;  he  speaks  like  a  true 
disciple  of  Chateaubriand."  This  was  conferring  a  high  honor  upon  us,  although 
it  was  far  from  being  deserved;  we  have  never  had  the  presumption  to  follow, 
even  afar  ofi^,  in  the  gigantic  steps  of  that  great  master ;  and  if  our  style  have  any, 
even  a  slight  resemblance  to  his,  we  can  only  say,  as  did  an  humble  poet  of  Kurdis- 


X  PREFACE. 

tan,  on  a  similar  occasion,  "  I  have  come  forth,  like  Antar,  that  famous  poet,  from 
the  garden  of  Nischabur ;  but  Antar  was  the  rose  of  the  garden,  and  I  am  only  a 
brier." 

An  observation  has  been  made  to  us,  to  which  we  are  now  about  to  reply ;  it 
relates  to  the  use  which  we  have  made  of  the  Hebrew  customs  in  completing  our 
Life  of  the  Blessed  Virgin.  Any  traveller  who  has  visited  the  East,  or  any 
scholar  who  is  at  all  acquainted  with  the  history  and  condition  of  Asia,  will  per- 
ceive that  our  work  is  based  on  long  and  laborious  researches,  and  not  hy  any 
fMOM  <m  imaginatUm;  we  had  not  even  presumed  to  invent  the  common  forms 
oi  farewell^  or  of  wishing  a  good  jmjumey ;  all  has  been  derived  from  respectable 
sources,  which  we  have  scrupulously  acknowledged  whenever  the  thing  was  worth 
the  trouble.  Our  work  has  been  read,  moreover,  by  learned  Orientalists,  who 
have  found  it  correct,  and  Israelites  of  the  highest  rank  have  praised  the  exact 
fidelity  wherewith  we  have  restored  the  faded  splendor  of  Sion  and  the  ancient 
customs  of  their  fathers.  The  historian,  like  the  painter,  now  requires  a  profound 
study  of  the  local  coloring.  If  an  artist  should  attempt  to  introduce  our  Western 
customs  and  our  Northern  landscapes  in  a  painting,  of  which  the  subject  was  taken 
from  ancient  Asia,  he  would  by  no  means  escape  the  just  censure  of  the  connois- 
seurs, A  literary  work  is  likewise  a  painting,  which  should  reproduce  the  hues 
of  the  sky,  the  aspect  of  the  country,  the  historical  costumes,  the  habits  and  the 
customs  of  the  groups  represented  in  its  pages.  In  writing  the  life  of  the  descend- 
ant of  the  kings  of  Juda,  we  have  studied  the  requirements  of  our  theme ;  we 
remembered  that  it  would  not  do  to  engraft  the  manners  of  the  Israelites  on  our 
own,  or  to  wrap  them  up,  as  Strauss  says,  in  a  Western  disguise,  but  to  paint 
them  such  as  they  were  when  Mary  lived :  that  was  the  only  way  to  adhere  to 
probability,  when  tracing  a  history  of  what  occurred  in  Jewish  society  in  the  days 
of  Herod.  We  meet,  in  every  page  of  the  Gospel,  the  manners  and  customs  of  the. 
Jews,  to  which  Jesus  Christ  himself  vouchsafed  to  conform;  it  can  scarcely  be 
doubted  but  that  the  Virgin  had  anticipated  the  example  of  her  divine  Son.  The 
Hebrew  customs  were  based  upon  Scripture  and  tradition,  which  made  them  sacred 
things  in  the  eyes  of  the  whole  nation ;  to  deviate  from  received  usages  would 
have  been  regarded  as  a  grave  misdemeanor.  Even  the  nuptial  garments  of  the 
bride  were  directed  by  the  reminiscences  of  the  Bible  and  the  antediluvian  tradi- 
tions of  the  temple. 

We  have  received,  from  quarters  not  connected  with  the  press,  testimonies  of 


P  REFA  CE. 


sympathy  and  good-will,  wHcli  have  descended  upon  us  from  on  high,  like  the 
gifts  of  Providence.  The  Prince  Orsini,  who  has  deigned  to  accept  the  dedication 
of  our  book,  like  a  true  Roman  prince,  and  a  friend  of  letters,  has  done  us  the 
honor  to  write  to  us : — 

"  A  work  so  remarkable  and  so  holy  as  yours  certainly  deserved  a  more  distinguished  patron  thuB 
I  am  ;  I  am  penetrated  with  the  liveliest  gratitude,  and  no  words  of  mine  could  convey  to  you  my 
sense  of  the  obligation  you  have  conferred  upon  me.  Eome  applauds  your  work  ;  and  the  glory 
which  you  have  given  to  the  Mother  of  God  already  reflects  on  yourself." 

If  we  quote  these  flattering  words,  so  characteristic  of  the  graceful  urbanity  of 
the  higher  Italian  nobility,  it  is  not  that  we  deem  ourselves  worthy  of  them ;  we 
receive  them  as  a  generous  encouragement  to  do  better  at  another  time,  and  we  lay 
them  respectfully  at  the  feet  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  well  knowing  that  such  kind 
and  honorable  suffrage  from  a  prince  as  eminent  for  his  piety  as  for  his  intelligence, 
proceed  from  her  and  to  her  belongs. 

Another  compliment,  very  precious  to  our  heart,  is  from  the  Commander  Mout- 
tinho-Lima,  Minister-Plenipotentiary  from  the  Emperor  of  Brazil,  who,  with  diplo- 
matic talents  of  the  highest  order,  has  a  refined  and  enlightened  taste  for  letters, 
which  he  has  himself  cultivated  with  much  success. 

"  Your  new  edition  of  the  Life  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  only  a  few  months  after  its  first  appearance," 
writes  his  Excellency,  "  is  sufficiently  indicative  of  the  favor  wherewith  the  book  has  been  received 
by  the  public.  Permit  me,  on  the  occasion  of  this  second  edition,  to  add  my  humble  testimony  to 
those  which  you  may  have  already  received. 

"  Your  work  has  contributed,  and  doubtless  will  yet  contribute  more  and  more,  to  promote  in 
France  the  touching  devotion  to  the  Virgin,  where  of  old  it  was  so  fervently  propagated  by  St. 
Bernard.  I  am  persuaded  that  wherever  the  children  of  the  Church  are  found,  the  Life  of  the 
Mother  of  God  will  produce  the  same  eflfect ;  be  my  name  the  pledge." 

But  it  is  not  only  amongst  the  great  ones  of  the  earth  that  our  Life  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  has  found  favor ;  many  learned  doctors,  both  Italian  and  Spanish, 
have  also  honored  it  with  their  approbation.  His  Lordship  the  Bishop  of  Sala- 
manca, a  learned  prelate,  well  worthy  of  presiding  over  that  famous  university 
which  has,  for  many  ages,  shed  a  brilliant  light  on  Europe,  has  deigned  to  protect 
it  in  Spain.  His  Eminence  the  Cardinal  Archbishop  of  Malines,  whose  fame  has 
spread  far  beyond  the  boundaries  of  his  own  country,  has  given  his  formal  appro- 
bation to  the  Belgian  editions.  I  inally,  our  own  bishop  has,  from  the  first,  taken 
it  under  his  protection,  as  became  a  man  who  has  no  need  of  the  opinion  of  others  to 
form  his  own,  and  who  waits  not  to  see  how  the  current  of  public  opinion  will  go. 

We  shall  here  insert  a  portion  of  the  letter  of  Monser.  Castanelli  d'Istria,  to  the 


xii  PREFACE. 


end  that  if  this  book  should  have  any  protracted  eidstence,  it  will  prove,  in  days  to 
come,  that  at  a  time  when  religious  literature  had  no  sort  of  encouragement  in 
France,  it  was  protected  and  fostered  by  Roman  princes,  ambassadors  from  remote 
r^ons,  and  by  saintly  and  learned  prelates. 

**  It  is  somewhat  late  to  thank  you  for  the  present  of  your  valuable  work,  and  for  the  pleasure  it 
gave  me  to  read  a  hfe  doubly  interesting,  from  the  nature  of  the  subject  and  the  charming  style 
wherewith  you  have  embeUished  it  I  prize  this  gift  the  more  highly  as  coming  from  the  author, 
and  because  that  author  is  a  countryman  and  one  of  my  own  priests.  Nor  am  I  alone  in  my  appre- 
ciation of  the  merits  of  your  book.  The  opinion  of  all  those  readers  to  whom  I  have  lent  it  is  quite 
in  accordance  with  that  of  the  journals  of  Paris. 

"  I  am  gratified  to  see  that  the  first  fruits  of  your  literary  labors  are  dedicated  to  the  Queen  of 
Angels.    From  such  a  commencement  there  is  reason  to  hope  for  a  career  the  most  distinguished." 

Since  these  encouraging  letters  were  addressed  to  us,  the  life  of  the  Mother  of 
God  has  had  (we  may  venture  to  say  it,  because  the  proof  is  apparent)  the  most 
unbounded  success,  not  only  in  France,  but  throughout  Europe,  and  even  beyond 
its  bounds.  Three  translations  of  it  have  been  made  in  Italy ;  it  has  been  translated 
in  Spain  by  two  Spanish  doctors;  in  Germany  by  an  able  ecclesiastic,  and  there 
has  been  published  at  Leipsic  a  second  translation,  magnificently  illustrated;  several 
editions  have  been  published  in  Belgium;  it  has  even  penetrated  the  depth  of 
Russia,  and  has  crossed  the  ocean  to  Mexico ;  finally,  it  has  been  favorably  received 
at  Rome,  where  it  is  propagated  by  permission  of  the  Sacred  College.  Thanks  to  the 
powerful  protection  of  Mary,  the  little  grain  of  mustard-seed  has  become  a  great 
tree,  whose  branches  overspread  the  earth ;  trifling  as  this  book  may  be.  She  has 
blessed  it,  because  She  knows  it  was  written  with  no  other  intention  than  that  of 
promoting  her  glory. 

Deeply  grateful  to  that  European  public  which  has  received  our  work  so  favora- 
bly, we  have  done  our  best  to  merit  that  sympathy  which  we  prize  so  highly. 
This  new  edition,  printed  with  the  permission  of  his  Grace  the  Archbishop  of 
Paris,  has  been  carefully  revised  and  considerably  enlarged ;  as  it  is  for  the  last 
time,  we  have  endeavored  to  do  our  duty  conscientiously.  The  second  part,  which 
comprises  the  History  of  the  Devotion  to  Mary,  has  been  entirely  remodeled,  and 
enriched  with  important  facts  taken  from  the  rarest  and  most  authentic  sources. 
Notwithstanding  all  our  efforts,  we  cannot  but  be  aware  that  our  work  is  still  very 
imperfect.  But  such  is  the  ordinary  lot  of  human  undertakings.  Perfection  is  the 
mountain  of  the  talisman,  whose  summit  no  mortal  has  ever  reached,  and  the 
present  writer  least  of  all. 


GREGORIUS     PP.     XVI. 

(Dilecte  Fill,  Salutem  et  Apostolicam  (Benedictionem  Jampridem  Nobis 
dono  miseras  opus  gallica  lingua  a  Te  elucubratunt,  at  que  inscriptum — 
La  Vierge,  Histoire  de  la  Mere  de  Diect  et  de  son  Culte.  JJunc  vero  cum 
tuis  obsequentissimis  Litteris  alterum  ejusdem  operis  exemplar  libenter 
accepimus,  quod  a  Te  auctum,  pulcherrim^isque  im^aginibus  ornatum,  ac 
splendidissim,is  (Parisiensibus  typis  editum,  superiori  anno  rursus  evulgan- 
dum,  curasii. 

Tuum^  consilium  ecclesiastico  viro  plane  dignum,  vehementer  com^m^en^ 
dam,tis,  quod  eo  potissimum,  special,  ut  pietai>  erga  Sanctissimam  (Dei 
Genetricem.  Mariam  in  fidelium  animis  m^agis  m>agisque  augeatur,  atque 
excitatur, 

Agim,us  aulern  pro  dono  gratias,  ac  paterncz  nostrce  in  te  caritatis 
testein,  et  ccelestium,  omnium  m^unerum,  auspicem  Apostolicam  (Benedict 
tionem  Tibi  ipsi,  (Dilecti  Fili,  intimo  cordis  affectu  impertimur. 

(Datum  (komcB  apud  S.  Mariam  Major  em  die  23  Augusti,  Anno  1843, 
(Pontificatus  nostri  anno  decimo  quinto. 

GREGORIUS  PP.  XVL 

DiLECTO    FiLlO, 

Presbytero  Orsini,  Luteti^  Parisiorum 


'I'T-^L^r-sE^r^s'mis^sx:. 


OF 

OUR   MOST  HOLT   LORD  PIUS  IX., 

BY  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE  POPE, 

CONCEKNING  THE  DOGMATIC  DEFINITION  OF  THE  IMMACULATE  CONCEPTION 

OF  THE  VIEGIN  MOTHER  OF  GOD. 


[TRANSLATION.] 


Pius,  Bisliop,  Servant  of  the   Servants  of  God:  for  the  perpetual  remera- 
brance  (f  the  thing, 

HE  Ineffable  God,  whose  ways  are  mercy  and  trath, 
whose  will  is  omnipotence,  and  whose  wisdom  reaches 
powerfully  from  end  to  end,  and  disposes  all  things 
sweetly,  when  he  foresaw  from  all  eternity  the  most 
sorrowful  ruin  of  the  entire  human  race  to  follow 
from  the  transgression  of  Adam,  and  in  a  mystery 
hidden  from  ages  determined  to  complete,  through 
the  incarnation  of  the  Word,  in  a  more  hidden  sac- 
rament, the  first  work  of  His  goodness,  so  that  man,  led  into  sin  by  the 
craft  of  diabolical  iniquity,  should  not  perish  contrary  to  his  merciful 
design,  and  that  what  was  about  to  befall  in  the  first  Adam,  should  be 
restored  more  happily  in  the  second ;  from  the  beginning  and  before  ages, 
chose  and  ordained  a  mother  for  His  only-begotten  Son,  of  whom,  made 
flesh.  He  should  be  born  in  the  blessed  plenitude  of  time,  and  followed  her 
with  so  great  love  before  all  creatures  that  in  her  alone  He  pleased  Him- 


xH  LETTERS  APOSTOLIC  OF  OUR 


self  with  a  most  benign  complacency.  Wherefore,  far  before  all  the  an- 
gelic spirits,  and  all  the  Saints,  He  so  wonderfully  endowed  her  with  the 
abundance  of  all  heavenly  gifts,  drawn  from  the  treasure  of  divinity, 
that  she  might  be  ever  free  froin  every  stain  of  sin,  and,  all  fair  and 
perfect,  would  bear  before  her  that  plenitude  of  innocence  and  holiness 
than  which,  under  God,  none  greater  is  understood,  and  which,  except 
God,  no  one  can  reach,  even  in  thought.  And,  indeed,  it  was  most 
becoming  that  she  should  shine,  always  adorned  with  the  splendor  of 
the  most  perfect  holiness,  and,  free  even  from  the  stain  of  original  sin, 
she  should  have  the  most  complete  triumph  over  the  ancient  serpent — 
that  Mother  so  venerable,  to  whom  God  the  Father  willed  to  give  His 
only  Son,  begotten  of  His  heart,  equal  to  Himself,  and  whom  He  loves 
as  Himself;  and  to  give  Him  in  such  a  manner  that  He  is  by  nature, 
one  and  the  same  common  Son  of  God  the  Father  and  of  the  Virgin, 
and  whom  the  Son  chose  substantially  to  be  His  Mother,,  and  of  whom 
the  Holy  Ghost  willed  that,  by  His  operation,  He,  from  whom  He  Him- 
self proceeds,  should  be  conceived  and  born. 

Which  original  innocence  of  the  august  Virgin  agreeing  completely 
with  her  admirable  holiness,  and  with  the  most  excellent  dignity  of  the 
Mother  of  God,  the  Catholic  Church,  which,  ever  taught  by  the  Holy 
Spirit,  is  the  pillar  and  ground  of  truth,  as  possessing  a  doctrine  di- 
vinely received,  and  comprehended  in  the  deposit  of  heavenly  revela- 
tion, has  never  ceased  to  lay  down,  to  cherish,  and  to  illustrate  contin- 
ually by  numerous  proofs,  and  daily  more  and  more  by  conspicuous  facts. 
For  this  doctrine,  flourishing  from  the  most  ancient  times,  and  implanted 
in  the  minds  of  the  faithful,  and  by  the  care  and  zeal  of  the  Holy  Pontiffs 
wonderfully  propagated,  the  Church  herself  has  most  clearly  pointed  out 
when  she  did  not  hesitate  to  propose  the  conception  of  the  same  Vir- 
gin for  the  public  devotion  and  veneration  of  the  faithful.  By  which 
illustrious  act  she  pointed  out  the  conception  of  the  Virgin  as  singular, 
wonderful,  and  very  different  from  the  origin  of  the  rest  of  mankind,  and 
to  be  venerated  as  entirely  holy,  since  the  Church  celebrates  by  festi- 
vals only  that  which  is  holy.  And,  therefore,  the  very  words  in  which 
the  Sacred  Scriptm-es  speak  of  the  uncreated  Wisdom  and  represent  His 
eternal  origin,  she  has  been  accustomed  to  use  not  only  in  the  offices  of 
ihQ  Church,  but  als)  in  the  holy  liturgy,  and  to  transfer  to  the  origin  of 


MOST  HOLY  LORD  PIUS  IX. 


XVII 


that  Virgin,  which  was  pre-ordained  by  one  and  the  same  decree  with 
the  incarnation  of  Divine  Wisdom. 

But  though  all  those  things  everywhere  justly  received  amongst  the 
faitliful,  show  with  what  zeal  the  Roman  Church,  the  mother  and  mis- 
tress of  all  churches,  has  supported  the  doctrine  of  the  Immaculate  Con- 
ception of  the  Virgin,  yet  the  illustrious  acts  of  this  Church  are  evidently 
worthy  that  they  should  be  reviewed  in  detail;  since  so  great  is  the 
dignity  and  authority  of  the  same  Church,  so  much  is  due  to  her  who  is 
the  centre  of  Catholic  truth  and  unity,  in  whom  alone  religion  has  been 
inviolably  guarded,  and  from  whom  it  is  right  that  all  the  Churches 
should  receive  the  tradition  of  faith. 

Thus  the  same  Roman  Church  had  nothing  more  at  heart  than  to  as- 
sert, to  protect,  to  promote,  and  to  vindicate  in  the  most  eloquent  manner 
the  Immaculate  Conception  of  the  Virgin,  its  devotion  and  doctrine,  which 
fact  is  attested  and  proclaimed  by  so  many  illustrious  acts  of  the  Ro- 
man Pontiffs,  Our  predecessors,  to  whom,  in  the  person  of  the  Prince  of 
the  Apostles,  was  divinely  committed  by  Christ  Our  Lord  the  supreme 
care  and  power  of  feeding  lambs  and  sheep,  of  confirming  the  brethren, 
and  of  ruling  and  governing  the  Universal  Church. 

Indeed,  Our  predecessors  have  ever  gloried  in  instituting  in  the  Roman 
Church  by  their  own  Apostolic  authority  the  Feast  of  the  Conception, 
and  to  augment,  ennoble,  and  promote  with  all  their  power  the  devotion 
thus  instituted,  by  a  proper  Office  and  a  proper  Mass;  by  which  the  pre- 
rogative of  immunity  from  hereditary  stain  was  most  manifestly  asserted; 
to  increase  it  either  by  indulgences  granted,  or  by  leave  given  to  states, 
provinces,  and  kingdoms,  that  they  might  choose  as  their  patron  the 
Mother  of  God,  under  the  title  of  the  Immaculate  Conception ;  or  by 
approved  sodalities,  congregations,  and  religious  families  instituted  to  the 
honor  of  the  Immaculate  Conception ;  or  by  praises  given  to  the  piety  of 
those  who  have  erected  monasteries,  hospitals,  or  churches,  under  the  title 
of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  or  who  have  bound  themselves  by  a  relig- 
ious vow  to  defend  strenuously  the  Immaculate  Conception  of  the  Mother 
of  God.  Above  all,  they  were  happy  to  ordain  that  the  Feast  of  the 
Conception  should  be  celebrated  through  the  whole  Church  as  that  of 
the  Nativity;  and,  in  fine,  that  it  should  be  celebrated  with  an  Octave 
in   the  Universal  Church  as  it  was  placed  in  the  rank  of  the  festivals 


x^ux  LETTERS  APOSTOLIC  OF  OUR 

which  are  commanded  to  be  kept  holy;  also,  tliat  a  Pontifical  service 
in  Hill  Patriarchal  LilxMinn  Basilica  should  be  peiformed  yearly  on  the 
day  sacred  to  the  Conception  of  the  Virgin;  and  desiring  to  cherish  daily 
more  and  more  in  the  minds  of  the  Faithful  this  doctrine  of  the  Immac- 
ulate Conception  of  the  Mother  of  God,  and  to  excite  their  piety  in  wor- 
shipping and  venerating  the  Virgin  conceived  without  original  sin,  they 
have  rejoiced  most  fi'eely  to  give  leave  that  in  the  Litany  of  Loretto, 
and  in  the  Preface  of  the  Mass  itself,  the  Immaculate  Conception  of  the 
same  Virgin  should  be  proclaimed,  and  that  thus  the  law  of  faith  should 
be  established  by  the  very  law  of  supplication.  We  ourselves,  treading 
in  the  footsteps  of  so  many  predecessors,  have  not  only  received  and 
approved  what  had  been  most  wisely  and  piously  established  and  ap- 
pointed by  them,  but  also  mindful  of  the  institution  of  Sixtus  IV.,  We 
have  appointed  by  Our  authority  a  proper  Office  for  the  Immaculate 
Conception,  and  with  a  most  joyful  mind  have  granted  the  use  of  it 
to  the  Universal  Chm'ch. 

But  since  those  things  which  pertain  to  worship  are  evidently  bound 
by  an  intimate  chord  to  its  object,  and  cannot  remain  fixed  and  deter- 
mined, if  it  be  doubtful,  and  placed  in  uncertainty,  therefore  our  prede- 
cessors, the  Roman  Pontiffs,  increasing  with  all  their  care  the  devotion 
of  the  Conception,  studied  most  especially  to  declare  and  inculcate  its 
object  and  doctrine;  for  they  taught  clearly  and  openly  that  the  festival 
was  celebrated  for  the  Conception  of  the  Virgin,  and  they  proscribed  as 
false  and  most  foreign  to  the  intention  of  the  Church  the  opinion  of 
those  who  considered  and  affii-med  that  it  was  not  the  Conception  itself, 
but  the  sanctification,  to  which  devotion  was  paid  by  the  Church. 
Nor  did  they  think  of  treating  more  indulgently  those  who,  in  order  to 
weaken  the  doctrine  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  drawing  a  distinc- 
tion between  the  first  and  second  instant  and  moment  of  the  Conception, 
asserted  that  the  Conception  was  indeed  celebrated,  but  not  for  the  first 
instant  and  moment;  for  Our  predecessors  themselves  thought  it  their 
duty  to  protect  and  defend  with  all  zeal  both  the  feast  of  the  Concep- 
tion of  the  Most  Blessed  Virgin,  and  the  Conception  from  the  first  instant, 
as  the  true  object  of  devotion.  Hence  the  words,  evidently  decretive,  in 
which  Alexander  VII.  declared  the  true  intention  of  the  Church,  saying : 
'*  Certainly,  it  is  the  ancient  piety  of  the  faithful  of  Christ  towards  His 


MOST  HOLY  LORD  Pi  US  IX.  xix 

Most  Blessed  Mother  the  Virgin  Mary,  believing  that  her  soul,  in  the 
first  instant  of  creation,  and  of  infusion  into  the  body,  was  by  a  special 
grace  and  privilege  of  God,  in  virtue  of  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ  her 
Son  the  Redeemer  of  mankind,  preserved  free  from  the  stain  of  origi- 
nal sin,  and  in  this  sense  they  keep  and  celebrate  with  solemn  rites 
the  Festival  of  her  Conception." 

And  to  the  same.  Our  predecessors,  this  also  was  most  especially  a 
duty  to  preserve  from  contention  the  doctrine  of  the  Immaculate  Con- 
ception of  the  Mother  of  God,  guarded  and  protected  with  all  care  and 
zeal.  For  not  only  have  they  never  suffered  that  this  doctrine  should 
ever  be  censured  or  ti'aduced  in  any  way,  or  by  any  one,  but  they 
have  gone  much  farther,  and  in  clear  declarations  on  repeated  occasions 
they  have  proclaimed  that  the  doctrine  in  which  we  confess  the  Im- 
maculate Conception  of  the  Virgin  is,  and  by  its  own  merit,  held 
evidently  consistent  with  Ecclesiastical  worship,  that  it  is  ancient  and 
nearly  universal,  and  of  the  same  sort  as  that  which  the  Roman  Church 
has  undertaken  to  cherish  and  protect,  and,  above  all,  worthy  to  be 
placed  in  its  sacred  liturgy  and  its  solemn  prayers.  Nor  content  with 
this,  in  order  that  the  doctrine  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  of  the 
Virgin  should  remain  inviolate,  they  have  most  severely  prohibited  the 
opinion  adverse  to  this  doctrine  to  be  defended  either  in  public  or  in 
private,  and  they  have  wished  to  crush  it,  as  it  were,  by  repeated 
blows.  To  which  reiterated  and  most  clear  declarations,  lest  they  might 
appear  empty,  they  added  a  sanction;  all  which  things  Our  illustrious 
predecessor,  Alexander  VII.,  embraced  in  these  words: — 

"  Considering  that  the  Holy  Roman  Church  solemnly  celebrates  the 
festival  of  the  Conception  of  the  Immaculate  and  Ever-Blessed  Virgin, 
and  has  appointed  for  this  a  special  and  proper  office  according  to 
the  pious,  devout,  and  laudable  institution  which  emanated  from  Our 
predecessor,  Sixtus  IV.,  and  wishing,  after  the  example  of  the  Roman 
Pontiffs,  Om^  predecessors,  to  favor  this  laudable  piety,  devotion,  and 
festival,  and  the  reverence  shown  towards  it,  never  changed  in  the  Roman 
Church  since  the  institution  of  the  worship  itself;  also  in  order  to  protect 
the  piety  and  devotion  of  venerating  and  celebrating  the  Most  Blessed 
Virgin,  preserved  from  original  sin  by  the  preventing  grace  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  desiring  to  preserve  in  the  flock  of  Chrst  unity  of  spirit  in 


IX 


LETTERS  APOSTOLIC  OF  OUR 


the  bond  of  peace,  removing  offences,  and  brawls,  and  scandals;  at  the 
instance  and  prayers  of  the  said  Bishops,  with  the  Chapters  of  their 
churches,  and  of  King  Philip  and  liis  kingdoms — we  renew  the  consti- 
tutions and  decrees  issued  by  the  Roman  Pontifts,  Our  predecessors,  and 
especially  by  Sixtus  IV.,  Paul  V.,  and  Gregory  XV.,  in  favor  of  asserting 
the  opinion  that  the  soul  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  in  its  creation  and 
infusion  into  the  body,  was  endowed  with  the  grace  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  preserved  from  original  sin ;  likewise,  also,  in  favor  of  the  festival 
of  the  same  Virgin  Mother  of  God,  celebrated  according  to  that  pious 
belief  which  is  recited  above,  and  We  command  that  it  shall  be  ob- 
served under  the  censures  and  punishments  contained  in  the  same 
constitutions. 

"And  against  all  and  each  of  those  who  try  to  interpret  the  aforesaid 
constitutions  or  decrees  so  that  they  may  frustrate  the  favor  shown 
through  these  to  the  said  belief  and  to  the  festival  or  worship  cele- 
brated according  to  it,  or  who  try  to  recall  into  dispute  the  same  belief, 
festival,  or  worship,  or  against  these  in  any  manner,  either  directly  or 
indirectly,  and  on  any  pretext,  even  that  of  examining  the  grounds  of 
defining  it,  or  of  explaining  or  interpreting  the  Sacred  Scriptui-es  or 
the  Holy  Fathers  or  Doctors ;  in  fine,  who  should  dare  under  any  pre- 
text or  on  any  occasion  whatsoever,  to  say  either  in  writing  or  in  speech, 
to  preach,  to  treat,  to  dispute,  by  determining  or  asserting  anything 
against  these,  or  by  bringing  arguments  against  them  and  leaving  these 
arguments  unanswered,  or  by  expressing  dissent  in  any  other  possible 
manner;  besides  the  punishments  and  censures  contained  in  the  con- 
stitutions of  Sixtus  IV.,  to  which  we  desire  to  add,  and  by  these  presents 
do  add,  those:  We  will  that  they  should  be  deprived  ipso  fado^  and 
without  other  declaration,  of  the  faculty  of  preaching,  of  reading  in 
public,  or  of  teaching  and  interpreting,  and  also  of  their  voice,  whether 
active  or  passive,  in  elections ;  from  which  censures  they  cannot  be 
absolved,  nor  obtain  dispensation,  unless  from  Us,  or  Our  successors, 
the  Roman  Pontiffs ;  likewise  We  wish  to  subject,  and  We  hereby  do 
subject,  the  same  persons  to  other  penalties  to  be  inflicted  at  Our  will, 
and  at  that  of  the  same  Roman  Pontiffs,  Our  successors,  renewing 
the  constitutions  or  decrees  of  Paul  IV.,  and  Gregory  XV.,  above  re- 
ferred to. 


MOST  HOLY  LORD  PIUS  IX.  xxi 

"And  We  prohibit,  under  the  penalties  and  censures  contained  in  the 
Index  of  Prohibited  Books,  and  We  will  and  declare  that  they  should  be 
esteemed  prohibited  ipso  facto^  and  without  other  declaration,  books  in 
which  the  aforesaid  belief  and  the  festival  or  devotion  celebrated  accord- 
ing to  it  is  recalled  into  dispute,  or  in  which  anything  whatever  is  writ- 
ten or  read  against  these,  or  lectures,  sermons,  treatises,  and  disputations 
against  the  same,  published  after  the  decree  of  Paul  V.  above  mentioned, 
or  to  be  published  at  any  future  time." 

All  are  aware  with  how  much  zeal  this  doctrine  of  the  Immaculate 
Conception  of  the  Mother  of  God  has  been  handed  down,  asserted  and 
propagated  by  the  most  distinguished  religious  Orders,  the  most  celebrated 
theological  academies,  and  the  most  eminent  doctors  of  the  science  of 
Divinity.  All  know  likewise  how  anxious  have  been  the  Bishops  openly 
and  publicly  to  profess,  even  in  the  Ecclesiastical  assemblies  themselves, 
that  the  Most  Holy  Mother  of  God,  the  Virgin  Mary,  by  virtue  of  the 
merits  of  ^Christ  Our  Lord,  the  Saviour  of  mankind,  never  lay  under  ori- 
ginal sin,  but  was  preserved  free  from  the  original  stain,  and  thus  was 
redeemed  in  a  more  sublime  manner.  To  which,  lastly,  is  added  this 
fact,  most  grave,  and,  in  an  especial  manner,  most  important  of  all,  that 
the  Council  of  Trent  itself,  when  it  promulgated  the  dogmatic  decree 
concerning  original  sin,  in  which,  according  to  the  testimonies  of  the 
Sacred  Scriptures,  of  the  Holy  Fathers,  and  of  the  most  approved  coun- 
cils, it  determined  and  defined  that  all  mankind  are  born  under  original 
sin ;  solemnly  declared,  however,  that  it  was  not  its  intention  to  in- 
clude in  the  decree  itself,  and  in  the  amplitude  of  its  definition,  the 
Blessed  and  Immaculate  Virgin  Mary,  Mother  of  God.  Indeed,  by  this 
declaration,  the  Tridentine  Fathers  have  asserted,  according  to  the  times 
and  the  circumstances  of  affairs,  that  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  was  free 
fi'om  the  original  stain,  and  thus  clearly  signified  that  nothing  could  be 
justly  adduced  from  the  sacred  writings,  nor  from  the  authority  of  the 
Fathers,  which  would  in  any  way  gainsay  so  great  a  prerogative  of 
the  Virgin. 

And,  in  real  truth,  illustrious  monuments  of  a  venerated  antiquity  of 
the  Eastern  and  of  the  Western  Church  most  powerfully  testify  that  this 
doctrine  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  of  the  Most  Blessed  Virgin,  every 
day  more  and  more  so  splendidly  explained  and  confirmed  by  the  high- 


xxii  LETTERS  APOSTOLIC  OF  OUR 


est  auUiority,  teaching,  zeal,  science,  and  wisdom  of  the  Church,  and  so 
wonderfully  propagated  amongst  all  the  nations  and  peoples  of  the  Cath- 
olic world,  always  existed  in  the  Church  as  received  by  Our  ancestors, 
and  stamped  with  the  character  of  a  divine  revelation.  For  the  Church 
of  Christ,  careful  guardian  and  defender  of  the  dogmas  deposited  with 
her,  changes  nothing  in  them,  diminishes  nothing,  adds  nothing,  but,  with 
all  industry,  by  faithfully  and  wisely  treating  ancient  things,  if  they  are 
handed  down  from  antiquity,  so  studies  to  eliminate,  to  clear  them  up, 
that  these  ancient  dogmas  of  heavenly  faith  may  receive  evidence,  light, 
distinction,  but  still  may  retain  their  fullness,  integrity,  propriety,  and  may 
increase  only  in  their  own  kind — that  is,  in  the  same  dogma,  the  same 
sense,  and  the  same  belief. 

The  Fathei*s  and  writers  of  the  Church,  taught  by  the  heavenly  writ- 
mgs,  had  nothing  more  at  heart,  in  the  books  written  to  explain  the 
Scriptures,  to  vindicate  the  dogmas,  and  to  instruct  the  faithful,  than 
emulously  to  declare  and  exhibit  in  many  and  wonderful  ways  the  Virgin's 
most  high  sanctity,  dignity,  and  freedom  from  all  stain  of  original  sin, 
and  her  renowned  victory  over  the  most  foul  enemy  of  the  human  race. 
Wherefore,  repeating  the  words  in  which,  at  the  beginning  of  the  world, 
the  Almighty,  announcing  the  remedies  of  his  mercy,  prepared  for  regen- 
erating mankind,  crushed  the  audacity  of  the  lying  Serpent,  and  wonder- 
fully raised  up  the  hope  of  our  race,  saying,  "  I  will  place  enmity  between 
thee  and  the  woman,  thy  seed  and  hers,"  they  taught  that  in  this  divine 
oracle  was  clearly  and  openly  pointed  out  the  merciful  Kedeemer  of  the 
human  race — the  only-begotten  Son  of  God,  Christ  Jesus,  and  that  his 
Most  Blessed  Mother,  the  Virgin  Mary,  was  designated,  and  at  the  same 
time  that  the  enmity  of  both  against  the  Serpent  was  signally  expressed. 
Wherefore,  as  Christ,  the  mediator  of  God  and  men,  having  assumed 
human  nature,  blotting  out  the  handwriting  of  the  decree  which  stood 
against  us,  fastened  it  triumphantly  to  the  Cross,  so  the  Most  Holy  Vir- 
gin, bound  by  a  most  close  and  indissoluble  chain  with  Him,  exercis- 
ing with  Him  and  through  Him  eternal  enmity  against  the  malignant 
Serpent,  and  triumphing  most  amply  over  the  same,  has  crushed  his 
head  with  her  Immaculate  foot. 

This  illustrious  and  singular  triumph  of  the  Virgin,  and  her  most  ex- 
alted innocence,  purity,  and  holiness,  her  freedom  from  all  stain  of  sin, 


MOST  HOLY  LORD  PIUS  IX.  rsiii 

and  ineffable  abundance  and  greatness  of  all  heavenly  graces,  ^drtues, 
and  privileges,  the  same  Fathers  beheld  in  that  ark  of  Noah,  which,  di- 
vinely appointed,  escaped  safe  and  sound  from  the  common  shipwreck 
of  the  whole  w^orld;  also  in  that  ladder  which  Jacob  beheld  reaching 
from  earth  to  heaven,  by  whose  steps  the  Angels  of  God  ascended  and 
descended,  on  whose  top  leaned  God  himself;  also  in  that  bush  which, 
in  the  holy  place,  Moses  beheld  blaze  on  every  side,  and  amidst  the 
crackling  flames  neither  to  be  consumed  nor  to  suffer  the  least  injury, 
but  to  grow  green  and  to  blossom  fairly;  also  in  that  impregnable 
tower  in  front  of  the  enemy,  on  which  are  hung  a  thousand  bucklers 
and  all  the  armor  of  the  brave ;  also  in  that  garden  fenced  round 
about,  which  cannot  be  violated  nor  corrupted  by  any  schemes  of 
fraud;  also  in  that  brilliant  city  of  God,  whose  foundations  are  in  the 
holy  mounts ;  also  in  that  most  august  temple  of  God,  which,  shining 
with  divine  splendor,  is  filled  with  the  glory  of  God ;  likewise  in  many 
other  things  of  this  kind  which  the  Fathers  have  handed  down,  that 
the  exalted  dignity  of  the  Mother  of  God,  and  her  spotless  innocence, 
and  her  holiness,  obnoxious  to  no  blemish,  have  been  signally  pre- 
announced. 

To  describe  the  same  totality,  as  it  were,  of  divine  gifts,  and  the 
original  integrity  of  the  Virgin  of  whom  Jesus  was  born,  the  same 
Fathers,  using  the  eloquence  of  the  Prophets,  celebrate  the  august  Vir- 
gin as  the  spotless  dove,  the  holy  Jerusalem,  the  exalted  throne  of 
God,  the  ark  and  house  of  sanctification,  which  Eternal  Wisdom  built 
for  itself;  and  as  that  Queen  who,  abounding  in  delights  and  leaning 
on  her  beloved,  came  forth  entirely  perfect  from  the  mouth  of  the  Most 
High,  fair  and  most  dear  to  God,  and  never  stained  with  the  least 
spot.  But  when  the  same  Fathers  and  the  writers  of  the  Church  re- 
volved in  their  hearts  and  minds  that  the  Most  Blessed  Virgin,  in  the 
name  and  by  the  order  of  God  himself,  was  proclaimed  full  of  grace 
by  the  Angel  Gabriel,  when  announcing  her  most  sublime  dignity  of 
the  Mother  of  God,  they  taught  that,  by  this  singular  and  solemn  salu- 
tation, never  heard  on  any  other  occasion,  is  shown  that  the  Mother 
of  God  is  the  seat  of  all  divine  graces,  and  adorned  with  all  the  gifts 
of  the  Holy  Ghost — yea,  the  infinite  storehouse  and  inexhaustible  abyss 
of  the   same   gifts;   so   that,  never   subjected   to  malediction,  and   alono 


XXIT 


LETTERS  APOSTOLIC  OF  OUR 


with  her  Son  partaker  of  perpetual  benediction,  she  deserved  to  hear 
from  Elizabeth,  inspired  by  the  Holy  Ghost:  "Blessed  art  thou  amongst 
women,  and  blessed  is  the  fruit  of  thy  womb." 

Hence  it  is  the  clear  and  unanimous  opinion  of  the  same  that  the  Most 
Glorious  Virgin,  for  whom  He  who  is  powerful  has  done  gi-eat  things, 
has  shone  with  such  a  brilliancy  of  all  heavenly  gifts,  such  fullness  of 
grace,  and  such  innocence,  that  she  has  been  an  ineffable  miracle  of  the 
Almighty,  yea,  the  crown  of  all  miracles,  and  worthy  Mother  of  God ; 
that  she  approaches  as  nearly  to  God  as  created  natm-e  can  do,  and  is 
far  above  the  praise  of  men  or  angels. 

And,  therefore,  to  vindicate  the  original  innocence  and  justice  of  the 
Mother  of  God,  they  not  only  compared  her  to  Eve,  as  yet  virgin,  as  yet 
innocent,  as  yet  incorrupted,  and  not  yet  deceived  by  the  most  deadly 
snares  of  the  most  treacherous  serpent,  but  they  have  preferred  her  with 
a  wonderful  variety  of  thought  and  expression.  For  Eve,  miserably 
obeying  the  serpent,  fell  from  original  innocence,  and  became  his  slave, 
but  the  Most  Blessed  Virgin,  ever  increasing  her  original  gift,  not  only 
never  leant  an  ear  to  the  serpent,  but  by  a  vii'tue  divinely  received 
utterly  broke  his  power. 

Wherefore  they  have  never  ceased  to  call  the  Mother  of  God  the  lily 
amongst  the  thorns,  earth  entirely  untouched,  virgin,  undefiled,  immacu- 
late, ever  blessed,  and  free  from  all  contagion  of  sin,  from  which  was 
foimed  the  new  Adam;  a  reproachless,  most  sweet  paradise  of  innocence, 
immortality,  and  delights,  planted  by  God  himself,  and  fenced  from  all 
snares  of  the  malignant  serpent;  incorruptible  branch  that  the  worm  of 
sin  has  never  injured;  fountain  ever  clear,  and  marked  by  the  virtue  of 
the  Holy  Ghost;  a  most  divine  temple,  or  treasure  of  immortality,  or  the 
sole  and  only  daughter  not  of  death  but  of  life,  the  seed  not  of  enmity 
but  of  grace,  which  by  the  singular  providence  of  God  has  always  flour- 
ished, springing  from  a  coiTupt  and  imperfect  root,  contrary  to  the  settled 
and  common  laws.  But  if  these  encomiums,  though  most  splendid,  were 
not  sufficient,  they  proclaimed  in  proper  and  defined  opinions  that  when 
sin  was  to  be  treated  of,  no  question  should  be  entertained  concerning 
the  Holy  Virgin  Mary,  to  whom  an  abundance  of  grace  was  given  to  con- 
quer sin  completely.  They  also  declared  that  the  Most  Glorious  Virgin 
was  the  reparatiix  of  her  parents,  the  vivifier  of  posterity,  chosen  from 


the  ages,  prepared  for  Himself  by  the  Most  High,  predicted  by  God  when 
he  said  to  the  serpent,  "  I  will  place  enmity  between  thee  and  the 
woman,"  who  luidoubtedly  has  crushed  the  poisonous  head  of  the  same 
serpent;  and  therefore  they  affirm  that  the  same  Blessed  Virgin  was 
through  grace  perfectly  free  from  every  stain  of  sin,  and  from  all  conta- 
gion of  body  and  soul  and  mind,  and  always  conversant  with  God,  and 
united  with  him  in  an  eternal  covenant,  never  was  in  darkness,  but 
always  in  light,  and  therefore  was  plainly  a  fit  habitation  for  Christ,  not 
on  account  of  her  bodily  state,  but  on  account  of  her  original  grace. 

To  these  things  are  added  the  noble  words  in  which,  speaking  of  the 
Conception  of  the  Yirgin,  they  have  testified  that  nature  yielded  to  grace 
and  stood  trembling,  not  being  able  to  proceed  further ;  for  it  was  to  be 
that  the  Virgin  Mother  of  God  should  not  be  conceived  by  Anna  before 
grace  should  bear  fruit.  For  she  ought  thus  to  be  conceived  as  the  first 
born,  from  whom  should  be  conceived  the  first  born  of  every  creature. 
They  have  testified  that  the  flesh  of  the  Virgin,  taken  from  Adam,  did  not 
admit  the  stains  of  Adam,  and  on  this  account  that  the  Most  Blessed  Vir- 
gin was  the  tabernacle  created  by  God  himself,  formed  by  the  Holy 
Spirit,  truly  enriched  with  purple  which  that  new  Beseleel  made,  adorned 
and  woven  with  gold ;  and  that  this  same  Virgin  is,  and  deservedly  is, 
celebrated  as  she  who  was  the  first  and  the  peculiar  work  of  God, 
escaped  from  the  fiery  weapons  of  evil;  and  fair  by  nature,  and  entirely 
free  from  all  stain,  came  into  the  world  all  shining  like  the  morn  in  her 
Immaculate  Conception ;  nor,  truly,  was  it  right  that  this  vessel  of  elec- 
tion should  be  assailed  by  common  injuries,  since,  differing  very  much 
from  others,  she  had  community  with  them  only  in  their  nature,  not  in 
their  fault. 

Moreover,  it  was  right  that,  as  the  Only  Begotten  had  a  Father  in 
heaven  whom  the  seraphim  proclaim  thrice  holy,  so  He  should  have  a 
Mother  on  the  earth,  who  should  never  want  the  splendor  of  holiness. 
And  this  doctrine,  indeed,  so  filled  the  minds  and  souls  of  om-  forefathers, 
that  a  marvelous  and  singular  form  of  speech  prevailed  with, them,  in 
which  they  very  frequently  called  the  Mother  of  God  immacuiate  and 
entirely  immaculate,  innocent  and  most  innocent,  spotless,  holy,  and  most 
distant  from  every  stain  of  sin,  all  pure,  all  perfect,  the  type  and  model 
of  purity  and  innocence,  more  beautiful  than  beauty,  more  gracious  than 


xxn 


LETTERS  APOSTOLIC  OF  OUR 


grace,  more  holy  than  holiness,  and  alone  holy,  and  most  pure  in  soul 
and  body,  who  has  surpassed  all  perfectitude  and  all  virginity,  and  has 
become  the  dwelling-place  of  all  the  graces  of  the  Most  Holy  Spirit,  and 
who,  God  alone  excepted,  is  superior  to  all,  and  by  nature  fairer,  more 
beautiful,  and  more  holy  than  the  cherubim  and  seraphim ;  she  whom  all 
the  tongues  of  heaven  and  earth  do  not  suffice  to  extol.  No  one  is 
ignorant  that  these  forms  of  speech  have  passed,  as  it  were  spontaneously, 
into  the  monuments  of  the  most  holy  Liturgy,  and  the  Offices  of  the 
Church,  and  that  they  occm-  often  in  them  and  abound  amply ;  and 
that  the  Mother  of  God  is  invoked  and  named  in  them  as  a  spotless  dove 
of  beauty,  as  a  rose  ever  blooming  and  perfectly  pure,  and  ever  spotless 
and  ever  blessed,  and  is  celebrated  as  innocence  which  was  never 
wounded,  and  a  second  Eve  who  brought  forth  Emmanuel. 

It  is  no  wonder,  then,  if  the  Pastors  of  the  Church  and  the  faithful 
people  have  daily  more  and  more  gloried  to  profess  with  so  much  piety 
and  fei*vor  this  doctrine  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  of  the  Virgin 
Mother  of  God,  pointed  out  in  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  according  to  the 
judgment  of  the  Fathers,  handed  down  in  so  many  mighty  testimonies 
of  the  same,  expressed  and  celebrated  in  so  many  illustrious  monuments 
of  a  revered  antiquity,  and  proposed,  and  with  great  piety  confirmed,  by 
the  greatest  and  highest  judgment  of  the  Church ;  so  that  nothing  would 
be  more  dear,  more  pleasing  to  the  same,  than  everywhere  to  worship, 
venerate,  invoke,  and  proclaim  the  Virgin  Mother  of  God  conceived  with- 
out original  stain.  Wherefore,  from  the  ancient  times,  the  Princes  of  the 
Church,  Ecclesiastics,  and  even  emperors  and  kings  themselves,  have 
#imestly  entreated  of  this  Apostolic  See  that  the  Immaculate  Conception 
of  the  Most  Holy  Mother  of  God  should  be  defined  as  a  dogma  of  Catholic 
faith.  Which  entreaties  were  renewed  also  in  these  Our  times,  and  espe- 
cially were  address^  to  Gregory  XVL,  Our  predecessor  of  happy  memoiy, 
and^^^urselves,  not  only  1)\'  Bishops,  but  by  the  secular  clergy,  religious 
Ora^Pby  the  greatest  princes,  and  by  the  faithful  people. 

Tlrerelnre,  with  singular  joy  of  mind,  well  knowing  all  these  things, 
and  seriously  consIdtM-ing  tl|pii,  scarcely  had  We,  though  unworthy,  been 
raised  1^  a  mysterious  dispensation  of  Divine  Providence  to  the  exalted 
Chair  of  Peter,  and  undertaken  the  government  of  the  whole  Church,  than, 
following  the  veneration,  the  piety,  and  love  We  had  entertained  for  the 


MOST  HOLY  LORD  PIUS  IX. 


XXVll 


Blessed  Yirgin  from  Our  tender  years,  We  had  nothing  at  heart  more 
than  to  accomplish  all  these  things  which  as  yet  were  amongst  the  ardent 
wishes  of  the  Church,  that  the  honor  of  the  Most  Blessed  Virgin  should 
be  increased,  and  her  prerogatives  should  shine  with  a  fuller  light.  But 
wishing  to  bring  to  this  full  maturity  We  appointed  a  special  congrega- 
tion of  Our  Venerable  Brothers,  the  Cardinals  of  the  Holy  Eoman  Church, 
illustrious  by  their  piety,  their  wisdom,  and  their  knowledge  of  the  sacred 
sciences,  and  We  also  selected  Ecclesiastics,  both  secular  and  regular, 
well  trained  in  theological  discipline,  that  they  should  most  carefully 
weigh  all  those  things  which  relate  to  the  Immaculate  Conception  of  the 
Virgin,  and  report  to  Us  their  opinion.  And,  although  from  the  entreaties 
lately  received  by  Us  for  at  length  defining  the  Immaculate  Conception 
of  the  Virgin,  the  opinions  of  most  of  the  Bishops  of  the  Church  were 
understood ;  however.  We  sent  Encyclic  letters,  dated  at  Gaeta,  the  2d  day 
of  February,  in  the  year  1849,  to  all  Our  Venerable  Brethren,  the  Bishops 
of  all  the  Catholic  world,  in  order  that  having  offered  prayers  to  God 
they  might  signify  to  Us,  in  witing,  what  was  the  piety  and  devotion  of 
their  flocks  towards  the  Immaculate  Conception  of  the  Mother  of  God, 
and  especially  what  the  Bishops  themselves  thought  about  promulgating 
the  definition,  or  what  they  desired  in  order  that  We  might  pronounce 
Our  supreme  judgment  as  solemnly  as  possible. 

Certainly  we  were  filled  with  no  slight  consolation  when  the  replies 
of  Our  Venerable  Brethren  came  to  Us.  For,  with  an  incredible  joyfulness, 
gladness,  and  zeal,  they  not  only  confirmed  their  own  singular  piety,  and 
that  of  their  clergy  and  faithful  people,  towards  the  Immaculate  Concep- 
tion of  the  Most  Blessed  Virgin,  but  they  even  entreated  of  Us  with% 
common  voice  that  the  Immaculate  Conception  of  the  Virgin  should  be 
defined  by  Our  supreme  judgment  and  authority.  Nor,  indeed,  were  We 
filled  with  less  joy  when- Our  Venerable  Brothers, ,dtiie  Cardinals  of  the 
Special  Congregation  aforesaid,  and  the  consulting  theologians  chosen  by 
Us,  after  a  diligent  examination  demanded  fi-om  Us  with  equal  alacrity 
and  zeal  this  definition  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  of  the  Mother  of 
God.  '^  M 

Afterwards  walking  in  the  illustrious  footsteps  of  Our  predecessors, 
and  desiring  to  proceed  duly  and  properly.  We  proclaimed  and  held  a 
Consistory,  in  which  We  addressed  Our  Brethren,  the  Cardinals  of  the 


xxvui 


LETTERS  APOSTOLIC  OF  OUR 


Holy  Roman  Churcli,  and  with  the  greatest  consolation  of  mind  We  heard 
them  entreat  of  Us  that  We  should  promulgate  the  dogmatic  definition 
of  the  Immaculate  Conception  of  the  Virgin  Mother  of  God. 

Therefore  having  full  trust  in  the  Lord  that  the  opportune  time  had 
come  for  defining  the  Immaculate  Conception  of  the  Virgin  Mary  Mother 
of  God,  which  the  Divine  word,  venerable  tradition,  the  perpetual  opinion 
of  the  Church,  the  singular  agreement  of  Catholic  Prelates  and  Faithful, 
and  the  signal  acts  and  constitutions  of  Our  predecessors  wonderfully 
illustrate  and  proclaim;  having  most  diligently  weighed  all  things,  and 
poured  forth  to  God  assiduous  and  fervent  prayers.  We  resolved  that  We 
would  no  longer  delay  to  sanction  and  define,  by  Our  supreme  authority, 
the  Innnaculate  Conception  of  the  Virgin,  and  thus  to  satisfy  the  most 
pious  desires  of  the  Catholic  world  and  Our  own  piety  towards  the  Most 
Holy  Virgin,  and,  at  the  same  time,  to  honor  more  and  more  the  cmly-begot- 
ten  Son  Jesus  Christ  Om-  Lord,  since  whatever  honor  and  praise  is  given 
to  the  Mother  redounds  to  the  Son. 

Wherefore,  after  We  had  unceasingly,  in  humility  and  fasting,  offered 
Our  own  prayers  and  the  public  prayers  of  the  Church  to  God  the 
Father,  through  his  Son,  that  He  would  deign  to  direct  and  confirm  Our 
mind  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  implored  the  aid  of  the  entire 
heavenly  host,  and  invoked  the  Paraclete  with  sighs,  and  He  thus  inspir- 
ing, to  the  honor  of  the  Holy  and  undivided  Trinity,  to  the  glory  and 
ornament  of  the  Virgin  Mother  of  God,  to  the  exaltation  of  the  Catholic 
faith  and  the  increase  of  the  Catholic  religion,  by  the  authority  of  Jesus 
Christ  Our  Lord,  of  the  Blessed  Apostles,  Peter  and  Paul,  We  declare, 
.Renounce,  and  define  that  the  doctrine  which  holds  that  the  Blessed 
Virgin  Mary,  at  the  first  instant  of  her  conception,  by  a  singular  privilege 
and  grace  of  the  Omnipitent  God,  in  virtue  of  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ, 
the  Saviour  of  mankind,  was  preserved  immaculate  from  all  stain  of  origi- 
nal si^h^^j^n  revealed  ])y  God,  and  therefore  should  firmly  and  con- 
staiMlpi^Wliieved  by  all  the  faithful.  Wherefore,  if  any  shall  dare — 
whicn  (jJod  forbid — to  thiiilc  otherwise  than  as  it  has  been  defined  by 
Us,  they ipK » 111 (1  know  and  understand  that  they  are  condemned  by  their 
own  judPnent,  that  they  have  suffered  shipwreck  of  the  faith,  and  have 
revolted  from  the  unity  of  the  Chm-ch ;  and  besides,  by  their  own  act  they 
subject  themselves  to  the  penalties  justly  established,  if  what  they  think 


MOST  HOLY  LORD  PIUS  IX.  xxix 


they  should  dare  to  signify  by  word,  writing,  or  any  other  outward 
means. 

Our  mouth  is  filled  with  joy,  and  Our  tongue  with  exultation,  and  We 
return,  and  shall  ever  return,  the  most  humble  and  the  greatest  thanks 
to  Jesus  Christ  Our  Lord,  because  through  his  singular  beneficence  He 
has  granted  to  Us,  though  unworthy,  to  offer  and  decree  this  honor,  glory, 
and  praise,  to  His  Most  Holy  Mother;  but  We  rest  in  the  most  certain 
hope  and  confidence  that  this  Most  Blessed  Virgin,  who,  all  fair  and 
immaculate,  has  bruised  the  poisonous  head  of  the  most  malignant  Ser- 
pent, and  brought  salvation  to  the  world,  who  is  the  praise  of  the  Prophets 
and  the  Apostles,  the  honor  of  the  Martyrs,  and  the  crown  and  joy  of  all 
the  Saints-^who  is  the  safest  refuge  and  most  faithful  helper  of  all  who 
are  in  danger,  and  the  most  powerful  mediatrix  and  conciliatrix  with  the 
only-begotten  Son  for  the  whole  world,  and  the  most  illustrious  glory  and 
ornament,  and  most  firm  guardian  of  the  Holy  Church,  who  has  destroyed 
all  heresies,  and  snatched  from  the  greatest  calamities  of  all  kinds  the 
faithful  peoples  and  nations,  and  delivered  Us  from  so  many  threatening 
dangers,  will  effect  by  her  most  powerful  patronage  that,  all  difficulties 
being  removed,  and  all  errors  dissipated.  Our  Holy  Mother  the  Catholic 
Church  may  flourish  daily  more  and  more  throughout  all  nations  and 
countries,  and  may  reign  from  sea  to  sea  to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  and 
may  enjoy  all  peace,  tranquillity,  and  liberty;  that  the  sinner  may  obtain 
pardon,  the  sick  healing,  the  weak  strength  of  heart,  the  afflicted  consola- 
tion, and  that  all  who  are  in  error,  their  spiritual  blindness  being  dissi- 
pated, may  return  to  the  path  of  truth  and  justice,  and  may  become  one 
flock  and  one  shepherd. 

Let  all  the  children  of  the  Catholic  Church,  most  dear  to  Us,  hear  these 
Our  words,  and,  with  a  more  ardent  zeal  of  piety,  religion,  and  love,  pro- 
ceed to  worship,  invoke,  and  pray  to  the  Most  Blessed  Virgin  Mary, 
Mother  of  God,  conceived  without  original  sin,  and  let  them  fly  with 
entire  confidence  to  this  most  sweet  Mother  of  Mercy  and  Grac^  in  all 
dangers,  difficulties,  doubts,  and  fears.  For  nothing  is  to  be  feared,  and 
nothing  is  to  be  despaired  of  under  her  guidance,  under  her  auspices, 
under  her  favor,  under  her  protection,  who,  bearing  towards  us  a  maternal 
affection,  and  taking  up  the  business  of  our  salvation,  is  solicitous  for  the 
whole  human  race,  and,  appointed  by  God  the   Queen  of  Heaven   and 


LETTERS  APOSTOLIC. 


Earth,  and  exalted  above  all  the  choirs  of  Angels,  and  orders  of  Saints, 
standing  at  the  right  hand  of  the  only-begotten  Son,  Jesus  Christ  Our 
Lord,  intercedes  most  powerfully,  and  obtains  what  she  asks,  and  cannot 
be  frusti*ated. 

Finally,  in  order  that  this  Our  definition  of  the  Immaculate  Conception 
of  the  Most  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  may  be  brought  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
Universal  Church,  We  will  these  Letters  Apostolic  to  stand  for  a  perpetual 
remembrance  of  the  thing,  commanding  that  to  transcripts  or  printed- 
copies,  subscribed  by  the  hand  of  some  notary  public,  and  authenticated 
by  the  seal  of  a  person  of  Ecclesiastical  rank,  appointed  for  the  purpose, 
the  same  faith  shall  be  paid  which  would  be  paid  to  these  presents  if  they 
were  exhibited  or  shown. 

Let  no  man  interfere  with  this  Our  declaration,  pronunciation,  and 
definition,  or  oppose  and  contradict  it  with  presumptuous  rashness.  If 
any  should  presume  to  assail  it,  let  him  know  that  he  will  incur  the  in- 
dignation of  the  Omnipotent  God  and  of  His  Blessed  Apostles  Peter  and 
Paul. 

Given  at  Rome,  at  St.  Peter's,  in  the  year  of  the  Incarnation  of  Our 
Lord  1854,  the  sixth  of  the  Ides  of  December,  in  the  ninth  year  of  Our 
Pontificate. 

PIUS  IX.,  Pope. 


Li   I   P^   E 


OF    THE 


BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY; 

iH0tl)er  of  (^oir. 


CHAPTER    I. 

UNIVERSAL    EXPECTATION    OF    THE    VIRGIN   AND    OF    THE    MESSIAH. 


those  remote 
times  when  the 
world  was  still 
in  its  infancy, 
when  our  first 
parents,  trem- 
bling and  amazed,  heard,  under  the 
majestic  shades  of  Eden,*  the  awful 
voice  of  Jehovah  condemning  them 
to  exile,  to  labor,  and  to  death, 
in  punishment  of  their  mad  dis- 
obedience, a  mysterious  prediction, 
wherein  the  pitying  kindness  of  the 
Creator  was  manifested  through  the 


*  The  word  Eden,  among  the  Arabs  as  among 
the  Hebrews,  is  the  name  of  the  terrestrial 
paradise,  and  also  of  the  paradise  of  the  elect. 


*  wrath  of  the  ofiended  Deity,  came  to 
raise  the  drooping  spirits  of  those 
two  frail  creatures  who  had,  like 
Lucifer,  sinned  through  pride.  A 
daughter  of  Eve,  a  woman  of  mascu- 
line com^age,  was  to  crush  the  head 
of  the  serpent  beneath  her  feet,  and 
to  regenerate  for  ever  a  guilty  race ; 
that  woman  was  Mary. 

Thenceforward,  it  was  a  tradition 
amongst  the  antediluvian  tribes  that 
a  woman  should  come  to  repair  the 
evil  which  another  had  done;  this 
consoling  tradition,  which  kept  up 

In  Hebrew,  it  signifies  a  place  of  delight ;  in 
Arabic,  a  place  proper  for  the  grazing  of 
flocks. 


82 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


the  hopes  of  a  fallen  race,  had  not  * 
yet  been  effaced  from  the  minds  of 
men,  at  the  time  of  their  grand  dis- 
persion on  the  plains  of  Sennaar; 
they  carried  with  them,  over  seas 
and  mountains,  that  sweet,  though 
distant  hope,  together  with  the  re- 
ligion of  Noah,  and  the  wreck  of  art 
and  science  saved  from  the  waters 
of  the  Deluge.*  In  after  times, 
when  the  primitive  religion  faded 
away,  and  the  ancient  traditions 
were  shrouded  in  obscurity,  that  of 
the  Vii-gin  and  the  Messiah  resisted, 
almost  alone,  the  action  of  time, 
and  reared  itself  up  on  the  ruin  of 
ancient  creeds,  swallowed  up  in 
the  fables  of  polytheism,  like  the 
evergreen   which   grows    amid   the 

*  It  is  certain  that  the  race  of  primitive  men, 
which  was  wild,  but  not  savage,  early  attained  a 
knowledge  of  the  arts  analogous  to  their  wants 
and  pleasures.  Scarcely  do  the  children  of 
Adam  form  into  little  communities  of  men, 
when  we  see  them  establish  a  public  worship, 
fabricate  tents,  build  towns,  forge  iron,  cast 
bronze,  invent  instruments  of  music,  and  follow 
the  coarse  of  the  stars.  The  history  of  Astron- 
omy must  be  traced,  according  to  Bailly,  to  an 
antediluvian  people,  of  whom  the  memory  is 
lost,  but  of  whose  astronomical  knowledge  some 
fragments  escaped  the  general  revolution.  La- 
lande,  fearing  that  this  assertion  might  prove 
too  much  in  favor  of  the  Sacred  Books,  refers 
to  the  Egyptians  the  origin  of  this  science  ;  but 
the    Hebrews,  who,    as    neighbors,    contempo- 


ruins  of  what  once  was  Babylon  the 
great.f* 

Let  us  sui-vey  the  various  regions 
of  the  globe;  let  us  search,  from 
north  to  south,  from  east  to  west,  the 
religious  chi-onicles  of  the  nations, 
we  shall  find  the  Virgin  promised, 
and  her  divine  maternity  at  the 
basis  of  almost  all  theogonies. 

In  Thibet,  in  Japan,  and  in  a  por- 
tion of  the  eastern  peninsula  of  In- 
dia, it  is  the  god  Fo,  who,  to  save 
mankind,  became  incarnate  in  the 
womb  of  the  young  betrothed  of  a 
king,  the  nymph  Lhamoghiuprul, 
the  fairest  and  holiest  of  women. 
In  China,  they  reckon  amongst  the 
number  of  the  sons  of  Heaven  the 
Emperor  Hoang-Ti,   whose   mollier 

raries,  and  ancient  dwellers  amongst  the  E<2fyp- 
tians,  have  a  right  to  settle  this  diiference, 
decide  for  Bailly,  against  his  adversary,  by  in- 
forming us  that  the  Egyptians  derived  their 
first  astronomical  knowledge  from  the  tradi- 
tions saved  from  the  Deluge.  (/S'ee  Joseph.  Ant. 
Jud.) 

f  There  is  but  one  single  tree  found  amid 
the  ruins  of  Babylon  ;  the  Persians  give  it  the 
name  of  Athele ;  according  to  them,  that  tree 
existed  in  the  ancient  city,  and  was  miracu- 
lously preserved,  to  the  end  that  their  prophet 
Ali,  the  son-in-law  of  Mahomet,  might  fasten 
his  horse  to  it  after  the  battle  of  Hilla.  It  is  an 
evergreen  shrub,  and  so  rare  in  those  rej^ions 
that  there  is  only  one  other  of  the  same  kind, 
found  at  Bassora.     (Rich's  Memoir.) 


LIFE   OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


83 


conceived  by  a  flash  of  lightning ;  ' 
another  emperor,  Yao,  who  lived  at 
the  time  of  the  Deluge,  had  for  his 
mother  a  virgin  who  conceived  from 
the  beam  of  a  star ;  Yu,  the  head  of 
the  first  Chinese  dynasty,  owed  his 
life  to  a  pearl  (the  emblem  of  light 
throughout  all  the  East)  ,*  which  fell 
from  heaven  into  the  chaste  bosom 
of  a  young  maiden.  Heou-Tsi,  chief 
of  the  dynasty  of  Tcheou,  changed 
not,  by  his  birth,  the  virginity  of  his 
mother,  who  conceived  him  by  di- 
vine operation,  one  day  as  she  was 
in  prayer,  and  brought  him  forth 
without  effort  and  without  pain  in  a 
deserted  grotto,  where  lambs  and 
oxen  warmed  him  with  their  breath.f 
The  most  popular  goddess  of  the 
Celestial  Empire,  Sching-Mou,  con- 
ceived  at  the   simple  touch  of   a 

*  "  The  pearl,''  says  Chardin,  "  has  every- 
where distinctive  names  :  in  the  East,  the  Turks 
and  Tartars  call  it  mardjaun,  globe  of  light ;  the 
Persians,  marvid,  production  of  light." 

f  We  find  in  the  Chi-kmg  two  fine  odes  on 
this  marvellous  birth  of  Heou-Tsi ;  and  the  com- 
ments and  paraphrases  of  the  learned  on  these 
verses  agree  in  explaining  them  in  a  way  which 
renders  the  resemblance  to  the  divine  mater- 
Hity  of  Mary  still  more  striking.  "  Every  child 
who  is  born,"  says  Ho-sou,  "  rends  the  womb  of 
his  mother,  and  costs  her  the  most  cruel  an- 
guish. Kiang-Yuen  brought  forth  hers  without 
rupture,  hurt,  or  pain.     It  is  that  Tien  {Heaven)    ^ 


water-flower;  her  son,  brought  up 
under  the  roof  of  a  poor  fisherman, 
became  a  great  man,  and  wrought 
miracles. 

The  lamas  say  that  Buddha  is 
born  of  the  virgin  Maha-Mahai. 
Sommonokhodom,  the  prince,  the 
legislator,  and  the  god  of  Siam, 
likewise  owes  his  life  to  a  virgin 
made  fruitful  by  the  rays  of  the 
sun.  Lao-Tseu  took  flesh  in  the 
womb  of  a  black  virgin,  wonderful 
and  fair  as  the  jasper.  The  zodiacal 
Isis  of  the  Egyptians  is  a  virgin 
mother.  The  Isis  of  the  Druids 
was  to  bring  forth  the  future  Sa- 
viour.;!; The  Brahmins  teach  that, 
when  a  god  assumes  human  flesh, 
he  is  conceived  in  the  womb  of 
a  virgin,  by  divine  operation:  so 
also    Jagrenat,§  the   mutilated  re- 

would  thus  display  its  power,  and  show  how  the 
Holy  One  differs  from  men.  Having  been  con- 
ceived by  the  operation  of  Tien,"  says  another 
commentator,  Tsou-Tsong-Ho,  "  who  gave  him 
life  by  a  miracle,  he  must  needs  be  born  without 
wounding  the  virginity  of  his  mother." 

J  Hinc  Druidse  statuam  in  intimis  penetrali- 
bus  erexerunt,  Isidi  seu  virgini  hanc  dedicantes, 
ex  qua  filius  ille  proditurus  erat  (nempe  generis 
humani  Eedemptor).  (Elias  Schedius,  de  Dlis 
Germanis,  cap.  13.) 

§  Jagrenat,  the  seventh  incarnation  of  Brah- 
ma, is  represented  in  the  form  of  a  pyramid, 
without  hands  and  without  feet.       "He   lost 


u 


LIFE  OF  TEE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


deeuier  of  the  world;  Chricbna, 
born  in  a  grotto,  where  angels  and 
shepheixls  come  to  adore  him  in  his 
nadle, — each  of  these  has  a  virgin 
for  his  mother. 

The  Babylonian  Dogdo  sees  in  a 
dream  a  brilliant  messenger  fi*om 
Oromazes,  who  deposits  at  her  feet 
the  most  magnificent  garments;  a 
celestial  light  falls  upon  the  face  of 
the  sleeper,  who  becomes  fair  as  the 

ibem,"  say  the  Brahmins,  "  trying  to  carry  the 
world,  in  order  to  save  it."    {See  Kircher.) 

*  Zer-Ateucht  signifies  washed  with  silver;  this 
surname  was  given  to  Zoroaster,  because  that, 
as  the  Ghebers  say,  he  proved  his  mission,  to  a 
Sabean  prince  who  persecuted  him,  by  plunging 
into  a  bath  of  molten  silver.  (See  Tavernier, 
ToL  iL,  p.  92.) 

t  This  Nemroud,  whom  Tavernier  names 
Nenbrout,  is,  according  to  some,  Nimrod,  the 
famous  hunter  ;  according  to  others,  the  tyrant 
Zhohac,  of  the  Persians,  a  king  of  the  first  dy- 
nasty of  princes,  who  reigned  immediately  after 
^e  Deluge.  According  to  the  author  of  the 
MefaiiA  Aloloum,  Nemroud  would  be  identical 
with  Gaicaous,  second  king  of  the  second  dy- 
nasty of  Persia,  named  the  Calanides.  The 
Persian  historians  give  him  a  reign  of  nearly 
two  centuries,  which  must  needs  be  rather  long. 
By  some  he  is  represented  as  an  impious  man, 
who  conceived  the  strange  fancy  of  ascending 
to  heaven  in  a  chest,  drawn  by  four  of  those 
monstrous  birds  called  kerkes,  mentioned  by  old 
Eastern  writers  in  their  romances.  After  having 
wandered  some  time  through  the  air,  he  fell  so 
heavily  on  a  mountain,  say  the  ancient  legends 
of  Persia,  that  it  was  shaken  to  its  very  base. 
According  to  the  Persians,  this  Nimrod  caused 


*  day-star;  Zerdhucht,  Zoroaster,  or 
rather  Ebraliim-Zer-Ateucht,  *  the 
famous  prophet  of  the  Magi,  is  the 
fruit  of  this  nocturnal  vision.  The 
tyrant  Nimrod,  f  informed  by  his 
astrologers  that  a  child,  still  unborn, 
menaces  his  gods  and  his  throne, 
causes  all  pregnant  women  to  be 
put  to  death;  Zerdhucht,  however, 
is  saved  through  the  prudence  and 
dexterity  of  his  mother.J    The  Ma- 


Zerdhucht,  whom  they  confound  with  Abraham, 
to  be  cast  into  a  fiery  furnace  ;  according  to 
others,  Nemroud  was  a  Sabean  in  religion,  and 
it  was  he  who  first  established  the  worship  of 
fire.  (D'Herbelot,  Bibliotheque  Orientale,  t.  iii., 
p.  32.)  The  Jews  claim  for  Abraham,  the  father 
and  the  founder  of  their  people,  this  persecu- 
tion, of  which  the  honor  is  given  by  the  Per- 
sians to  Zerdhucht,  their  legislator.  St.  Jerome 
relates  an  ancient  tradition  of  the  Jews,  to  the 
effect  that  Abraham  had  been  cast  into  the  fire 
by  order  of  the  Chaldeans,  because  he  would 
not  adore  him.  (Hieron.,  Qucest.  in  Genes.)  This 
tradition  is  confirmed  by  Jewish  writers  much 
more  modern  ;  R.  Chain,  ben  Adda  mentions 
that  Abraham,  meeting  a  young  girl  carrying 
an  idol,  broke  the  latter  in  pieces  ;  a  complaint 
was  immediately  laid  before  Nemroud,  who 
would  have  him,  therefore,  adore  the  fire.  The 
patriarch  gravely  answered,  that  it  would  be 
much  more  natural  to  worship  water,  which 
extinguishes  fire,  the  clouds  whence  the  water 
proceeds,  the  wind  which  gathers  the  clouds, 
and  man  who  is  a  being  much  more  pei'fect  than 
the  "wind.  Nemroud,  irritated  by  this  cutting 
rebuke,  cast  Abraham  into  the  fire,  which,  how- 
ever, did  not  harm  him. 

J  See  Tavernier,  at  the  place  quoted. 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


35 


ceniques,  who  inhabit  the  shores  of 
Lake  Zarayas,  in  Paraguay,  relate 
that  at  a  very  remote  period  a 
woman  of  rare  beauty  became  a 
mother,  yet  remained  a  virgin ;  her 
son,  after  having  wrought  many  ex- 
traordinary miracles,  ascended  one 
day  into  the  open  air,  in  presence 
of  his  disciples,  and  transformed 
himself  into  a  sun. 

Let  all  these  scattered  fragments 
of  corrupted  seed  be  brought  to- 
gether, and  they  will  make  up,  in 
nearly  all  its  details,  the  history  of 
the  Virgin  and  her  divine  Son.  The 
Virgin,  notwithstanding  the  royal 
blood  which  flows  through  her  veins, 
is  of  obscure  condition,  like  the 
mother  of  Zoroaster;  like  her,  too, 
she  receives  the  visit  of  an  angel 
bearing  a  message  from  Heaven. 
The  tyrant  Nemroud,  who  was  the 
progenitor  of  a  line  of  very  wicked 
princes,  may  pass  for  the  type  of 
Herod,  and  is  as  anxious  to  compass 
the  death  of  the  young  fire-wor- 
shipper as  the  sanguinary  spouse  of 
Mariamne  to  accomplish  that  of  the 
infant  Jesus ;  both  miss  their  prey. 
Born  of  a  virgin  who  conceives  him 
during  fervent  prayer,  and  brings 
him  forth  without  pain  or  effort  in  a 


*  poor  stable,  like  the  first-born  of  the 
noble  and  pious  Kiang-Yuen,  our 
divine  Saviour  dwelt  amongst  the 
lower  classes,  like  the  son  of  the 
Chinese  goddess  ;  angels  and  shep- 
herds come  to  render  Him  homage, 
as  to  Chrichna,  on  the  very  night  of 
his  birth ;  then,  after  having  stilled 
the  tempest,  walked  on  the  water, 
expelled  demons,  raised  the  dead  to 
life,  he  ascends  triumphantly  into 
heaven  in  the  presence  of  five  hun- 
dred disciples,  whose  dazzled  eyes 
lose  sight  of  him  in  the  clouds,  pre- 
cisely as  is  related  by  the  savage 
tribes  of  Paraguay. 

It  is  assuredly  very  strange  that 
these  marvellous  legends,  which 
have  not  been  copied  from  the  evan- 
gelical facts,  since  they  are  incontes- 
tably  more  ancient,  yet  form,  when 
taken  together,  the  real  life  of  the 
Son  of  God.  Can  truth,  then,  spring 
from  error  ?  What  are  we  to  think 
of  these  fantastic  associations?  Shall 
we  say,  with  the  scoffing  philoso- 
phers of  the  Voltairian  school,  and 
some  German  visionaries  of  a  some- 
what more  recent  date,  that  the 
Apostles  borrowed  these  fables  from 
the  various  creeds  of  Asia?  But 
without  speaking  of  the  jealous  care 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


with  which  they  hid  the  books  re- 
puted divine  in  the  impenetiable 
darkness  of  the  sanctuary — not  to 
mention  the  profound  horror  where- 
with the  Jews  regarded  idolatrous 
legends,  and  their  supreme  contempt 
for  foreign  learning — how  could  poor, 
illiterate  men,  the  extent  of  whose 
knowledge  was  to  steer  a  bark  over 
the  waters  of  Genesareth,  and  whose 
nets  were  still  dripping  with  its 
living  waters,  when  they  were  pro- 
moted to  the  Apostleship — how 
could  laborious  artizans,  forced  to 
toil  for  their  daily  bread  during  the 
intervals  of  their  preaching — how 
could  such  as  they  have  ransacked 
the  sacred  books  of  the  Indias,  of  the 
Chinese,  the  Bactrians,  the  Pheni- 
cians,  and  the  Persians  ?  What 
appearance  is  there  that  Simon 
Peter,  the  sons  of  Zebedee,  or  the 
austere  disciple  of  Gamaliel,  who 
boldly  said  to  Corinth,  that  rich  and 
learned  Grecian  city.  For  myself^  I 
kivow  hut  one  thing ^  Jesus ^  and  Him 
crtmjied,  that  these  should  have 
snatched  from  idolatry,  which  their 
mission  was  to  destroy,  some  of  its 
old  tatters  to  patch  upon  the  life  of 
Jesus  Christ — a  life  so  simple  and 
80  grand !     Still,  if  the  question  had 


*  only  been  of  loans  made  from  the 
fabulous  legends  of  nations  border- 
ing on  Palestine,  such  as  the  Egyp- 
tians and  Phenicians,  however  unjust 
might  have  been  the  accusation,  it 
w^ould  have  had,  at  least,  a  show  of 
probability  ;  but  no !  these  brilliant 
pomts,  which  detach  themselves 
from  the  dark  shades  of  idolatry  to 
form,  like  so  many  little  stars,  the 
am-eola  of  the  Yirgin's  Son,  come 
from  places  the  most  distant  and  the 
least  known.  Not  to  speak  of  that 
Gaul,  whose  impenetrable  forests 
hid,  at  the  extremity  of  Western  Eu- 
rope, its  mysterious  creed  under  the 
shadow  of  giant  oaks ;  of  the  great 
Indies,  so  imperfectly  known  in  the 
time  of  Tiberias ;  of  that  Serica  of 
the  porcelain  towers,  whose  distant 
provinces  did  not  tempt  even  the 
covetous  Romans;*  how  could  the 
Apostles  have  contrived  to  commu- 
nicate with  far  America,  separated 
from  the  old  continent  by  her  green 
belt  of  waves,  and  lost  like  the  pearl 
amid  the  waters. 


*  It  was  under  the  reign  of  Augustus  that  the 
Roman  people  received   the  first  ambassador 
from  the   Seres,  whom  we   now  call  Chinese. 
The  ambassadors  pretended  that  it  had  taken 
^    them  three  years  to  make  the  journey. 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


37 


But,  granting  that  the  Apostles 
had  known,  no  matter  how,  these 
ancient  myths,  disseminated  over 
all  the  globe — nay,  I  will  go  far- 
ther still,  and,  setting  aside  native 
simplicity,  the  sealed  testimony  of 
blood,  the  high  sanctity  of  these 
divine  men,  carried  away,  as  Rous- 
seau says,  with  zeal  for  their  Mas- 
ter's glory,  I  will  suppose  that  the 
idea  had  occurred  to  them  to  em- 
broider some  fabulous  circumstances 
on  the  evangelical  tissue — why,  the 
thing  would  have  passed  ih^h:  power. 
With  what  face,  for  instance,  could 
they  have  attributed  to  that  Herod, 
whom  all  Jerusalem  had  known, 
whose  reign,  so  glorious  and  yet  so 
tragical,  each  one  knew  by  heart, 
an  atrocious  and  improbable  fact, 
renewed  from  I  know  not  what  king 
of  Persia,  who,  perhaps,  never  ex- 
isted save  in  the  dreams  of  the 
Magi?  K  the  massacre  of  the  In- 
nocents had  been  a  story  fabricated 
or  copied  by  the  Apostles,  is  it  to 
be  believed  that  the  Bethlehemites, 


*  The  flatterers  of  Herod  the  First,  dazzled 
with  the  greatness  and  magnificence  of  that 
prince,  maintained  that  he  was  the  Messiah. 
Hence  arose  the  sect  of  the  Herodians,  so  often 
mentioned  in  the  Gospel,  and  even  known  to 


*  SO  likely  to  know  what  was  passing 
in  the  Holy  City,  whose  lofty  towers 
darkened  their  horizon,  would  not 
have  openly  protested  against  that 
audacious  falsehood;  or  that  those 
cunning  Pharisees,  who  would  fain 
have  confounded  Jesus  himself, 
would  have  let  such  a  story  become 
current  without  attempting  to  re- 
fute it ;  or  that  the  Herodians  would 
have  tamely  suffered  a  stain  so  foul 
to  be  falsely  imprinted  on  the  fame 
of  a  prince  whom  they  regarded  al- 
most as  a  god,*  and  who  had  loaded 
them  with  wealth  and  honors?  K 
all  were  silent,  it  is  because  the  fact 
was  too  well  accredited,  too  public, 
too  recent,  to  leave  any  plausible 
pretence  for  denial;  it  is  because 
that,  within  two  hours'  walk  of  Jeru- 
salem, were  the  mothers  of  the  mar- 
tyrs who  had  purchased  with  their 
young  lives  the  honor  of  being  born 
with  Christ ;  it  is  because  that  whole 
towns  had  seen  the  glitter  of  the 
mm^derous  steel,  and  heard  the  wail 
of  death ;  it  is  because  that,  at  the 


the  Pagans,  since  Persus  and  his  scholiast 
inform  us  that,  from  the  days  of  Nero,  the 
birth  of  King  Herod  was  celebrated  by  his 
sectaries  with  the  same  solemnity  as  the  Sab- 
bath. 


fl8 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


tii-st  denial  given  to  the  Christians,  a  ^ 
whole  nation  would  have  risen  and 
shouted,  But  toe  were  there  /* 

So  it  is  with  tlie  divine  child- 
bearing  of  Mary — the  visit  of  the 
shephei-ds  sent  by  the  angels — the 
glorious  resurrection — and,  in  short, 
with  all  the  prodigies  wliich  marked 
the  coming  of  Cluist.  The  Apostles 
WTote  dming  the  lifetime  of  those 
who  had  figured  in  the  scenes  they 
related ;  and,  even  before  they  con- 
signed these  prodigies  to  writing, 
they  had  openly  preached  them  in 
the  very  temple  of  Jehovah,  before 
that  immense  assemblage  of  Heb- 
rews from  all  the  provinces,  who  re- 
paired thither  either  to  offer  sacri- 
fice or  to  bring  first-fruits ;  the  most 
dangerous  auditory  in  the  world,  if 
they  had  promulgated  falsehood. 

Far  fi'om  fearing   conti'adictions. 


*  "  Neither  Josephus  nor  the  Rabbins  speak 
of  the  massacre  of  the  Innocents,"  says  Strauss  ; 
"  Macrobus,  who  lived  in  the  fourth  century,  is 
the  only  writer  who  says  a  word  of  the  massacre 
decreed  by  Herod."  Strauss  is  in  error  ;  the 
Toldos,  from  whom  Celsus  has  taken  some  of 
the  facts  prejudicial  to  Christianity,  which  he 
has  interspersed  through  his  writings,  do  speak 
positively  on  the  subject,  and  the  fact  is  in  the 
Talmud.  This  is  the  way  in  which  Bossuet 
answers  those  who  deny  the  evangelical  fact, 
and  never  was  answer  more  definitive.   "  Where 


which  in  case  of  imposture  must 
needs  have  followed,  St.  Peter  speaks 
to  that  vast  multitude  as  one  sure 
of  the  general  assent ;  he  boldly  ap- 
peals to  the  yet  recent  remembrance 
of  those  who  hear  him ;  he  asserts 
the  miracles  which  stamped  as  di- 
vine the  mission  of  the  Son  of  Mary, 
and  that  even  before  the  great  coun- 
cil of  the  nation,  which  had  exerted 
all  its  power  to  have  Jesus  crucified. 
And  the  senators  of  Israel,  frighten- 
ed and  fm-ious,  cause  St.  Peter  and 
St.  John  to  be  beaten  with  rods,  in 
order  to  make  them  keep  silence; 
but  yet  they  deny  not,  as  the  Tal- 
mud shows,  those  prodigies  which 
they  stupidly  attribute  to  magic. 
Thus  it  is  that  they  say  not  to  the 
Apostles  brought  before  them  by 
the  guards  of  the  Temple,  "  Ye  are 
liars  or  visionaries !"  they  only  tell 


are  those,"  says  he,  "  who,  in  order  to  confirm 
their  faith,  would  wish  that  the  profane  histo- 
rians of  that  age  had  mentioned  this  cruelty 
of  Herod,  as  well  as  all  the  others?  Just  as 
though  our  faith  ought  to  depend  on  what  the 
negligence  or  affected  policy  of  worldly  histo- 
rians has  made  them  record  or  omit  in  their 
histories !  Far  from  us  be  such  weak  imagin- 
ings ;  even  in  a  human  point  of  view,  the  Evan- 
geHst  would  have  been  very  careful  not  to  com- 
promise the  character  of  his  narrative  by  record- 
ing a  fact  which  was  not  well  authenticated." 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


39 


them,  with  an  agitation  which  plain-  * 
ly  indicates  their  secret  fears,  "Be 
silent!  will  ye  that  we  be  stoned 
by  the  people  ?"  Whereupon  those 
two  men,  simple  in  heart,  but  great 
in  soul,  made  answer :  "  We  cannot 
be  silent!  God  commands  us  to 
speak,  and  Him  must  we  obey 
rather  than  men."  Imposture  is  not 
so  bold  or  confident. 

After  having  examined  the  acts, 
the  character,  and  the  position  of 
the  Apostles,  every  impartial  mind 
v/ill  be  forced  to  admit  that  they 
were  neither  deceiving  nor  deceived, 
and  that  they  have  nothing  to  do 
with  the  analogies  remarked  be- 
tween the  evangelical  facts  and  the 
traditions,  more  or  less  fabulous,  of 
the  ancient  nations. 

But,  then,  how  to  explain  these 
analogies  ?  Is  it  a  mere  game  of 
chance,  a  lucky  coincidence  ? 

No,  it  is  not  by  chance  that  the 
mystery  of  the  incarnation  of  a  God 
in  the  womb  of  a  virgin  is  one  of 
the  fundamental  doctrines  of  Asia. 
It  is  not  by  chance  that  the  privi- 
leged women  who  bear  in  their 
womb  that  emanation  of  the  Divin- 
ity are  always  chaste,  beautiful,  and 
holy;  that  they  have  glorious  and  ^ 


mysterious  names,  which  signify,  in 
all  these  ancient  tongues,  expected 
beauty^  immaculate  virgin,  faithful 
virgin,  delight  of  mankind,  polar  star; 
and  that  they  are  all  so  much  alike 
that  one  would  say  they  were  mould- 
ed on  a  far-off  type  hidden  from  us 
by  the  darkness  of  time.  Finally, 
it  is  not  by  chance  that  a  luminous 
ray  unites  the  divine  and  human 
nature. 

These  traditions,  wherein  the 
stamp  of  a  primitive  time  is  so 
plainly  visible,  evidently  ascend  to 
the  birth  of  the  world.  The  ante- 
diluvian patriarchs,  that  chain  of 
old  men  who  lived  the  age  of  cedars, 
wishing  to  form  for  themselves  an 
idea  of  the  woman  blessed  amongst 
all  others,  whose  miraculous  mater- 
nity was  to  save  mankind,  repre- 
sented her  to  themselves  under  the 
likeness  of  Eve  before  her  fall ;  they 
gave  her  a  majestic  and  saintly 
beauty,  which  cguld  awake  in  the 
minds  of  men  no  other  feeling  save 
that  of  religious  veneration ;  they 
made  her  a  mild  and  veiled  star, 
whose  dawn  was  to  precede  that  of 
the  Sun  of  Justice. 

The    means  whereby  God  gave 
fecundity  to  that  virginal  womb  are 


40 


L1J:E   UF   IHE  BLESSED  VIRQIN  MARY 


Ktiikingly  tUike,  amongst  the  differ- 
ent nations  of  the  world.  Cast  a 
glance  over  all  the  old  religions,  and 
you  will  there  find  a  sacred  fire. 
But  the  fire  was,  for  the  Persians, 
the  ten'cstrial  emblem  of  the  sim, 
and  the  sun  himself  was  but  the 
dwelling  of  the  Most  High,  the  glo- 
rious tent  of  the  God  of  Heaven.'^ 

The  Hebrews,  wht)  shared  in  this 
belief,  recognized  the  divine  pres- 
ence, or  the  schelmiUy  in  the  radiant 
cloud  which  overhung  the  cherubim 
of  the  mercy-seat.  They  believed 
that  God  clothed  himself  with  light 
as  with  a  garment,  when  manifest- 
ing himself  to  men,  on  solemn  oc- 
casions. It  was  the  opinion  of  the 
Synagogue,  supported  by  the  ti-adi- 
tion  of  the  Temple,  that  in  the  midst 
of  the  wild  rose-bush,  which  burned 
without  being  consumed,  when 
Moses,  that  great  shepherd  of  men, 
was  tending,  on  Mount  Horeb,  the 
flocks  of  his  Arab  father-in-law, 
there  was  seen  a  very  lovely  face, 
resembling  nothing  that  is  seen  here 
below;  and  that  this  celestial  im- 

*  "  The  Persians  suppose  that  the  throne  of 
God  is  in  the  sun,"  says  Hanway,  "  and  hence 
their  veneration  for  that  star." 

f  PhUon,  Vie  de  McUse  {Life  of  Moses). 


f  age,  clearer  than  the  flame  and 
more  brilliant  than  the  lightning, 
was,  without  doubt,  the  image  of  the 
Eternal  God.f  "With  this  premise, 
it  is  not  difficult  to  understand  the 
drift  of  the  opinion,  so  generally  dif- 
fused, that  a  luminous  ray  was  to 
impart  fecundity  to  the  womb  of  the 
favored  virgin  who  was  the  expec- 
tation of  all  nations. 

With  this  graceful  tradition  of  a 
pure  virgin  admitted  to  a  divine 
union,  surrounded  by  impenetrable 
mystery,  was  connected  that  of  a 
Saviour  God,  born  of  her  womb,  who 
was  to  suffer  and  die  for  the  salva- 
tion of  the  world.  J  This  tradition 
was  not  perpetuated,  like  the  other, 
by  means  of  brilliant  and  poetical 
images,  but  by  terror,  which  makes 
an  impression  far  more  indelible 
than  poetry.  The  bloody  sacrifice, 
which  we  find  established,  from  the 
earliest  times,  amongst  nearly  all 
nations,  was  solely  intended  to  pre- 
serve amongst  men  the  remembrance 
of  the  promised  immolation  of  Cal- 
vary.    This  is  easily  proved. 

J  This  tradition  is  found  in  the  sacred  books 
of  China.  {See  Father  Premare's  work,  entitled, 
Selecta  qucedam  vestigia  prcecipuorum  Christiance 
religionis  dogmatum  ex  antiquis  lihris  eruta. ) 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGLN  MART. 


41 


Worship,  that  demonstration  of 
love,  that  homage  of  gratitude  which 
Adam  and  Eve  were  to  render  to 
God  immediately  after  their  crea- 
tion, was,  in  Eden,  doubtless  com- 
posed of  only  innocent  prayers  and 
oblations  of  fruits  and  flowers.* 
But  when  they — ^ungrateful  that  they 
were — had  infringed  upon  the  pre- 
cept, so  easy  in  observance,  which 
the  Lord  had  imposed,  like  a  sweet 
yoke,  upon  them,  merely  to  make 
them  feel  that  they  had  a  master; 


*  Porphyr.  de  Abst.,  lib.  ii. 

•f  God  might  annex  to  the  plants  certain  nat- 
ural virtues  for  the  sake  of  our  bodies,  and  it  is 
easy  to  believe  that  the  fruit  of  the  tree  of  life 
had  the  virtue  of  restoring  the  body,  by  an  ali- 
ment so  proportionate  and  so  efficacious  that 
none  could  ever  die  while  using  it.  (Bossuet, 
Elev.  sur  les  MysL,  t.  i.  p.  231.) 

I  Man  was  never  immortal,  in  this  world,  as 
the  pure  spirits  are,  for  a  body  formed  of  dust 
must  needs  return  to  dust ;  he  was  so  only  by 
a  favor,  without  precedent,  and  conditionally 
granted,  whereby  he  was  elevated  to,  and  main- 
tained in,  a  position  far  above  his  proper  sphere. 
Immortality  here  below  never  yet  belonged  to 
man  as  a  birthright.  Every  earthly  body  is 
to  perish  through  the  dissolution  of  its  parts, 
unless  prevented  by  a  special  decree  of  the 
Creator ;  this  Divine  will  was  manifested  in 
favor  of  our  first  parents.  God  planted,  in 
the  delicious  garden  where  he  had  placed  mor- 
tal man,  the  tree  of  life,  a  plant  of  celestial 
origin,  which  had  the  property  of  repelling 
death,  as  the  laurel,  according  to  the  ancients, 


f  when  they  had  lost,  with  the  immor- 
talizing fruits  of  the  tree  of  life,f 
their  talisman  against  death,J  and 
descended  from  the  charming  hills 
of  Eden  to  a  land  bristling  with 
briers  and  thorns,  to  a  land  whose 
virgin  bosom  they  must  open  to 
nourish  themselves;  they  added  to 
the  fruits  and  wild  flowers  produced 
by  the  land  of  exile^  the  first  fruits 
of  their  flocks.  This  merits  atten- 
tion. Adam,  who  joined  to  the  per- 
fection of  the  human  form  an  intel- 


keeps  off  the  thunder.  To  that  mysterious  tree 
was  attached  the  immortality  of  the  human 
species  ;  away  from  that  protecting  tree,  death 
again  seized  his  prey,  and  man  was  hurled  from 
the  height  of  heaven  into  his  miserable  tene- 
ment of  clay.  (Aug.,  Quoest.  Vet.  et  Nov.  Test., 
q.  19,  p.  430.")  No  one  will  question,  I  fancy, 
that  God  had  an  undoubted  right  to  expel 
Adam  from  the  garden  after  his  disobedience  ; 
but  the  expulsion  involved  the  sentence  of 
death  for  man  and  his  posterity;  without  the 
tree  of  life,  he  was  nothing  more  than  a  frail 
and  perishable  creature,  subject  to  the  laws 
which  govern  created  bodies  :  when  the  anti- 
dote is  wanting,  it  is  very  evident  that  the 
poison  kills.  Having  again  become  mortal, 
Adam  begot  sons  mortal  like  himself.  The 
condition  into  which  the  father  had  fallen  must 
needs  be  that  of  the  children.  In  that,  God 
did  no  wrong  to  the  human  race ;  we  are,  by 
nature,  mortal ;  He  has  left  us  as  we  were.  To 
withdraw  a  gratuitous  favor,  when  the  object  of 
that  favor  tears  with  his  own  hands  the  deed  of 
gift,  is  assuredly  not  severity,  but  only  justice. 


i 


42 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


ligent  and  elevated  mind,  wherein  j 
the  Loi-d  had  planted  the  germ  of 
all  virtue  and  of  all  knowledge, 
could  not  be  void  of  humanity.  His 
fatal  complaisance  to  Eve  shows 
him  loving  even  to  weakness,  and 
therefore  susceptible,  in  the  highest 
degree,  of  all  kindly  feelings  and 
affections.  How  could  it,  then,  oc- 
cur to  him  that  the  Creator  would 
take  pleasure  in  the  violent  death 
of  His  creature,  or  that  an  act  of 
destruction  was  an  act  of  piety  ? 

The  immolation  of  animals,  which 
has  not  the  slightest  connection 
with  the  vows  and  prayers  of  man, 
and  which  the  purely  vegetable 
food  of  the  first  patriarchs  left  with- 
out other  object  than  that  of  mur- 
der,   must   needs   have    excited    a 


*  The  time  that  Adam  and  Eve  remained  in 
the  terrestrial  paradise  is  not  exactly  known  ; 
it  must,  nevertheless,  have  been  of  some  dura- 
tion, and  so  it  "was  understood  by  Milton,  whom 
we  do  not  here  quote  as  a  poet,  but  as  a  pro- 
found Oriental  scholar.  Moreover,  if  we  re- 
member that  it  was  in  Eden  that  Adam  learned 
to  distinguish  and  to  call  by  name  all  the  birds 
of  the  air,  the  beasts  of  the  earth,  and  the  fishes 
of  the  water  ;  that  he  there  learned  the  virtues 
of  plants,  and  what  God  chose  to  teach  him 
regarding  the  course  of  the  stars ;  we  must 
then  conclude  that  all  this  was  not  the  work  of 
a  day.  The  Persians  and  the  Chinese  have  it 
that  the  first  man  was  in  Paradise  for  many 


thousand  feelings  of  disgust  and 
repugnance  in  the  mind  of  our 
common  father.  Long  had  those 
poor,  dumb  creatures,  devoid  of  rea- 
son, but  very  capable  of  attachment, 
composed,  in  Eden,  the  court  of  that 
solitary  king.  He  then  seated  him- 
self at  the  same  table,  slept  on  the 
same  mossy  hillock,  quenched  his 
thirst  at  the  same  spring,  and  his 
prayer  ascended  to  heaven,  at  early 
dawn  and  evening's  close,  with  the 
warbling  of  the  birds,  who  seemed 
to  sing,  in  their  turn,  the  morning 
or  evening  hymn.  Those  compan- 
ions of  his  happier  days,  involved 
in  his  misfortune,  now  shared  his 
exile  :*  some,  giving  way  to  the  fe- 
rocious instinct  which  in  Paradise 
had  remained  undeveloped,  fled  to 


ages.  The  Arabs  and  the  Rabbins  say  that  he 
was  there  only  half  a  day  ;  but,  according  to 
them,  that  half  day  in  Paradise  was  equivalent 
to  five  hundred  years ;  for  a  day  there  was 
equal  to  a  thousand  years.  According  to  our 
views,  that  period  of  time  is  much  too  long.  It 
is  commonly  believed  that  Cain,  whose  birth,  in 
Genesis,  follows  closely  upon  the  expulsion  of 
his  parents,  was  born  in  the  year  of  the  world 
13,  which  would  leave  the  stay  in  Paradise  in  or 
about  twelve  years.  That  term,  although  some- 
what short,  would  have,  nevertheless,  enabled 
the  first  man  to  establish  his  supremacy  over 
the  animals  subject  to  him,  and  to  attach  him 
J  J    to  his  humble  dependants  by  the  tie&  of  habit. 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


43 


the  depth  of  the  wilderness  or  the  f 
secret  caverns  of  the  mountains, 
whence  they  soon  waged  deadly 
warfare  against  their  former  master. 
Others,  mild  and  inoffensive  by  na- 
ture, established  themselves  around 
the  grotto  of  their  lord,  to  whom 
fchey  offered,  to  satisfy  his  wants 
and  soothe  his  cares,  their  milk, 
their  labor,  their  fleece,  and  their 
melodious  concerts.  Well,  it  was 
from  the  ranks — thin  they  were,  too 
— of  these  humble  friends,  faithful 
in  misfortune,  that  Adam  selected, 
counted,  and  marked  his  victims ; 
it  was  into  the  throat  of  the  heifer 
who  had  given  him  milk,  of  the  dove 
who  had  flown  to  his  bosom  for 
shelter  when  the  vulture  hovered  in 
the  air,  of  the  lamb  that  quitted  its 
flowery  pasture  to  lick  his  hand, 
that  he  had  the  heart  to  plunge  his 
knife.  Ah !  when,  man,  yet  unprac- 
tised in  killing,  struck  down  at  his 
feet  a  poor,  timid  creature,  and  saw  ' 
it  bleeding  and  struggling  in  the  \ 
agony  of  death,  he  must  have  stood 


*  It  is  in  remembrance  of  the  sin  of  Eve,  at 
sight  of  which,  according  to  the  Jews,  the  sun 
hid  his  hght,  that  the  Jewish  women  are  spe- 
cially charged  to  light  the  lamps  which  burn  in 
every  house  during  the  Sabbath  night.     "  It  is 


pale  and  horror-stricken,  like  the 
assassin  who  has  just  committed  his 
first  murder!  That  thought  never 
occurred  to  him ;  it  was  not  an  act 
of  choice,  but  of  painful  obedience. 
Who  imposed  it  upon  him  ?  He  to 
whom  alone  it  belongs  to  dispose 
of  life  and  death — God  ! 

Adam  committed  a  sin  so  enor- 
mous by  its  aggravating  circum- 
stances and  its  disastrous  conse- 
quences, that,  in  order  to  express 
its  full  extent,  the  Hebrew  tradition 
relates  that  the  sun  hid  his  face  in 
horror.*  Satan  attacked  him  in  his 
strength,  at  a  time  when,  as  yet,  he 
knew  nought  but  good,  in  the  fair- 
est of  earth's  scenes,  under  the  re- 
cent impression  of  the  immense 
benefit  of  creation,  free,  happy, 
tranquil,  immortal,  and  capable  of 
resisting,  if  he  had  chosen  to  do  so. 
It  was  from  this  height  that  he  fell 
into  the  fearful  abyss  of  disobedi- 
ence and  ingratitude.  The  justice 
of  God  demanded  a  punishment 
proportionate?  to  the  offence;  man 


just,"  say  the  Hebrew  doctors,  "that  women 
should  rekindle  the  flame  which  they  have  ex- 
tinguished, and  that  they  be  charged  with  that 
trouble,  in  expiation  of  their  sin."  (Basn.,  Ub. 
vii.  ch.  13.) 


M 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


was  condemned  to  die  a  double  f 
death,  and  it  was  all  over  with  the 
human  species,  had  not  a  Divine 
Being,  predestined  before  the  birth 
of  time  to  the  work  of  oui*  redemp- 
tion, taken  it  upon  himself  to  make 
satisfaction  for  us  all.  Thencefor- 
wai-d  he  was  called  the  Messiah, 
and  revealed  as  a  Saviour,  at  the 
very  moment  when  the  voice  of  God 
— that  voice  which  rends  the  cedars — 
pronomiced  the  sentence  of  the 
three  criminals.  "  Because  thou 
hast  done  this  thing,"  said  God  to 
the  serpent,  who  showed  himself 
proud  of  our  ruin,  "  the  seed  of  the 
woman" — that  is  to  say,  her  off- 
spring— "  shall  crush  thy  head." 

And  the  Hebrew  tradition  adds 
that  God,  touched  by  the  repentance 
of  our  tirst  parents,  revealed  to 
them  by  an  angel,  that  from  their 
race  should  arise  a  just  man  who 
would  annihilate  the  pernicious  ef- 
fects of  the  ti-ee  of  knowledge,*  by 
means  of  a  voluntary  oblation,  and 


*  It  is  generally  considered,  amongst  Chris- 
tians, that  the  tree  of  knowledge  was  an  apple- 
tree  ;  the  Persians  maintain,  on  the  contrary, 
that  this  fatal  tree  was  a  fig-tree.  In  our  days, 
the  German  Eichhorn  makes  it  out  to  have 
been  a  species  of  manchJnecL     "A  deduction 


would  be  the  salvation  of  those  who 
put  their  trust  in  Him.f  On  the 
other  side,  we  learn  from  the  Arab 
traditions  that  God,  who  is  merciful 
and  indulgent,  would  vouchsafe  to 
point  out  to  man  the  way  to  im- 
plore his  forgiveness.  That  wor- 
ship, revealed  by  God,  was  un- 
doubtedly sacrifice,  a  ceremony  at 
once  commemorative,  expiatory,  and 
symbolical,  whereby  man  acknowl- 
edged that  he  had  deserved  death, 
and,  substituting  for  himself  inno- 
cent victims,  kept  perpetually  be- 
fore his  mind  the  great  victim  of 
Calvary. 

Thus,  then,  the  institution  of  the 
bloody  sacrifice,  which  was  not  of 
human  invention,  rested,  at  bottom, 
on  a  conception  of  Divine  mercy, 
since  it  perpetuated,  amongst  all 
nations,  that  tradition  of  the  Mes- 
siah, without  which  the  work  of  the 
Kedemption  would  have  been  a  fa- 
vor thi'own  away. 

God  ripens  his  councils  by  ages, 


made  from  the  wonders  attending  on  the  fall  of 
man,"  says  that  Rationalist  writer,  "  the  fact  is 
evident  that  the  constitution  of  the  human  body 
has  been,  from  the  beginning,  vitiated  by  the  use 
of  a  poisonous  fruit"  (Eichhorn's  Argeschichte.) 
f  Basnage,  lib.  vL  ch.  25,  p.  417. 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


45 


for  a  thousand  years  are  to  Him  but 
as  one  day;  but  man  is  eager  to 
obtain,  for  man  lasts  but  a  short 
time.  It  appears  that  Eve  had  con- 
cluded, from  the  words  of  the  angel, 
that  she  was  to  be  the  mother  of  the 
promised  Redeemer,  and  that  this 
was  the  reason  why  she  testified 
such  transports  of  joy  on  the  birth 
of  Cain,*  whom  she  took  for  her 
Saviour.  Undeceived  by  the  devel- 
opment of  his  perverse  inclinations, 
she  transferred  her  hopes  to  Abel, 
that  son  so  fondly  loved,  whose 
name  recalls  the  mourning  and  tears 


*  Cain  is  called  Gahel  by  all  the  Arab  writers  ; 
that  name,  which  means  the  first,  is  perhaps 
his  proper  name.  The  surname  of  Cain,  which 
signifies  traitor,  must  have  been  subsequently 
given  him.  (Savary,  note  to  Chapter  V.  of  the 
Koran. ) 

f  Abel,  by  the  Arabs  written  Habel,  is,  accord- 
ing to  them,  only  the  surname  of  that  young 
shepherd  who  was  the  first  type  of  Jesus  Christ. 
In  fact,  it  recalls  the  sad  event  which  threw  the 
family  of  Adam  into  mourning,  "and  properly 
signifies,"  says  Savary  (place  quoted).  His  death 
left  a  mother  in  tears.  Josephus,  too,  says  that 
the  name  of  Abel  signifies  mourning.  (Antiq. 
Jud.,  p.  4.) 

\  See  Basnage,  lib.  vi.  ch.  25. 

§  The  Arabian  traditions  place  the  terrestrial 
paradise  in  that  fair  valley  of  Damascus  which 
the  Eastern  poets  designate  as  the  emerald  of 
the  desert.  This  idea  is  justified  by  its  admirable 
situation,  its  beauty,  and  its  fertility  ;  and  a 
learned  commentator  on  Genesis  has  not  hesi- 


of  his  mother;!  then  to  Seth;J  but 
all  in  vain,  for  the  gates  of  Paradise 
never  opened  again  for  her.  The 
just  of  the  race  of  Seth,  those  pure, 
solitary,  and  contemplative  men 
called  in  Scripture  the  children  of 
God,  and  in  the  Assyrian  legends 
genii,  long  flattered  themselves  with 
a  similar  hope ;  and  the  Jewish  tra- 
dition represents  them  as  wandering 
on  the  heights  around  the  garden  of 
Eden,§  whose  gigantic  cedars  they 
wistfully  admired,  1 1  and  flattered 
themselves  the  while  that  from 
amongst  themselves  should   arise  a 


tated  to  set  down  this  fair  site  as  that  of  the 
garden  of  Eden,  although  the  names  of  the 
Euphrates  and  the  Tigris  indicate  a  position 
somewhat  different.  In  support  of  this  Arab 
tradition  there  is  shown,  about  half  a  day's 
journey  from  Damascus,  a  lofty  mountain  of 
white  marble,  shaded  with  beautiful  trees,  and 
therein  is  a  cavern,  pointed  out  as  the  abode  of 
Adam,  of  Abel,  and  of  Cain  ;  there  is  also  seen 
the  sepulchre  of  Abel,  which  is  much  respected 
by  the  Turks.  The  spot  whereon  the  fratri- 
cide was  committed  is  marked  by  four  pillars. 
(D'Herbelot,  Bibliotheque  Orientale,  p.  772  and 
780. — Pere  Pacifique,  in  his  Commentaries  on 
the  Bible. ) 

|]  The  lofty  cedars  of  Eden  have  remained 
traditionally  in  the  memory  of  the  Hebrews,  who 
have  made  the  terrestrial  paradise  their  heaven. 
In  most  of  their  epitaphs  we  read  these  words  : 
"He  is  gone  down  to  the  garden  of  Eden  to 
those  who  are  amongst  the  cedars."  (Basnage, 
i  V.  lib.  vii.) 


46 


LIFE  OF  TEE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


just  man  who  would  obtain  admis- 
sion for  them.  But  it  was  not  the 
name  of  a  virgin  of  the  primitive 
times  that  was  written  in  the  immu- 
table decrees  of  the  Eternal;  and 
the  eai'th,  still  quivering  under  the 
Divine  malediction,  had  need  of 
being  washed  as  by  the  ablution 
of  a  baptism,  before  the  foot  of  Him 
who  was  to  bring  the  glad  tidings 
should  leave  its  sacred  impress  on 
the  mountains. 

When  the  earth  had  absorbed  the 
watei-s  of  the  Deluge,  and  the  winds 
had  dried  it  up,  the  new  human 
family,  springing  into  life  under  fa- 
I  vorable  auspices,  hastened  to  re-es- 
;  tablish  the  worship  of  Enos.  Noah 
I  joined  thereto  the  seven  precepts 
I  which  bear  his  name,  not  forgetting 
the  historical  and  religious  traditions 
which  his  long  existence  prior  to  the 


*  All  the  ancient  law  bears  an  aspect  of  blood 
and  death  in  figure  of  the  new  law  established 
and  confirmed  by  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ. 
(Bossuet,  Elkv.  sur  les  Myst.,  tip.  428. 

t  The  Indians,  the  Chinese,  the  Peruvians, 
and  even  the  Hurons,  acknowledge  that  the  first 
man  was  formed  of  clay.  The  Brahmins,  who 
make  delightful  representations  of  their  chorcam 
(paradise),  place  therein  a  tree  whose  fruit 
would  confer  immortaUty  if  it  could  be  eaten. 
The  Persians  relate  that  the  genius  of  evil, 
Aiiriman,  seduced  our  first  parents  under  the 


*  Deluge  had  enabled  him  to  gather. 
He  told  how  man  was  formed  of 
clay,  his  rebellion,  his  fall,  and  his 
future  reparation,  which  the  world 
was  to  owe  to  the  miraculous  mater- 
nity of  a  new  Eve.  At  sight  of  the 
bloody  sacrifice  ofiered  for  the  unex- 
piated  crime  of  their  first  parents, 
he  taught  his  descendants  to  raise 
their  eyes  to  a  more  august  victim, 
seated  at  the  right  hand  of  Jehovah, 
in  the  starry  depths  of  heaven — a 
victim  whereof  the  oblation  of  lambs 
and  heifers  was  but  the  figure.* 

These  primitive  notions  were  at 
first  faithfully  retained  by  the  na- 
tions, and  are  found  at  the  base  of 
all  creeds.f  Altars  were  erected  at 
the  confluence  of  rivers,  in  the  shade 
of  forests,  on  the  summits  of  moun- 
tains, by  the  green  sea-wave,  and 
on  the  sandy  moor  where  the  worm- 


form  of  a  snake.  The  story  of  the  woman 
seduced  at  the  foot  of  a  tree,  the  anger  of  God, 
and  the  first  fratricide,  was  traditionally  told 
amongst  the  Iroquois.  The  Tartars  attribute 
our  fall  to  a  plant  sweet  as  honey  and  of  won- 
drous beauty  ;  the  Thibetans,  to  the  crime  of 
having  tasted  of  the  dangerous  plant  schimoe, 
mild  and  sweet  as  sugar  ;  the  knowledge  of  the 
state  of  nakedness  was  revealed  by  this  fruit. 
The  tradition  of  the  woman  and  the  serpent  was 
likewise  known  in  Mexico,  &c.  (See  le  Christ 
devarU  le  Siecle,  by  M.  Roselly  de  Lorgues,  ch.  9.) 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


47 


wood-tree  spreads  its  leaves  to  the  f 
desert- wind.  The  soft  moonlight 
illumined,  from  the  first,  those  rural 
temples  which  had  no  other  bounds 
than  the  horizon,  no  other  roof  than 
the  firmament  with  all  its  stars. 
At  that  remote  period,  God  was 
worshipped  in  a  manner  worthy  of 
Him,  and  with  ideas  so  clear,  so 
sublime,  so  uniform,  and  so  simple, 
that  they  had  evidently  emanated 
from  Himself. 

Nevertheless,  there  glided,  like  a 
destroying  principle,  into  the  post- 
diluvian worship,  an  element  of  su- 
perstitious terror  founded  on  the 
fresh  and  drear  remembrance  of 
the  submersion  of  the  globe — a  re- 
membrance of  which  traces  are 
found  in  most  of  the  religious  fes- 
tivals of  antiquity.*  Congregated 
together  on  the  lofty  table-lands  of 
Caucasus,  and  the  mountains  of 
Armenia,  the  descendants  of  Noah 
had  long  refused,  even  at  the  com- 
mand of  the  patriarch  himself,  to  go 
down  again  into  the  plains,  so  great 
was  their  fear  of  a  second  deluge! 
In  vain  did  the  rainbow  span  the 
clouds — as  it  were  to  encourage  the 


*  See  Boulanger,  Antiq.  Devoilee. 


children  of  men — with  its  soft,  mel- 
low hues,  where  the  green  of  the 
emerald  united  with  the  blue  of  the 
sapphire.  That  auspicious  omen, 
that  radiant  sign  of  an  appeased 
God,  lessened,  but  could  not  dispel, 
a  rooted  terror.  The  Tower  of  Babel 
is  proof  of  this.  That  gigantic  mon- 
ument of  human  pride  concealed, 
beneath  its  insolent  boast,  an  over- 
whelming fear.  It  was  as  a  fortress 
of  refuge  against  the  contingency 
of  a  new  deluge  which  that  race  of 
men,  already  corrupt,  could  not  but 
feel  that  they  deserved.  And  when 
the  confusion  of  tongues,  that  terri- 
ble stroke  of  Divine  wrath,  forced 
the  builders  to  disperse — when  they 
saw  their  precaution,  injurious  as  it 
was  to  the  sworn  clemency  of  the 
Lord,  result  in  their  disgrace — they 
were  the  more  disposed  to  give  way 
to  new  fears. 

It  must,  however,  be  admitted,  in 
extenuation  of  their  fault,  that  the 
spectacle  then  presented  by  the 
earth  was  far  from  cheering.  The 
whole  economy  of  the  creation  was 
upset.  The  rivers,  diverted  from 
their  natural  channels,!  formed  im- 


i        f  History  has  preserved  us  proofs  of  this  dis- 


48 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


mense  ponds  and  putrid  marshes 
in  those  vast  plains,  adorned,  before 
the  Deluge,  with  the  graceful  tents 
of  the  shepherds.  The  cedars  lay 
prostrate  on  the  sea -shore,  whilst 
the  spoils  of  the  ocean  were  found 
amongst  the  eternal  snows  of  the 
loftiest  mountains.  On  every  side 
were  seen  towers  levelled  to  the 
ground,*  and  cities  silent  and  in 
ruins.  The  ploughshare  everywhere 
notched  on  bones  and  rubbish.  The 
avenging  hand  of  an  angry  God 
had  fallen  so  crushingly,  that  man, 
whose  heart  still  trembled  with 
fear,  remembering  the  risk  he  had 
run,  was  more  disposed  to  fear  his 
Sovereign  Master  with  a  mighty 
fear  than  to  love  him  with  confiding 


placing  of  rivers  after  the  Deluge.  We  read  in 
Strabo,  book  ii.,  that  the  Araxes,  which  waters 
Armenia,  was  still  without  a  vent,  and  inun- 
dated the  country,  when  Jason,  chief  of  the 
Aeronauts,  opened  a  subterraneous  channel, 
whereby  the  Araxes  flowed  into  the  Caspian 
Sea.  In  the  famous  Chou-King  of  Confucius, 
the  Emperor  Yao  says  that  the  waters,  which 
had  once  risen  to  heaven,  still  bathed  the  feet 
of  the  highest  mountains,  and  rendered  the 
plains  impassable. — (Freret,  Chron.  des  Chinois, 
1st  part.) 

*  The  Tower  of  Babel,  so  immediately  after 
the  great  Deluge,  may  furnish  an  idea  of  the 
antediluvian  architecture.  Brick  and  pitch 
were    the    materials    used.     If   this   immense 


f  love;  he  had  learned  to  fear  God  I 
He  doubted  His  promises  and  His 
goodness.  Like  the  drowning  mar- 
iner, he  eagerly  sought,  around  him, 
some  helping  object,  which  might 
interpose  between  them,  and  ward 
off,  at  need,  that  just  but  terrible 
wrath.  Noah  had  spoken  to  them 
of  an  influential  and  Divine  Being 
whose  tenderness  for  men  was  in- 
finite, and  who  was  to  plead  their 
cause  before  the  Eternal,  and  take 
upon  himself  their  crimes ;  but  who 
was  that  privileged  mediator,  that 
powerful  advocate  ?  They  knew 
not.  The  descendants  of  Shem  be- 
lieved that  they  had  found  him  in 
the  stars  which  cheered  their  soli- 
tary watchjf  and  which  they  sup- 


tower,  as  there  is  every  reason  to  believe,  re- 
sembled the  ancient  and  famous  Tower  of  Bel 
in  Babylon,  it  was  surrounded  by  an  exterior 
staircase,  on  a  gentle  slope,  which  wound  up  to 
the  flat  roof,  and  gave  the  building  the  appear- 
ance of  seven  successive  towers. 

f  It  is  a  very  ancient  notion  in  the  East  that 
the  stars  are  animated  ;  the  Jewish  doctors  had 
fallen  into  this  error,  although  it  dated  much 
earlier  than  their  people.  Philo  said  that  the 
stars  were  intelligent  creatures,  who  had  never 
done,  and  were  incapable  of  doing,  barm.  Ac- 
cording to  the  Maimonides,  the  stars  know 
God,  their  Maker,  and  also  themselves,  and 
their  actions  are  always  good  and  holy.  (Philo, 
de    Mundi    opificio,  de   Gigant.,    de    Somniis. — 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


49 


posed  inhabited  by  celestial  spirits ; 
they  engaged  those  spirits  to  pro- 
tect them,  and  kindled  fires  in  their 
honor  on  the  mountain-tops.* 

This  was  the  origin  of  Sabeism, 
which  degenerated  into  idolatry 
when  the  accursed  race  of  Cham, 
attaching  themselves  to  the  mate- 
rial object,  adored  the  fire,  the 
water,  the  earth,  the  rustling  breeze ; 
and  in  scornful  mockery  of  the 
primitive  worship,  which  knew  not 
the  use  of  images,  they  consecrated 
to  the  moon  statues  of  silver,  and  to 
the  sun  statues  of  gold.f 

In  the  lapse  of  time  the  shades 
thickened,  religions  became  bur- 
dened with  rites,  the  worship  of  the 


Maimonides,  More  nevochim,  Part  II.,  ch.  4, 
p.  194,  et  de  Fundam,  legis,  ch.  3,  §  11.)  The 
modern  Persians  still  sacrifice  to  the  Angel  of 
the  Moon. 

*  According  to  R.  Bechai,  the  Sabeans  did 
not  adore  the  sun  ;  they  merely  kindled  fires 
on  the  earth  to  thank  God  for  the  luminary 
which  he  lit  for  them  in  the  heavens ;  and, 
looking  at  the  stars,  they  begged  of  the  angels, 
whom  God  had  placed  therein  to  keep  them  in 
motion,  that  they  might  be  favorable  to  them. 
(R.  Bechai,  Gomm.  in  Genes.,  ch.  1.)  The  fires 
which  are  lit  in  almost  every  country  of  Europe, 
commonly  called  St.  John's  fires,  or  Midsummer 
fires,  are  a  relic  of  Sabeism. 

f  The  ancient  Arabs,  descendants  of  Cham, 
regarded  Noah  with  contempt,  because  he  did 
not  make  use  of  images  ;  they  consecrated  to 


*  true  God  was  gradually  intermixed 
with  that  of  the  stars  and  the  ele- 
ments ;  the  invention  of  hieroglyph- 
ics completed  the  confusion,  and  the 
few  truths  which  escaped  the  over- 
throw of  creeds  were  mysteriously 
buried  in  the  depth  of  the  idolatrous 
fanes,  like  those  sepulchral  lamps 
which  burn  but  for  the  dead.  They 
were  carefully  concealed  fi'om  the 
multitude,  J  which  lavished  its  sense- 
less adoration  on  stones,  trees,  riv- 
ers, mountains,  and  on  animals — a 
worship  more  degrading  still — and 
which  ended  at  last  by  deifying  the 
very  vices  and  passions.  It  was 
then  that  impostors,  speculating  on 
human   credulity,    either   entangled 


the  moon  statues  of  silver,  and  others  of  gold 
to  the  sun  ;  they  divided  metals  and  climates 
amongst  the  stars ;  and  believed  that  they 
have  great  influence  on  the  things  consigned  to 
them,  and  on  the  images  consecrated  to  them. 
(Maimonides,  More  nevochim,  Part  III.,  ch.  2, 
p.  423.) 

I  Plato,  speaking  of  the  God  who  formed  the 
universe,  says  that  it  is  forbidden  to  make  him 
known  to  the  people.  The  books  of  Numa, 
written  on  birch-bark,  and  found  in  his  tomb 
many  ages  after  his  death,  were  secretly  burned 
as  dangerous  to  Polytheism.  The  Brahmins, 
who,  if  some  travellers  are  to  be  credited,  have 
a  sublime  idea  of  the  Divinity,  do,  nevertheless, 
make  the  Hindoos  adore  the  most  hideous  idols. 
It  is  only  the  true  religion  that  treats  men  as 
^    rational  and  immortal  beings. 


60 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


or  delibcmtely  broke  the  slight 
thread  of  the  patriarchal  ti'aditions, 
and,  audaciously  substituting  mem- 
ory for  hope,  grouped  around  the 
ci*adles  of  their  fabulous  kings,  their 
false  prophets,  or  theii*  powerless 
divinities,  the  wonders  of  the  Incar- 
nation of  the  Word,  and  the  primi- 
tive revelations  of  his  high  and 
tragical  destiny. 

This,  we  think,  is  the  explanation 
of  those  analogies  which  are,  at  fii'st 
sight,  incomprehensible. 

Nevertheless,  all  the  heathen  na- 
tions did  not  take  the  mystery  of 
the  Messiah  as  a  fact  accomplished. 
The  Druids,  just  before  the  Chris- 
tian era,  were  still  raising  altars,  in 
the  gloomy  forests  of  Gaul,  to  the 
Virgin  wJio  is  to  bring  forth.  The 
Chinese — instructed  by  Confucius, 
who  had  himself  found  that  oracle 
in     old    traditions — expected    the 


*  "  According  to  the  ancient  sages  of  China," 
sajs  the  learned  Schmitt,  "  the  Holy  One,  the 
miractUotus  man,  will  renew  the  universe,  change 
its  morals,  expiate  the  sins  of  the  world,  die 
oyerwhelined  with  sorrow  and  opprobrium,  and 
open  the  gates  of  heaven."  (See  Redemption 
of  Mankind,  by  that  author. ) 

f  Abulfarages  {Hintoria  Dynastarium)  says 
that  Zerdhucht  prophesied  to  the  Magi  the 
birth  of  the  Messiah,  sprung  from  a  virgin.  He 
added  that  at  the  time  of  his  birth  there  should 


f  Holy  One,  horn  of  a  Virgin,  and  Son 
of  God,  wlm  was  to  die  for  the  sal- 
vation of  the  world j^  in  the  western 
regions  of  Asia,  and  sent  to  seek 
him,  by  solemn  embassy,  less  than 
half  a  century  after  the  death  of 
the  Man -God.  The  Magi,  on  the 
faith  of  Zerdhucht,  studied  the  con- 
stellations in  quest  of  the  star  of 
Jacob,  which  was  to  guide  them  to 
the  cradle  of  Chiist.f  The  Brah- 
mins sighed  for  the  glorious  avatar\ 
of  Him  who  was  to  purge  the  world 
of  sin,  and  begged  it  of  Wichnou, 
laying  on  his  jewelled  altar  odorous 
stuffs  of  sweet  basil,  a  plant  beloved 
by  the  Indian  god.  The  haughty 
children  of  Romulus,  those  idola- 
ters by  excellence,  who  had  created 
whole  legions  of  gods,  read  in  the 
books  so  jealously  and  so  wisely 
kept  by  the  sibyl  of  Cumes,  a  con- 
temporary of  Achilles  and  Hector, 


arise  an  unknown  star  to  guide  them  to  his 
cradle,  and  he  commanded  them  to  bring  pres- 
ents with  them  when  they  went.  Sharistani,  a 
Mussulman  author,  also  relates  a  prediction  of 
Zerdhucht  respecting  a  great  prophet  who  was 
to  reform  the  world  as  well  in  religion  as  in 
justice,  and  to  whom  kings  and  princes  were  to 
be  submissive. 

I  Avaiar,  the  fabulous  incarnation  of  a  Hindoo 
deity. 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


51 


the  virgin^  tlie  divine  infant^  the  ado- 
ration of  the  shepherds^  the  serpent 
crushed,  and  the  golden  age  restored  to 
the  earth.  Finally,  about  the  time 
of  the  Messiah,  all  the  nations  of  the 
East  were  in  expectation  of  a  future 
Saviour  ;  and  Boulanger  (who  was 
better  inspired  on  his  death-bed), 
after  having  shown  how  generally 
that  hope  was  diffused,  illogically 
calls  it  a  universal  chimera.* 

But  what  were  those  glimmering 
rays,  powerless  to  dispel  the  dark- 
ness of  idolatry,  when  compared  with 
the  blaze  of  light  which  illumined 
the  chosen  people  ?  We  are  struck 
with  amazement  at  sight  of  that 
prophetic  chain  of  which  the  first 
link  was  fixed  to  the  cradle  of  the 
world,  and  the  last  settles  down  at 
the  sepulchre  of  Christ.f  The  threat 
of  Jehovah  to  the  serpent  contains, 
as  we  have  already  said,  the  first 
prediction  of  the  Messiah.  We  have 
further  said,  and  the  Jewish  tradi- 
tions confirm  it,  that  this  prediction 
was  more  fully  explained,  in  after 

*  "A  unanimous  testimony  is  of  the  greatest 
weight,"  says  Bernardine  de  St,  Pierre,  "  for  all 
the  earth  cannot  be  in  one  universal  error.'' 
{Etudes  de  la  Nature,  etude  8,  p.  398.) 

f  It  is  a  tradition  taught  in  the  Synagogue, 
and  recognized  by   the  Church,   that    all   the 


^  times,  to  the  exiles  of  Eden,  when 
they  had  conciliated  Heaven  by  pen- 
ance.J  Noah,  who  was  adopted  by 
God  as  inheritor  of  the  faith,  §  trans- 
mitted to  Shem  His  revelations,  and 
Shem,  whose  life  was  nearly  as  long 
as  that  of  his  ancestors,  might  re- 
peat them  to  the  father  of  the  faith- 
ful. Then  it  was  that  a  mysterious 
benediction,  wherein  the  promise  of 
the  Messiah  was  contained,  made 
it  manifest  that  the  blessed  seed 
promised  to  Eve  should  be  also  the 
seed  and  the  offspring  of  Abraham. 
The  primitive  traditions  were  very 
soon  succeeded  by  the  great  predic- 
tion of  Jacob.  The  expiring  patri- 
arch, who  has  seen  in  spirit  the 
state  of  the  twelve  tribes,  when  in 
Palestine,  announces  to  his  sons, 
assembled  round  his  death-bed,  that 
Juda  has  been  chosen,  from  amongst 
his  brethren,  to  be  the  root  of  the 
kings  of  Israel,  and  the  father  of 
that  Schilo  so  long  promised,  who 
was  to  be  the  King  of  kings  and 
the  Lord  of  lords.     The  coming  of 

prophets,  without  any  exception,  prophesied 
only  for  the  time  of  the  Messiah."  (St.  Cypr., 
de  Vanit.  Idol.) 

X  Basnage,  t.  iv.  lib.  viL 

§  Epist.  S.  P.  ad  ffebr.,  2. 


62 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


Christ  is  pointed  out  in  a  precise  * 
manner:  he  shall  arise  from  amid 
the  ruins  of  his  countiy,  when  the 
Hchebet  (the  sceptre,  the  legislative 
power)  shall  rest  in  the  hand  of 
strangei*s.* 

The  prophet  saved  from  the  waters, 
who  was  divinely  called  to  gather 
and  consign  to  writing  the  history 
of  the  first  ages  and  the  ancient 
traditions  of  mankind — traditions 
whose  remembrance  was  still  vivid 
amongst  the  nations — fails  not  to 
lend  the  weight  of  his  imposing  tes- 
timony to  the  prophecy  of  Jacob. 
"A  prophet,"  says  he,  speaking  to 


*  Christians  apply  this  revelation  of  Jacob  to 
the  Messiah,  and  thereby  prove  to  the  Jews 
that  he  must  have  come  long  ago,  seeing  that 
for  upwards  of  eighteen  hundred  years  their 
tribes  have  been  mixed  up  together,  their  sacri- 
fice abolished,  their  government  extinct ;  that 
they  have  no  longer  either  territory  or  princes, 
and  that,  wherever  they  are  found,  they  have  to 
submit  to  the  laws  of  foreign  nations.  To  evade 
the  force  of  this  argument,  the  Jews  now  pre- 
tend that  the  word  sckebet,  which  we  translate 
by  sceptre,  also  signifies  the  rod  which  chastises 
the  slave  ;  and  they  take  occasion  from  that  to 
maintain  that,  even  if  this  oracle  did  regard  the 
Messiah,  all  that  they  could  infer  from  it  is, 
that  their  chastisement  was  to  last  till  his 
eoming,  which  was  to  be  the  signal  of  their  de- 
hveiy.  Finally,  they  deny  that  the  word  Schilo 
can  be  translated  by  Messiah.  But  their  old 
books  give  them  the  lie;  this  prophecy  is  under- 


the  people  of  God,  "  shall  the  Lord 
your  God  raise  up  unto  you  of  your 
brethren  like  unto  me :  him  you 
shall  hear  according  to  all  things, 
whatsoever  he  shall  speak  to  you. 
And  it  shall  be,  that  even  some 
which  will  not  hear  that  prophet, 
shall  be  destroyed  from  among  the 
people."! 

Then  it  is  of  the  Messiah  that  the 
Synagogue  has  always  understood 
this  text  so  clear ;  St.  Philip,  with- 
out any  hesitation,  applied  it  to  our 
Redeemer,  when  he  said  to  Nathan- 
iel, "We  have  found  Him  who  was 
foretold  by  the  prophets,   and    of 


stood  of  the  Messiah  in  the  Talmud  ;  and  here 
is  how  the  Paraphrase  of  Onkelos  expounds  this 
passage:  "  Judas  shall  not  be  without  a  supreme 
ruler,  nor  without  scribes  of  the  sons  of  her 
children,  till  the  Messiah  come."  Jonathan,  to 
whom  the  Jews  assign  the  first  place  amongst 
the  disciples  of  Hillel,  and  whom  they  venerate 
almost  as  they  do  Moses,  also  translates  schebet 
by  principality,  and  Schilo  by  Messiah.  The 
Paraphrase  of  Jerusalem  is  hkewise  on  that 
side.  Thus  the  most  ancient  Commentaries, 
the  most  authentic,  and  the  most  respected 
amongst  the  Jews,  furnish  weapons  for  their 
own  defeat. 

f  Hence,  comes  that  hope  of  a  new  law  which 
the  Jews  expect  with  the  Messiah,  a  law  which 
they  place  far  above  that  of  Moses.  The  law 
which  man  studies  in  this  toorld  is  but  vanity, 
say  their  doctors,  in  comparison  to  that  of  the 
^    Messiah.  (Medrash-Rabba,  in  EccL,  xi.  8.) 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


53 


whoi.1  Moses   spoke  in  the  law — 
Jesus  of  Nazareth." 

Towards  the  end  of  the  mission  of 
Moses,  and  while  Israel  was  still 
encamped  in  the  desert,  Balaam, 
who  had  been  bribed  by  a  Moabit- 
ish  prince  to  curse  them  in  the  Val- 
ley of  Willows,*  came  to  strengthen, 
in  his  turn,  the  expectation  of  the 
Messiah,  and  to  point  out,  in  a  clear 
and  precise  manner,  the  period  of 
his  coming.  Standing  on  the  pre- 
cipitous height  of  Phogor,  surround- 
ed by  victims  slain  for  an  oblation 
of  hate,  in  view  of  the  accursed  lake 
and  the  barren  mountains  of  Arabia, 
the  conjurer  from  the  shores  of  the 
Euphrates,  actuated  by  the  spirit  of 
God,  perceives,  as  with  a  dream- 
ing eye,  f  an  admirable  vision  ; 
his  phrases,  interrupted  by  solemn 
pauses,  are  flung,  without  order  or 
art,  to  the  mountain- wind,  like  frag- 
ments of  a  mysterious  dialogue  kept 
up    in    a  whisper   with    invisible 


*  The  plain  of  Babylon,  intersected  by  rivers 
and  canals,  and  consequently  very  marshy, 
abounded  in  willows.  Hence  it  is  that  it  is 
called  in  Scripture  the  Valley  of  Willows. 

■\  Even  if  the  prophecy  of  Balaam  were  not 
known  to  be  ancient,  yet  the  manner  of  its  de- 
livery would  be  sufficient  to  prove  its  antiquity. 
Balaam,  the  Chaldean  astrologer,  prophesies  not    ^ 


^ 


powers.     /  shall  see  him hut  not 

now.     I  shall  contemplate  him hut 

not  near.      A  star  shall  come  forth 

from  Jacoh a  shoot  shall  arise  from 

Israel;  he  shall  rule  over  many  na- 
tions. To  these  incoherent  words 
succeeds  a  magnificent,  but  gloomy 
picture  of  the  conquests  of  the  great 
King.  It  is  not  without  a  purpose 
that  the  prophetic  vision  shows 
Eome  at  the  height  of  her  colossal 
power;  it  is  then  that  Christ  is  to 
visit  the  earth,  and  immolate  himself 
for  us  on  the  infamous  tree.  The 
prophet  gives  a  bold  sketch  of  that 
bloody  period ;  one  would  say  that 
cities  and  empires  yet  to  be,  arise 
before  his  view  on  the  mirage  of  the 
desert.  He  sees  the  fleet  of  the 
Caesars  leave  the  ports  of  Italy  and 
direct  their  conquering  prows  to- 
wards the  level  coasts  of  the  Syri- 
ans ;  he  beholds  the  ruin  of  that 
Judea  which  was  not  yet  in  exist- 
ence, and  where  the  people  of  God 


like  the  seers  of  Juda ;  for  him  is  required  a 
vast  horizon,  whence  he  discovers  at  once  earth, 
sea,  and  sky  :  he  speaks  as  a  man  who  details  to 
himself  things  which  he  sees  at  the  moment, 
and  which  impress  themselves  deeply  on  his 
mind.  This  species  of  prophecy  is  somewhat 
like  that  which  the  Scotch  Highlanders  call 
second  sight. 


64 


LIFE  OF  TEE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MABY. 


then  possessed  only  a  few  graves; 
finally,  his  eye  marks  the  fall  of  the 
Roman  eagle,  seven  himdi-ed  years 
before  the  birth  of  the  sons  of  Hia, 
and  whilst  the  wild  goats  of  Latium 
were  still  browsing  in  peace  on  the 
woody  slopes  of  the  seven  hills. 

Ages  and  ages  then  roll  away 
without  any  fui-ther  promise  from 
Jehovah  ;  but  the  prophecies  are 
either  confided  to  tradition,  which 
faithfully  preserves  them,  or  else 
consigned  to  the  sacred  books.  Is- 
rael maintains  an  obscure,  but  cease- 
less and  infuriate  struggle  against 
the  idolatrous  nations  which  sm*- 
round  and  press  in  upon  its  tribes  ; 
at  times  it  gives  way  to  the  sti-ange 
infatuation  which  attracts  it  to  idol- 
atry, and  then  the  fatal  sword  of 
the  Amorrhean  and  the  Moabite  is 
unwittingly  drawn  on  behalf  of  the 
Lord,  and  avenges,  though  unde- 
signedly, the  insult  offered  to  the 
God  of  Jacob.  But  thi-ough  all 
these  vicissitudes,  the  people  forget 
not  the  coming  of  Christ ;  they  live 
in  the  faith  of  the  Messiah;  in  de- 
fault of  new  revelations,  their  very 

*  Some  Rabbins  pretend  that  the  daughter  of 
Jephta  was  not  sacrificed,  but  only  condemned 
to  perpetual  celebacy.    That  assertion  is  nulli- 


*  life  becomes  prophetic.  Political 
and  religious  institutions,  local  cus- 
toms and  private  habits,  all  tend  to 
the  same  end,  all  flow  from  the  same 
source ;  all  are  linked  to  the  genera- 
tion of  the  Saviour  born  of  a  virgin 
of  Juda.  It  was  the  coming  of  the 
Messiah  that  was  asked  by  the 
prophet  Samuel,  kneeling  in  the 
Holy  of  Holies,  before  the  Schekina, 
its  luminous  and  divine  emblem, 
and  by  all  the  high  priests  who  suc- 
ceeded him  in  the  temple  of  Solo- 
mon. It  was  to  the  expectation  of 
the  Messiah  that  the  law  of  Deuter- 
onomy referred,  which  decreed  that 
the  brother  should  raise  up  an  heir 
to  his  brother  who  died  childless,  to 
the  end  that  his  name  might  be 
perpetuated  in  Israel.  It  was  the 
blighting  of  the  hope  of  belonging 
one  day,  sooner  or  later,  to  the  celes- 
tial ambassador,  that  drew  tears 
from  the  eyes  of  that  fair  young  vir- 
gin of  Galaad,  who  sank  but  with 
that  one  sorrow  into  the  bloody 
tomb  which  was  to  close  on  the  last 
of  her  father's  race.*  It  is  to  this 
belief,  so  general  amongst  the  He- 

fied  by  the  text  of  Scripture  which  saj's  :  Let  the 
daughters  of  Israel  assemble  once  in  the  year  to 
mourn  four  days  /or  the  daughter  of  Jephta  of 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


55 


brews,  that  the  woman  of  Thecua 
has  reference,  when,  denouncing  to 
King  David  the  secret  intrigues 
which  were  warping  the  mind  of 
the  only  son  who  remained  to  her, 
she  signalizes  her  fears  as  a  mother 
and  a  Jewish  matron  by  the  poeti- 
cal complaint,  ''My  lord,  they  would 
extinguish  my  last  spark !" 

There  is  nothing  but  the  present 
incredulity  of  the  Jews  to  equal  in 
depth  the  faith  of  their  fathers. 
The  grand  business  with  the  men 
of  those  days  was  the  coming  of  the 
Messiah ;  they  who  died  at  a  period 
remote  from  that  which  was  to  see 
the  fulfillment  of  the  Divine  prom- 
ises, departed  in  the  firm  persuasion 
that  they  should  one  day  be  ful- 
filled ;  standing  on  the  threshold  of 
eternity,  they  hailed  from  afar  that 
consoling  hope,  even  as  the  great 
prophet,  Moses,  saluted,  with  a  sigh, 
that  land  of  milk  and  honey  which 
the  Lord  did  not  permit  him  to 
enter. 

From  the  time  of  David,  and  un- 
der the  kings  of  his  race,  the  thread 
of  prophecy  is  renewed,  and  the 
mystery  of  the  Virgin  and  the  Mes- 

Galaad!     {Judic.,  ch.  xi.  ver.  40.)     People  do 


*  siah  is  made  more  manifest  than 
ever  by  magnificent  predictions 
clearer  than  the  sun. 

The  holy  king  whom  the  God 
of  Israel  had  preferred  before  the 
house  of  Saul,  saw  the  virginity  of 
Mary  and  the  extraordinary  birth 
of  the  Son  of  God.  "Thy  birth," 
said  he,  "unsullied  by  sin,  shall  be 
pure  as  the  morning  dew."  Then, 
raising  his  eyes  higher,  he  beholds 
Him  whom  God  has  given  him  for 
a  son,  according  to  the  flesh,  seated 
at  the  right  hand  of  Jehovah,  on  a 
throne  more  lasting  than  sky  or 
stars. 

In  the  earlier  prophecies,  the 
blessed  Yirgin,  though  always  point- 
ed out,  was  yet  left  somewhat  in 
the  shade,  and,  so  to  speak,  on  the 
verge  of  the  picture ;  but,  from  the 
time  of  David,  the  radiant  figure  of 
Mary  is  no  longer  undefined,  and 
she  who  was  to  transfuse  into  the 
veins  of  the  Man-God  the  blood  of 
Abraham,  of  Jacob,  and  of  Jesse 
the  Just,  begins  to  be  clearly  de- 
fined. David  had  spoken  of  her 
virginal  maternity;  Solomon  took 
delight  in  tracing  her  image  in  col- 

phus  also  refers  to  the  immolation  of  the  daughtei 


not  mourn  for  one  who  is  living — Flavins  Jose-    i^    of  Jephta.     (Ant.  Jud.,  t.  ii.  lib.  v.  ch.  9.) 


56 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


ors  80  enchanting  as  to  far  out- 
strip the  graceful  descriptions  of 
tlie  Eastern  Peris,  those  smiling  and 
etliereal  divinities  which  visit  the 
dreams  of  Arabian  shepherds.  He 
sees  her  rise  amid  the  daughters  of 
Juda  like  a  lily  among  thorns;  her 
eyes  are  soft  and  mild  as  tlwse  of  the 
dove;  fi'om  her  lips,  red  as  a  fillet  of 
scarlet,  comes  a  voice  clear  and  me- 
lodious as  the  sound  of  the  harp 
which  inspires  Israel  in  the  battle; 
her  step  is  ethereal  as  the  breath  of 
perjmnes;  and  her  beauty  is  radi- 
ant as  that  of  the  rising  morn.  Her 
tastes  are  simple  and  poetical ;  she 
loves  to  wander  in  the  jGi-esh  valleys 
when  the  vines  are  in  blossom  and 
the  figs  hang  like  clusters  of  eme- 
ralds from  the  leafless  branches ; 
her  looks  seek  out  the  red  roses  of 
the  pomegranate,  the  tree  of  para- 
dise,* and  she  hears  with  delight 
the  plaintive  song  of  the  turtle. 
Silent  and  collected,  she  shrinks 
from  every  eye,  and  conceals  her- 


*  In  the  East  the  pomegranate  is  called  the 
£ruit  of  paradise. 

t  It  is  agreed  by  all  the  holy  Fathers  that  the 
Canticle  of  Canticles  is  but  one  continued  alle- 
gory of  the  Mother  of  God. 

X  When  rain  falls  in  Palestine,  there  is  a 
general  rejoicing  amongst  the  people  ;  they  as- 


t  self  within  her  dwelling  like  the 
dove  which  makes  her  nest  in  tJte 
clefts  of  the  rock.  She  is  chosen 
for  a  mystical  marriage,  preferably 
to  all  the  virgins  and  queens  of  the 
nations ;  a  crown  is  promised  her 
by  Him  whom  her  soul  loveth ;  and 
the  blissful  tie  whereby  she  is 
united  to  her  royal  spouse  is 
stronger  than  death.-f 

Elias,  praying  on  Mount  Carmel 
for  the  cessation  of  that  long 
drought  which,  for  three  years, 
parched  the  earth  and  dried  up 
every  spring,  discovers  the  prom- 
ised virgin  under  the  form  of  a 
transparent  cloud  arising  from  the 
bosom  of  the  waters  to  announce 
the  return  of  rain.  The  acclama- 
tions of  the  people  salute  this  pro- 
pitious omen, J  and  the  prophet, 
who  penetrates  divine  things,  builds 
a  chapel  to  the  future  Queen  of 
Heaven.  §  Isaiah  declares  to  the 
house  of  David,  whose  chief,  Acliab, 
trembles  beneath  the  threats  of  the 


semble  in  the  streets,  sing,  caper,  and  cry 
aloud,  "  O  God !"  "  O  Blessed !"  (Volney,  Voy- 
age en  Syrie.) 

§  The  chapel  built  by  Elias  on  Mount  Carmel 
was  dedicated  by  him  to  the  Virgin  who  was  to 
bring  forth,  Virgini  pariturce.     This  chapel  was 
+    called  Semnceum,  which  means  a  place  conse- 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


57 


stranger  like  a  forest  beaten  by  the 
tempest^  that  God  shall  give  it  an 
encouraging  sign  with  regard  to  the 
future  of  Judea — a  future  long  and 
glorious  still.  "A  virgin  shall  con- 
ceive ;*  she  shall  bring  forth  a  son 
whose  name  shall  be  E7nmanuel,  or 
God  with  us That  child,  miracu- 
lously given  to  the  earth,  shall  be 
a  scion  from  the  stock  of  Jesse,  a 
flower  springing  from  his  root.f  He 
shall  be  called  God  the  mighty,  the 
Father   of  the  world  to   come,  the 


crated  to  an  imperiere  (empress),  which  can 
only  refer  to  Mar}',  empress  of  heaven  and 
earth.  [Histoire  du  Mont  Garmel,  succession  du 
Saint  Prophete,  ch.  31.) 

*  This  grand  prophecy  of  Isaiah  has  been  the 
object  of  a  long  and  sharp  controversy  between 
the  Jews  and  the  Christians.  The  Eabbins, 
who  have  commented  on  the  text  since  the  time 
of  Christ,  wishing  to  pervert  the  proofs  which 
condemn  them,  and  to  mystify  the  words  of  the 
prophet,  have  pretended  that  the  word  halma, 
which  is  found  in  the  Hebrew  text,  signifies  a 
simple  young  woman,  although  the  Septuagint 
has  rendered  it  by  virgin.  The  Fathers  have 
triumphantly  refuted  this  objection.  "  The  in- 
terpreters of  the  Septuagint,"  says  St.  John 
Chrysostom,  "  are  the  most  deserving  of  credit ; 
they  made  their  version  more  than  a  century 
before  Jesus  Christ ;  they  were  many  in  num- 
ber ;  the  time  in  which  they  wrote,  their  num- 
ber and  their  union,  render  them  much  more 
worthy  of  belief  than  the  Jews  of  our  days, 
who  have  maliciously  corrupted  many  passages 
of  the  Sacred  Scriptures."  (S.  Joan.  Chrys., 
Sei'm.  4,  ch.  1.)     St.  Jerome,  the  most  profound 


Prince  of  peace.  He  shall  be  raised 
as  a  standard  before  the  world ;  all 
nations  shall  pray  unto  him^  and  his 
sepulchre  shall  be  glorious." 

The  mystery  of  the  Messiah  is 
clearly  foreshown  to  the  prophets. 
Some  see  Bethlehem  made  illustri- 
ous by  his  birth ;  others  predict  his 
triumphant  entry  into  Jerusalem, 
and  indicate  the  peaceful  and  un- 
pretending style  thereof.  They  see 
him  enter  into  his  temple,  that  sa- 
cred pontiff  according  to  the  order 

Hebrew  scholar  of  all  the  interpreters  and  com- 
mentators, asserts,  without  fear,  he  says,  of 
being  contradicted  by  the  Jews,  that  halma, 
everywhere  that  the  word  occurs  in  the  Sacred 
Scriptures,  signifies  simply  a  virgin  in  all  her 
purity,  and  never  a  married  woman.  {Comm. 
S.  Hieron.  in  Is.  lib.  iii.)  Luther,  who  made 
such  lamentable  use  of  much  real  learning,  ex- 
claims, with  chara,cteristic  petulance  and  im- 
patience, "If  there  be  Jew  or  Hebrew  scholar 
who  can  show  me  the  place  where  halma  means 
a  looman,  and  not  a  virgin,  he  shall  be  entitled 
to  100  florins  from  me — that  is,  providing  that 
I  have  them."  (Luther's  works,  vol.  viii.,  p. 
129.)  Mahomet  himself  has  testified  to  the 
virginity  of  the  Mother  of  God.  "And  Mary, 
daughter  of  Imram,  who  has  preserved  her 
virginity ;  and  we  have  sent  into  her  our 
spirit  and  she  has  beHeved  in  the  words  of  the 
Lord  and  in  his  Scriptures."  (Koran,  Surate 
66.) 

f  Jesse,  called  al&o  Isaie,  was  son  of  Obed  and 
father  of  David.  His  memory  is  in  high  vener- 
ation amongst  the  Hebrews,  who  regard  him  as 
a  perfectly  just  man. 


88 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VTBGIN  MARY. 


of  Melchisedek ;  they  know  the 
number  of  the  pieces  of  silver  which 
the  persecuting "  rulers  of  the  Syna- 
gogue shall  dix)p  into  the  hands 
of  the  wretch  who  is  to  sell  his 
Master;*  they  see  the  ignominious 
execution,  the  draught  of  vinegar 
and  gall  offered  in  insolent  mockery 
during  the  agony  of  a  God,  and  the 
gaiment,  woven  by  the  hands  of  a 
mother,  disposed  of  by  lot  amongst 
the  rude  soldiers ;  they  hear  the 
sound  of  the  nails  which  rend  the 
bleeding  hand,  and  sink  with  a  dry, 
crackling  sound  into  the  accursed 
wood.  And  then  the  scene  changes, 
like  those  paintings  of  Raphael, 
where  the  subject,  begun  on  earth, 
extends  itself  beyond  the  clouds. 
The  man  of  sorrows,  the  humble 
Messiah,  whom  even  his  own  kin- 
dred despised,  whom  his  people 
have  not  known,  looks  down  in  tri- 
umph from  the  highest  heavens  on 
his  prostrate  enemies;  and  the  na- 
tions of  the  earth  are  all  at  length 


*  This  passage,  wherein  God  himself  declares 
the  number  of  silver  pieces  given  in  that  in- 
famous bargain,  is  impressed  with  a  bitter  and 
a  dreadful  irony.  "And  the  Lord  said  to  me, 
Cast  it  to  the  statuary,  a  handsome  price,  that  I 
was  priced  at  by  them.  And  I  took  the  thirty 
pieces  of  silver,"  &c.     {Zach.  xi  13.) 


mindful  of  their  God,  forgotten  for 
so  many  ages  I  The  nations  rally 
round  the  standard  of  the  cross,  and 
the  empire  of  Christ  shall  have  no 
boimds  but  those  of  the  universe. 
Nothing  is  wanting  to  complete  the 
prophecies.  Jacob  pointed  out  the 
coming  of  Schilo  at  the  precise 
moment  when  the  Jews  shall  cease 
to  be  governed  by  their  own  laws, 
which  involves,  of  course,  the  ruin 
of  a  state;  Balaam  adds  that  that 
destruction  shall  be  effected  by  a 
people  from  Italy,  and  the  satrap 
Daniel  counts  exactly  the  weeks 
which  are  to  elapse  before  the  ap- 
pointed time. 

"Every  thing  that  happens  in 
this  world  has  its  preceding  sign," 
said  a  man  of  genius,  who  is  now 
lonely  and  dreaded  under  his  tent. 
"  When  the  sun  is  about  to  rise,  the 
horizon  is  colored  with  a  thousand 
hues,  and  the  East  appears  all  on 
lire.  When  the  tempest  is  coming, 
there  is  heard  on  the  shore  a  rum- 
bling noise,  and  the  waves  are  agi- 
tated, as  it  were,  of  themselves." 
The  figures  of  the  Old  Testament, 
according  to  the  Fathers  of  the 
Church,  are  the  signs  which  an- 
|j  nounce   the  rising   of  the    Sun   of 


LIFE   OF   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


59 


Justice  and  of  the  Star  of  the  Sea. 
To  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  belongs 
strength  and  power ;  to  Mary,  grace 
and  pitying  kindness.  She  is  the 
tree  of  life  planted  in  the  abodes  of 
men  by  the  hands  of  God  himself, 
and  the  pledge  of  happiness  far  be- 
yond that  which  our  first  parents 
enjoyed  in  Eden ;  the  dove  from 
the  ark,  bearing  to  earth  the  olive 
branch ;  the  sealed  fountain  whose 
waters  have  never  been  troubled 
with  aught  of  impurity;  the  fleece 
which  receives  the  dew  of  heaven ; 
finally,  the  delicate  and  odoriferous 
rose-bush  through  which  Moses  per- 
ceived the  Divinity — a  bush  which, 
very  far  from  being  consumed  by 
the  fire,  which  destroys  all  things 
else,  was  in  some  sort  preserved 
thereby,  and  lost,  in  its  contact  with 
the  celestial  flame,  neither  a  leaf 
nor  a  flower.* 


*  Philo,  who  has  made  this  remark,  and  who 
discovers  in  this  burning  bush  a  mysterious 
allegory,  falsely  applies  it  to  the  Jewish  nation 
by  a  forced  conjunction.  Josephus,  who  also 
tried  to  penetrate  this  mystery,  has  succeeded 
no  bettei".  Those  wild  roses,  emblematical  of 
modest  maidens  who  shed  their  sweet  perfume 
in  solitude,  and  who  are  made  resplendent  by 
contact  with  the  Deity,  without  having  their 
spotless  white  and  dehcate  blush  anywise  taint- 


Like  that  enchanting  figure  which 
an  ancient  painter  composed  by 
borrowing  a  thousand  detached 
beauties  from  the  loveliest  women 
of  Greece,  so  the  chaste  spouse  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  united,  in  her  own 
person,  all  that  had  been  most  ad- 
mirable in  the  celebrated  women  of 
the  old  law.  Fair  as  Rachel  and 
Sarah,  she  united  to  the  prudence 
of  Abigail  the  heroic  courage  of 
Esther ;  Susannah,  chaste  as  the 
flower  whose  name  she  bears  ;f 
Judith,  whose  crown  of  lilies  was 
sprinkled  with  the  blood  of  Holo- 
fernes ;  J  Axa,  whose  hand  was  the 
ransom  of  a  conquered  city ;  and 
that  mother,  so  illustrious  in  her 
misfortunes,  who  beheld  all  her  sons 
die  for  the  law ;  these  were  but 
faint  images  of  Her  who  was  to 
unite  within  herself  all  the  perfec- 
tions of  the  woman  and  the  angel. 


ed  thereby,  these  are  the  most  striking  image 
of  Mary,  that  mystical  rose  of  the  new  law. 

f  The  name  Susannah  signifies  lily.  (Fabyn. 
ii.  2.) 

X  The  ancients  attribute  to  the  lily  the  power 
of  nullifying  enchantments  and  warding  oflf 
danger.  "Judith  encircled  her  brows,"  say  the 
Kabbins,  "with  a  garland  of  HHes,  so  as  to 
make  her  way  without  fear  into  the  tent  of 
Holofernes."     (Comm.  E.  R.  m  Judith.) 


60 


LITE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRQIN  MART. 


After  an  expectation  of  four  thou-  *  law  disappear,  and  Mary  arises  on 

sand  years,  the  time  marked  out  by  the  horizon  of  Judea  like  the  star 

80  many  prophecies  at  length  ar-   |  which    heralds    the    approach    of 

rives ;  the  shadows  of  the  ancient  *  day. 


CHAPTER    II. 


THE     IMMACULATE     CONCEPTION. 


WOMAN  des- 
tined from  all 
eternity  to  save 
the  world  by 
deifying  our 
nature,  and  to 
bear  in  her 
chaste  womb  Him  wliose  tent  is  the 
sun,  and  whose  footsteps  are  on  the 
highest  heavens  ;  a  woman  expected 
from  the  beginning  of  the  world, 
revealed  by  God  even  in  Paradise, 
'  and  the  acknowledged  end  of  all 
the  holy  generations  who  succeeded 

*  According  to  Si  Angustine,  the  issue  to 
which  all  the  patriarchs  aspired  was  Jesus 
Christ,  and  Jesus  Christ  in  Mary,  through 
whom  alone  they  could  expect  him.  "And  in 
fact,"  says  he,  "  if  nature,  in  all  her  efforts,  tends 
to  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  the  Lord  of  Ages,  it  is 


*  each  other  from  the  days  of  the 
patriarchs  ;*  she  can  be  no  ordinary 
creature,  and  must  needs  have  su- 
perhuman prerogatives.  The  pious 
belief  of  the  immaculate  conception 
of  Mary  is  the  result  of  that  senti- 
ment of  respect.  Heirs  of  an  unfor- 
tunate parent,  degraded  by  our  re- 
bellious father,  blighted  by  the .  sen- 
tence which  condemns  him,  so  far 
from  receiving  from  him  the  life  of 
grace,  we  have  received  from  him 
the  death  of  sin,  and,  by  a  fearful 
doom,  are   condemned  even  before 

not  that  she  flatters  herself  that  she  can  reach 
the  Son  of  God  by  herself  ;  the  extent  of  her 
power  stops  at  the  humble  Mary,  who  was  to 
engender  the  blessed  seed,  not  by  virtue  of  her 
ancestors,  but  by  that  of  the  Most  High."  (St. 
Augustine,  5,  Gontr.  Jul.  9.) 


LIFE  OF  TEE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


61 


our  birth.  This  misfortune,  inher- 
ent in  the  human  race,  accursed  as 
one  man  in  its  very  origin,  is  com- 
mon to  all,  and  the  Scripture  makes 
no  exception  in  favor  of  any  son  of 
Adam.  But  the  piety  of  the  faith- 
ful cannot  bear  the  idea  that  the 
Mother  of  God  should  be  submitted 
to  the  scathing  condemnation  where- 
by we  are  stamped  with  the  seal 
of  hell  even  in  our  mother's  womb ; 
they  have  believed  that  the  Sove- 
reign Judge  must  have  suspended 
the  general  effect  of  his  rigorous 
law  in  favor  of  her  who  was  brought 
into  the  world  only  to  contribute 
to  the  accomplishment  of  the  most 
secret,  the  most  incomprehensible 
of  the  decrees  of  God — the  Incarna- 
tion of  the  Messiah.  Notwithstand- 
ing the  silence  of  the  Gospel,  it  has, 
therefore,  been   generally  supposed 


*  We  find  in  the  Menkes  {Secret  Practices),  so 
ancient  in  use  among  the  Greeks,  these  words, 
which  clearly  prove  their  belief  in  the  Immac- 
ulate Conception  :  "  By  a  special  dispensation, 
the  Lord  decreed  that  the  Blessed  Virgin  should 
be  as  pure,  from  the  first  moment  of  her  exist- 
ence, as  was  suitable  and  becoming  for  her  who 
was  to  conceive  and  to  bring  forth  Jesus  Christ, 
the  Word  made jflesh." 

f  St.  Andrew,  of  Crete,  makes  mention  of  this 
feast  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  the  office 
of  which  St.  Sabas  had  composed,  and  to  which 


^  that  the  Virgin,  in  anticipation  of 
her  divine  maternity,  was  withheld, 
so  to  speak,  on  the  verge  of  the 
dread  abyss  hollowed  under  our  feet 
by  the  fatal  disobedience  of  our  first 
parents,  and  that  her  conception  is 
immaculate  as  her  life. 

This  belief,  which  the  Greeks  bor- 
rowed from  Palestine,  and  adopted 
with  enthusiasm,*  gave  rise  to  the 
institution  of  the  feast  of  the  Im- 
maculate Conception,  which  was 
celebrated  with  great  pomp  in  Con- 
stantinople, from  the  sixth  century.f 
In  the  West,  on  the  contrary,  this 
doctrine  met  opponents,  and  power- 
ful opponents  ;  for  St.  Anselm,  St. 
Bernard,  St.  Bonaventure,  St.  Thomas 
Aquinas,  Albertus  Magnus,  and 
many  other  pious  and  learned  doc- 
tors, all  great  theologians, J  and, 
moreover,  devoted  to  the  service  of 


St.  Germanus,  patriarch  of  Constantinople,  had 
added  an  anthem. 

J  The  opponents  of  the  Immaculate  Concep- 
tion are  wont  to  boast  of  having  in  their  ranks 
St.  Anselm,  St.  Bernard,  St.  Bonaventure,  St. 
Thomas,  Albertus  Magnus,  &c.  However  great 
these  names  may  be,  yet  we  must  not  be  dazzled 
by  them  ;  for,  confronting  these  doctors  with 
themselves,  we  find  that  they  have  positively 
maintained  the  yea  and  nay,  which  shows  either 
that  their  opinions  on  this  siibject  were  not 
fixed,  or  that  they  had  singular  distractions. 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


l&Bijf  maintained  that  she  was  con-  t 
ceived  in  sin  and  subjected  to  the 
common  law,  although  she  was 
very  soon  entirely  purified  there- 
fi-om  by  a  special  and  excellent 
grace  which  commenced  her  glori- 
ous state  of  Mother  of  God. 

But  the  belief  in  the  Immaculate 
Conception  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 
prevailed,  at  length,  over  the  opin- 
ion of  the  great  doctors  of  the  Mid- 
dle Ages ;  what  the  eagles  of  the 
school  had  not  seen  was  revealed 
to  the  simple.  The  writings  of  the 
doctors  and  of  the  Apostles  were 
again  searched ;  a  more  careful  ex- 
amination was  made  of  what  has 
been  handed  down  to  us  regarding 
the  greatness  and  glory  of  Mary, 
and  that  investigation  served  to 
throw  a  more  vivid  light  on  this 
doubtful  point  in  the  life  of  the 
Mother  of  Christ. 

And  in  fact,  going  back  even  to 
the  Apostles,  we  already  see  the 
title  of  Blessed  and  hnmaculate  ap- 
plied to  Mary.*     The   apostle    St. 

*  St.  James  the  Major,  and  St.  Mark,  in  their 
Liturgies. 

t  S.  Hipp,  in  an  oration  on  the  ConsummcUion 
of  the  World,  |  Orig.  horn,  in  S.  Matth. 

§  S.  Den.  in  an  epistle  given  in  the  Biblioth. 
den  PP.  I  S.  Cypr.,  de  Nat.  Virg. 


Andrew,  quoted  by  the  Babylonian 
Abdias,  expresses  himself  in  these 
terms :  "  Even  as  the  first  Adam 
was  made  of  the  earth  before  it  was 
cursed,  so  was  the  second  Adam 
formed  of  a  pure  virgin  who  was 
never  under  the  ban." 

The  saints  and  martyrs  who  lived 
in  the  third  century,  St.  Hippolytus, 
martyr,f  Origen,  J  St.  Denis  of  Alex- 
andria, §  all  give  to  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin the  qualification  of  pure  and 
iminaculate.  St.  Cyprian ||  is  more 
precise,  and  says  clearly  that  "  there 
is  a  great  difference  between  the 
rest  of  mortals  and  the  Virgin,  and 
that  she  has  nothing  in  common 
with  them  but  nature — not  sin." 

In  the  fourth  century,  St.  Am- 
brose, who  compares  the  Virgin  "  to 
a  bright  and  luminous  stem,  where- 
on has  never  been  either  the  knot 
of  original  sin  or  the  bark  of  actual 
sin  ;"^  St.  John  Chrysostom,**  who 
proclaims  her  most  holy,  immacu- 
late, blessed  above  all  creatures ;  St. 
Jerome,! f  ^^^  poetically  calls  her 

^  "  Virgo  in  qua  nee  nodus  originaHs,  nee 
cortex  actualis  culpse  fuit."  S.  Ambr.  de  Inst. 
Virg.,  ch.  5. 

**  S.  Chrysostom,  in  his  Liturgy. 

ff  St.  Jerome's  Commentaries  on  Psalm 
Ixxvii.     "  Diduxit  eos  in  nube  diei :   nubes  est 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


63 


the  day -cloud  which  never  knew  f 
darkness  ;  St.  Basil,*  whom  the  de- 
fenders of  the  Immaculate  Concep- 
tion are  proud  to  regard  as  their 
leader ;  these  have  never  varied  re- 
garding that  stainless  purity  which 
so  well  becomes  the  Queen  of 
Angels. 

In  the  fifth  century,  St.  Augus- 
tinef  cannot  endure  to  'have  the 
name  of  Mary  mentioned  when  there 
is  question  of  sin,  and  St.  Peter 
OhrysologusJ  affirms  that  "in  the 
Virgin  all  were  saved." 

St.  Fulgentius,  who  lived  in  the 
beginning  of  the  sixth  century,  says, 
that  "  the  Blessed  Virgin  was  entire- 
ly excluded  from  the  first  decree." § 
"  It  is  very  wrong,"  says  St.  Ilde- 
fonso,||  archbishop  of  Toledo,  who 
flourished  in  the  same  century,  "It 
is  very  wrong  to  think  of  subjecting 


beata  Virgo,  quae  pulchre  dicitur  nubes  diei, 
quia  non  fuit  iu  tenebris,  sed  semper  in  luce." 

*  St.  Basil,  in  his  Liturgy. 

f  It  must  be  observed  that  St.  Augustine 
was  then  defending  the  doctrine  of  Original  Sin 
against  the  Pelagians. 

J  S.  Peter  Chrj'sol.  de  Annonciat.,  Sermon 
140. 

§  S.  Fulg.,  Sermon  on  the  Glories  of  Mary. — 
Sermon  on  the  Two  Natures  in  Jesus  Christ. 

II  St.  Ildefonso,  in  the  book  on  the  Virginity  of 
Mary. 


the  Mother  of  God  to  the  laws  of 
nature ;  it  is  certain  that  she  was 
free  and  exempt  fi'om  all  original 
sin,  and  that  she  has  removed  the 
curse  of  Eve."  St.  John  Damas- 
cene,^! speaking  expressly  of  her 
conception,  says  that  she  was  "  pure 
and  immaculater  In  the  ninth  cen- 
tury, Theophanes,  Abbot  of  Grand- 
champ  ;  in  the  tenth,  St.  Fulbert, 
bishop  of  Chartres  ;  towards  the 
middle  of  the  eleventh,  Yves  of 
Chartres,**  one  of  the  most  brilliant 
lights  of  that  period,  and  a  little 
later,  St.  Bruno, ff  founder  of  the 
Carthusians,  are  evidently  in  favor 
of  the  Immaculate  Conception  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin. 

Islamism  itself  declares  for  the 
Immaculate  Conception,  and  the 
Arab  commentators  on  the  Koran 
have   adopted,   in  their  own  way, 


\  St.  John  Damascene,  de  Nativ.  Mar.,  or.  1. 

**  The  two  holy  bishops  of  Chartres,  Fulbert 
and  Yves,  declared  for  the  doctrine  of  the  Im- 
maculate Conception.  Yves  maintained  it  in 
the  pulpit,  and  Fulbert  says  in  his  paraphrase 
on  the  angel's  salutation  to  Mary  :  "Ave,  Maria, 
electa  et  insignis  inter  fiUas,  quse  immaculata 
semper  extitisti  ab  exordis  tuse  creationis,  quia 
paritura  eras  Creatorem  totius  sanctitatis." 

ff  St.  Bruno,  in  his  explanation  of  those 
words  of  Psalm  ci. :  Dominus  de  codo  in  terram 
aspexit,  which  he  appHes  to  the  Blessed  "Virgin. 


ttll 


LIF£  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


the  opinion  of  the  Catholic  theo- 
logians who  have  pronounced  in 
favor  of  that  doctrine.  "  Every  de- 
scendant of  Adam,"  says  Cottada, 
"fi'om  the  moment  that  he  comes 
into  the  world,  is  touched  on  the 
side  by  Satan ;  Jesus  and  Mary  are 
alone  excepted ;  for  God  interposed 
between  them  and  Satan  a  veil 
which  preserved  them  fi-om  his  fatal 
touch." 

These  testimonies  in  favor  of 
the  Immaculate  Conception  become 
weaker  and  less  abundant  in  the 
twelfth  and  thirteenth  centuries ; 
few  wu-iters  of  any  note  then  took 
this  view  of  the  subject,  and  sever- 
al men  of  eminent  piety  and  learn- 
ing maintained  the  contrary  opinion. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  feast  of  the 
Conception  of  the  Virgin  was  es- 
tablished in  many  kingdoms. 

William  the  Conqueror  establish- 
ed this  festival  in  Normandy  as 
eaiiy  as  the  year  1074;  and,  from 
the  reign  of  his  son,  Henry  the 
First,  King  of  England  and  Duke 
of  Normandy,  it  was  celebrated  at 
Rouen  with  extraordinary  solem- 
nity. "It  was  instituted,"  say  the 
ancient  chroniclers,  "because  of  the 
holy  apparition  seen  by  an  eccle- 


f  siastic  worthy  of  credit,  who  found 
himself  exposed  to  the  perils  of 
the  sea  during  a  storm."  An  old 
history  of  the  antiquities  of  Kouen, 
adds  that  "  even  at  the  time  of  the 
institution  of  the  feast,  there  was 
founded  an  association  of  the  most 
notable  persons  of  the  city,  who 
still  annually  elect  one  of  their 
number  to  be  prince  of  the  confra- 
ternity, who  holding  the  puy  (or 
stage)  open  to  all  orators,  in  every 
language,  gives  excellent  and  valu- 
able prizes  to  those  w^ho  shall  best 
and  most  faithfully  celebrate  the 
praises  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  in  her 
holy  conception,  by  liymjis,  odes, 
sonnets,  ballads,  royal  songs,  &c."* 

Thus  the  Virgin  full  of  grace  pre- 
sided at  the  revival  of  poetry,  and 
her  Immaculate  Conception  furnish- 
ed pious  themes  to  the  land  of 
minstrels. 

J'rom  Normandy,  the  feast  of  the 
Conception  passed  over  to  the  En- 
glish. The  first  council  of  Oxford, 
held  by  Stephen  Langton,  arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury,  in  the  year 
1222,  placed  it  in  the  number  of 
holidays  to  be  observed.    In  France, 

*  AntiquUes  et  Singularitks  de  la  Ville  de  Rouen. 
^    By  N.  Taillepied,  Doctor  of  Theology. 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


65 


in  the  year  1288,  a  bishop  of  Paris, 
Renoul  de  Hombiere,  bequeathed  a 
considerable  sum  to  found  the  office 
of  that  feast  of  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
which  was  about  the  same  time  in- 
troduced into  the  Lyonnais.  Final- 
ly, a  manuscript  niartyrology  of  the 
thirteenth  century,  found  in  the  li- 
brary of  the  Dominicans  of  Dijon, 
fixes  the  festival  of  the  Conception 
of  Om*  Lady  on  the  8th  of  Decem- 
ber: "which  also  shows,"  say  the 
learned  Benedictines  who  deciphered 
that  ancient  manuscript,  "that  in 
St.  Dominick's  time,  this  feast  was 
already  celebrated  in  nearly  all  the 
Church." 

The  doctrine  of  the  Immaculate 
Conception  had  been  banished  from 
pulpits  and  from  schools  for  a  very 
long  period  of  time,  when  some  the- 
ologians, perceiving  that  this  belief 
could  be  traced  to  the  highest  and 
purest  sources  of  Christianity,  un- 
dertook to  revive  it.     The  Francis- 


*  Montfaucon,  who  journeyed  through  Italy 
about  the  year  1698,  having  visited  at  Pavia  the 
library  of  the  Signor  Beleridus,  renowned  for  his 
piety,  was  much  surprised  to  see  that  his  im- 
mense collection  of  books  was  composed  solely 
of  treatises  written  by  the  Franciscans  in  defence 
of  the  Immaculate  Conception. 

f  This  is  the  decree  of  the  Sorbonne :  "  We 


*  cans,  who  first  began  to  make  a 
public  profession  of  it,  in  speaking,* 
and  in  writing,  supported  it  by  rea- 
sons so  strong  and  so  convincing, 
that  not  only  the  mass  of  the  faith- 
ful, but  the  most  learned  body  in 
Europe,  clung  to  it  with  enthusiasm. 
The  Sorbonne,  which  was  then  called 
"  the  firmament  of  science,  the  prop 
of  truth  and  piety  in  the  church  of 
God,"  decreed  that  all  those  who 
should  be  promoted  to  the  degree 
of  doctor  were  to  engage  them- 
selves by  oath  to  maintain  this  pious 
belief.f  So,  in  succession,  did  the 
universities  of  Mayence,  of  Cologne, 
of  Yalentia,  of  Alcala,  of  Coi'mbra, 
of  Salamanca,  and  of  Naples. 

Amongst  those  religious  orders  in 
whom  France  has  gloried  for  so 
many  ages,  the  Dominicans  alone, 
or  nearly  alone,  showed  themselves 
hostile  to  the  pious  doctrine  of  the 
spotless  Conception ;  but  the  learn- 
ed Benedictines,  venerated  even  by 


resolve  and  declare  that  no  one  shall  be  admit- 
ted for  the  future  into  our  Faculty,  until  he 
swears  to  maintain  all  his  hfe  this  doctrine 
of  the  Immaculate  Conception."  "Statuentes 
ut  nemo  deinceps  huic  nostro  collegio  adscri- 
batur,  nisi  se  hujus  doctrinsB  assertorum  sem- 
per pro  viribus  futurum,  simili  juramento, 
profiteatuj*." 


* 


66 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRQIN  MARY. 


Protestants  for  their  immense  sci- 
entific labors,  the  Carthusians,  the 
Cai-melites,  the  order  of  St.  Augus- 
tine, in  Cluny,  in  Citeaux,  in  Pr^- 
montrtf,  and  a  host  of  others  whom 
it  would  be  superfluous  to  enumerate 
here,  all  adhered  with  an  enlightened 
piety,  an  ardent  zeal,  and  a  profound 
conviction,  to  the  doctrine  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception. 

Councils,  too,  have  been  favorable 
to  this  belief.     That  of  Bale,  in  its 


*  "  There  has  arisen  in  this  Council  (that  of 
Bale)  a  difficult  question  on  the  Conception  of 
the  glorious  Virgin  Mary,  Mother  of  God,  and 
on  the  beginning  of  her  sanctification  ;  some 
saying  that  her  soul  was,  for  some  time,  or  at 
least  for  some  moments,  subjected  to  original 
sin ;  others  maintaining,  on  the  contrary,  that 
the  love  of  God  for  her  extended  even  to  the  first 
instant  of  her  creation  ;  that  the  Most  High,  who 
created  her,  and  the  Son  who  formed  her  to  be 
his  mother  on  earth,  endowed  her  with  singular 
and  extraordinary  graces  ;  that  Jesus  Christ  re- 
deemed her  in  a  superior  and  particular  manner, 
preserving  her  from  the  original  stain,  and  sanc- 
tifying her  in  the  very  first  moment  of  her  con- 
ception. 

"Having,  therefore,  carefully  examined  the 
reasons  and  the  authorities  which,  for  several 
years,  have  been  brought  forward,  on  both  sides, 
in  the  public  acts  of  this  holy  Council  ;  having, 
moreover,  given  our  attention  to  many  other 
things  on  the  same  subject;  all  weighed  and 
maturely  considered,  we  decide  and  declare  that 
the  doctrine  which  teaches  that  the  glorious 
Virgin  Mary,  Mother  of  God,  by  a  special  favor, 
and  by  a  preventing  and  operating  grace,  has 


session  of  27th  September,  1429, 
declares  that  the  doctrine  which 
teaches  that  the  glorious  Virgin 
Mary  was  conceived  without  sin  is 
a  pious  doctrine,  conformable  to 
ecclesiastical  worship,  to  Catholic 
faith,  to  right  reason,  and  to  Holy 
Writ.*  Tlie  Council  of  Avignon 
confirmed,  in  1457,  the  decree  of  the 
Council  of  Bale,  and  in  their  session 
of  1564,f  the  Fathers  of  the  Council 
of  Trent  declared  that,  in  their  de- 


never  been  actually  subjected  to  original  sin,  but 
that  she  has  ever  been  holy,  immaculate  and  ex- 
eYnpt  from  all  sin,  original  and  actual  ;  we  de- 
clare that  the  doctrine  which  teaches  all  that,  is 
a  pious  doctrine,  conformable  to  ecclesiastical 
worship,  to  Catholic  faith,  to  right  reason,  and 
to  Holy  Writ,  and  that,  as  such,  it  is  to  be  ap- 
proved, held,  and  followed  by  all  Catholics,  so 
that  no  one  shall  be  hereafter  permitted  to 
preach  or  teach  the  contrary.  Rene\ving,  be- 
sides the  institution  of  the  feast  of  the  holy  Con- 
ception;  which,  by  an  ancient  and  praiseworthy 
custom,  is  solemnized  on  the  8th  day  of  Decem- 
ber, at  Rome,  as  in  all  the  other  churches,  we 
will  and  ordain  that  this  festival  be  celebrated 
on  the  day  before  mentioned,  under  the  name  of 
the  Conception  of  the  Virgin,  in  all  the  churches, 
monasteries,  and  communities  of  the  Catholic 
religion,  and  that  it  be  observed  with  all  manner 
of  praise  and  gladness,  and  canticles  of  joy." 
The  Council  even  attaches  indulgences  to  this 
solemnity. 

t  "  Declerat  haec  sancta  synodus  non  esse  in- 
tentionis  suse  comprehendere  in  hoc  decreto,  ubi 
de  peccato  originali  agitur,  beatam  et  Immacula- 
TAM  Dei  Genitricem."     (Cone.  Trid.  sex.  1564.) 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


67 


cree  of  1546,  on  original  sin,  they  did  ' 
not  pretend  to  include  the  Blessed 
and  Immaculate  Mother  of  God. 

Notwithstanding  the  prudent  re- 
serve maintained  by  the  Holy  See 
in  an  affair  wherein  figured,  for  and 
against,  famous  doctors  and  illustri- 
ous theologians,  it  yet  could  not  help 
showing,  at  times,  which  party  had 
its  sympathy.  In  the  year  1483, 
Pope  Sixtus  lY.  had  expressly  for- 
bidden that  the  subject  of  the  Con- 
ception of  Our  Lady  *  should  be  dis- 
cussed in  pulpits  or  in  schools.  This 
might  be  taken  for  a  mere  act  of 
neutrality,  had  not  this  pontiff  ap- 
proved of  the  Office  of  the  Con- 
ception composed  by  a  monk  of 
Yerona,  and  granted  a  hundred 
days'  indulgence  to  those  who 
should  assist  thereat,  f  The  suc- 
cessors of  that  great  pope  walked 
uniformly  in  the  way  which  he 
had  marked  out  and  followed.  In 
1506,  Cardinal  Ximenes  establish- 
ed in  Spain,  with  the  consent  of 
Pope  Julius  II.,  a  confraternity  of 


*  See  the  constitution  of  Sixtus  IV.,  whicli 
commences  with  Grave  nimis. 

f  See  the  constitution  of  Sixtus  IV.,  which 
begins,  Cum  prce  excelsa . . .  Extravag.  Commun. 

J  In  this  order  of  the  Immaculate  Conception, 


the  Conception.  The  same  pope 
confirmed,  by  a  brief,  dated  the 
17th  of  September,  1511,  an  order 
of  nuns  founded  under  the  same  title 
by  Innocent  YIII.J  In  the  hymns 
which  Zachary,  bishop  of  Gordia, 
composed  by  order  of  Leo  X.  and 
Clement  YIL,  it  is  said  that  Our 
Lady  was  created  in  the  state  of 
grace.  In  1569,  Pope  Pius  Y.  gave 
the  Franciscans  permission  to  cele- 
brate the  office  of  the  Immaculate 
Conception,  attaching  thereto  the 
same  indulgences  as  to  the  feast  of 
the  Holy  Sacrament.  Paul  Y.,  by  a 
bull  of  the  year  1616,  forbade  any 
one  to  maintain,  in  public  instruc- 
tions, the  opinion  contrary  to  the 
Immaculate  Conception ;  and  Greg- 
ory XY.,  in  1622,  extended  that 
prohibition  even  to  discourses  and 
private  conversations.  It  only  re- 
mained for  the  popes  to  celebrate 
this  festival  in  Rome  itself,  and  this 
was  done  by  Alexander  YIL  in 
1661.  It  is  evident,  from  this  uni- 
form conduct  of  the  Holy  See,  that 


each  Sister  consecrated  herself  expressly  to  this 
mystery  by  these  unequivocal  words,  "I,  Sister 

N for  the  love  and  service  of  Jesus  Christ 

our  Lord,  and  the  Immaculate  Conception  of 
his  Blessed  Mother,  do  promise,"  &c. 


68 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


all  its  sympathies  were  with  the  ^ 
docti'ine  of  the  spotless  conception. 
Nevei-theless,  it  never  chose  to  cen- 
mre  the  contraiy  opinion,  doubtless 
through  respect  for  high  and  holy 
names. 

'  A  voice  whose  weight  is  immense, 
the  great  voice  of  Bossuet,  made 
itself  heai-d  in  this  cause ;  the  sliield 
of  religion  nobly  took  his  stand 
before,  the  Blessed  Virgin.  "The 
opinion  of  the  immaculate  concep- 
tion," says  he,  "has,  I  know  not 
what,  force  which  persuades  pious 
souls.  After  the  articles  of  faith,  I 
see  but  few  things  better  assured. 
Hence  I  am  not  surprised  that  the 
Paris  school  of  theology  obliges  all 
its  members  to  defend  this  doctrine. 
For  my  own  part,  I  am  delighted 
now  to  follow  its  intentions.  After 
having  been  nursed  on  its  milk,  I 
willingly  submit  to  its  ordinance, 
the  more  so  as  this  seems  to  me  to 
be  also  the  will  of  the  Church ;  she 
has  a  very  great  veneration  for  the 
conception  of  Mary ;  she  does  not,  it 
is  true,  oblige  us  to  believe  it  im- 
maculute ;  but  she  makes  us  under- 
stand that  that  belief  is  very  pleasing 

♦  Bossuet,  Sermon  on  the  Gonception, 


to  her.  There  are  things  which  she 
commands,  and  by  them  we  manifest 
our  obedience ;  there  are  others 
which  she  insinuates,  and  by  them 
we  may  testify  our  aifection.  It  is 
for  our  piety,  if  we  are  true  children 
of  the  Church,  not  only  to  obey  the 
commandments,  but  to  bow  to  the 
slightest  indications  of  the  will  of 
a  mother  so  good  and  so  holy."* 

It  is  certain  that  the  devotion  to 
the  Blessed  Virgin  has  been  common 
in  Western  Europe  from  the  medi- 
aeval times ;  a»d,  since  then,  it  has 
made  immense  progress ;  but,  with- 
out meaning  to  disparage  France 
and  Italy,  those  two  nations  so  emi- 
nently devoted  to  the  Virgin,  it  must 
be  acknowledged  that  it  is  Spain 
which  has  labored  the  most  zealously 
and  ardently  for  the  propagation  of 
that  doctrine. 

The  Spanish  Church,  protesting 
against  the  pretensions  of  the 
Church  of  Normandy,  which  attrib- 
utes to  itself  the  institution  of  the 
feast  of  the  Immaculate  Conception 
of  Our  Lady  in  the  West,  will  have  it 
that  it  has  been  observed  in  Spain 
ever  since  the  seventh  century.f     It 

■{•  "  La  Iglesia  espafiola  fu^  la  primera  que  eel- 


LIFE  OF  TEE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


69 


is  certain  that,  in  1394,  Don  Juan  I. 
of  Arragon,  who  instituted  it,  in  the 
name  of  the  king,  in  the  several 
provinces  of  Spain  which  had  shaken 
off  the  yoke  of  Islamism,  affirms  that 
a  great  number  of  his  predecessors 
had  celebrated  this  festival  before 

ebro  la  Immaculada  Concepcion  de  Santisima 
Virgen  ;  euya  fiesta  tuvo  lugor  eu  ella  desde  el 
siglio  sdptims."  (El  maestro  Villados,  en  el  cap. 
de  los  Festiv.  Ecles.  t.  i.,  part  ii. 

*  This  is  the  decree  of  Don  Juan  I.  of  Arra- 
gon :  "We,  Don  Juan,  by  the  grace  of  God, 
King  of  Arragon  and  Valencia,  &c.  Why  is  it 
that  some  persons  are  amazed  to  hear  that  the 
Ever-blessed  Mary,  Mother  of  God,  was  con- 
ceived without  original  sin,  whilst  they  doubt 
not  that  St.  John  the  Baptist  was  sanctified  in 
his  mother's  womb  by  the  same  God,-  who, 
coming  down  from  the  highest  heavens  and  from 
the  throne  of  the  Most  Holy  Trinity,  was  made 
flesh  in  the  blessed  womb  of  a  virgin  ?  What 
graces  do  we  think  could  the  Lord  withhold 
from  the  woman  who  brought  him  forth  by  the 
splendid  miracle  of  her  fruitful  virginity  ?  Lov- 
ing his  mother  as  he  loves  her,  he  must  have 
invested  with  the  most  glorious  privileges  her 
conception,  her  nativity,  and  the  other  phases  of 
her  holy  life. 

"  Why  raise  up  a  doubt  as  to  the  glorious 
conception  of  a  Virgin  so  privileged,  and  of 
whom  we  are  obliged,  by  Catholic  faith,  to  be- 
lieve wonders  and  greatness  beyond  the  reach 
of  our  imagination?  Is  it  not,  for  all  Chris- 
tians, a  much  greater  subject  of  admiration  to 
see  that  a  creature  has  begotten  her  Creator, 
and  become  a  mother  without  ceasing  to  be  a 
viro-in  ?  How,  then,  can  the  human  mind  give 
adequate  praise  to  that  glorious  Virgin,  destined 
by  the  Almighty  to  possess,  without  the  slightest 
corruption,  the  advantages  of  divine  maternity, 


him.*  We  shall  not  decide  between 
the  two  churches ;  but  if  Spain  have 
but  a  doubtful  claim  to  the  institu- 
tion of  that  festival  of  Mary,  which 
is  called  in  France  and  in  England 
the  feast  of  the  Normans,  she  cannot 
be  deprived  of  the  honor  of  having 

conjointly  with  the  glory  of  the  purest  virginity, 
and  to  be  placed  over  all  the  prophets,  over  all 
the  saints,  and  over  all  the  choirs  of  angels,  as 
their  queen  ?  Could  the  stain  of  original  sin  have 
been  imputed  to  her  even  for  an  instant,  there 
would  then  have  been  some  deficiency  of  grace 
and  of  purity  in  that  excellent  Virgin,  to  whom 
the  angel  of  the  Lord,  the  ambassador  of  heaven, 
addressed  these  words :  Hail,  Mary,  full  of  grace  ; 
the  Lord  is  with  thee ;  blessed  art  thou  amongst 
tvomen  !  Let  those  persons  who  speak  so  unrea- 
sonably be  now  silent ;  let  those  who  have  only 
vain  and  frivolous  arguments  to  propose  against 
the  Immaculate  Conception,  so  privileged  and 
so  pure,  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  be  ashamed  to 
publish  them,  because  it  was  expedient  that  she 
should  be  endowed  with  so  great  purity,  that 
after  that  of  God  there  could  be  none  such  im- 
agined. It  is  likewise  most  fitting  that  she  who 
became  the  Mother  of  the  Creator  and  Father 
of  all  things  should  have  been  ever  and  always 
purest,  fairest,  and  most  perfect,  having  been 
chosen  from  the  beginning  and  before  all  ages, 
by  an  eternal  decree  of  God,  to  bear  in  her 
womb  Him  whom  the  whole  world  and  all  the 
immensity  of  the  heavens  cannot  contain. 

"But  we  who,  of  all  Catholic  kings,  have 
received,  from  this  Mother  of  mercy,  so  many 
graces  and  benefits  undeserved  by  us,  we  firmly 
believe  that  the  conception  of  this  Blessed 
Virgin,  in  whose  womb  the  Son  of  God  vouch- 
safed to  become  man,  was  indeed  holy  and 
immaculate. 

"Hence,  we  honor  with  a  pure  heart  the 


70 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


been  the  fii*st  to  erect  cbarelies  and 
altars  under  the  title  of  the  Mystery 
of  the  Immaculate  Conception.  In 
the  yeai*  1525,  the  Spaniards  of 
Mexico  placed  the  splendid  cathe- 
di'al  of  PvMx  de  los  Angelas  under 
the  invocation  of  the  immaculate 
Virgin,  whose  sacred  image   stood 

mystery  of  that  Immaculate  and  Blessed  Con- 
ception of  the  most  Blessed  Virgin,  Mother  of 
God  ;  and  we,  with  all  the  royal  house,  do  annu- 
ally solemnize  the  feast  thereof,  even  as  our 
most  illustrious  predecessors,  of  glorious  mem- 
ory, did  celebrate  the  same,  having  established 
a  perpetual  confraternity  thereof.  Wherefore, 
we  do  hereby  ordain  that  this  festival  of  the  Im- 
maculate Conception  be  celebrated  every  year 
in  perpetuity,  with  great  solemnity  and  respect, 
throughout  all  the  kingdoms  subject  unto  us,  by 
all  faithful  Catholics,  whether  religious  or  secular 
priests  and  laity,  of  whatsoever  state  or  condition 
they  may  be  ;  and  that,  henceforward,  it  is  not 
permitted,  but  expressly  forbidden,  to  all  preach- 
ers, and  to  all  those  who  publicly  expound  the 
Gospel,  to  say,  to  advance,  or  to  pubhsh  any- 
thing that  might,  in  any  way  whatsoever,  be 
prejudicial  or  hurtful  to  the  purity  and  holiness 
of  that  Blessed  Conception  ;  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, we  ordain  that  preachers,  and  other  per- 
sons who  have  had  opposite  sentiments,  shall 
keep  silent,  since  the  Catholic  faith  does  not  in 
any  way  oblige  us  to  maintain  and  profess  the 
contrary  opinion  ;  and  that  others,  who  cherish 
in  their  hearts  our  own  holy  and  salutary  opin- 
ion, may  publish  it  in  their  discourses,  and 
hasten  to  manifest  their  devotion  by  celebrat- 
ing, through  the  praises  of  the  Most  High,  the 
glor}-  and  honor  of  his  holy  mother,  who  is  the 
Queen  of  Heaven,  the  gate  of  paradise,  the 
protectress  of  our  souls,  the  sure  port  of  salva- 


sparkling  with  jewels  over  an  altar 
of  massive  silver,  surrounded  by  a 
multitude  of  elegant  pillars,  with 
plinths  and  capitals  of  burnished 
gold.  The  faithful  of  Mexico  raised 
in  her  honor,  in  their  metropolitan 
church,  an  altar  and  a  statue  of 
massive  silver,  adorned  with  a  mag- 

tion,  and  the  anchor  of  hope  for  sinners  who 
have  confidence  in  her.  We  now  hereby  ex- 
pressly establish,  in  perpetuity,  that  if  it  happen 
that  any  preacher,  or  any  other  of  our  subjects, 
of  any  state  or  condition,  fail  to  observe  this 
ordinance,  unless  exempt  by  reason  of  some  of 
our  other  edicts,  that  they  be  expelled  from 
their  convents  and  houses,  and,  whilst  they 
retain  that  contrary  opinion,  they  shall  be 
driven,  as  our  enemies,  from  all  parts  of  our 
dominions.  Commanding  Hkewise,  and  decree- 
ing, in  our  knowledge  and  mature  deliberation, 
that  all  and  each  of  our  officers,  whether  at 
home  or  abroad,  present  or  future,  shall  observe, 
and  cause  to  be  observed,  with  great  diligence 
and  respect,  our  present  edict,  as  soon  as  they 
are  made  cognizant  thereof ;  and  that  each,  in 
his  district,  shall  have  it  published  exactly, 
solemnly,  and  by  sound  of  trumpet  in  aU  the 
accustomed  places,  to  the  end  that  no  one  may 
plead  ignorance,  and  that  the  devotion  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception  of  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
so  long  preserved  in  the  hearts  of  Christians, 
may  increase  more  and  more,  and  that  no  one 
may  ever  again  be  heard  to  express  a  contrary 
opinion.  In  faith  whereof  we  command  that 
these  present  acts  be  dispatched  everywhere, 
duly  authorized  by  our  sign  and  seal,  hereto 
attached. — Given  at  Valencia,  on  the  2d  of 
February,  being  the  Feast  of  the  Purification  of 
that  Ever-blessed  Virgin,  the  year  of  our  Lord 
1384,  and  the  eighth  of  our  reign." 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


71 


nificence  truly  Peruvian.  A  little 
later,  the  Mexican  cathedrals  of 
Merida,  Maracai'bo,  and  Nahana 
were  founded  under  the  invocation 
of  the  immaculate  Virgin ;  nor  did 
Peru  remain  behind.  This  splendid 
accession  to  the  doctrine  of  the  con- 
ception without"  sin,  did  not  sufi&ce 
for  the  zeal  of  the  nations  subject  to 
the  Spanish  domination.  In  1618, 
the  vice-king  of  Naples,  his  court 
and  his  army,  made  a  vow,  in  the 
Church  of  Our  Lady  the  Great,  to 
believe  and  to  defend  the  immacu- 
late conception  of  the  Virgin.  A 
commemorative  pillar,  surrounded 
by  a  magnificent  statue  of  Our 
Lady,  with  the  symbolical  emblems 
of  her  victory  over  original  sin,  was 
raised  in  testimony  of  that  public 
engagement  so  chivalrously  con- 
tracted. 

The  Spanish  people,  who  have  at 
all  times  specially  signalized  them- 
selves in  this  devotion,  have  adopted 

*  Alabado  sea  el  santisimo  Sacramento  del 
altar,  y  la  Immaculada  Concepcion  de  la  Yirgen 
Maria,  concebida  sin  pecado  original  en  el 
primer  instante  de  su  ser  natural. 

I  On  entering  a  Spanish  house,  the  first  words 
spoken  by  the  visitor,  even  before  wishing  good 
day,  are  these  :  "  Ave,  Maria  purisima  ;"  the 
people  of  the  house  immediately  answer  :  "  Sin 


it  so  far  that  not  a  single  preacher 
ascends  a  pulpit  without  prefac- 
ing his  sermon  by  a  profession  of 
faith  in  the  spotless  conception,* 
and  it  has  even  been  introduced 
into  the  familiar  phrases  used  in 
greeting.-j- 

Finally,  in  1771,  whilst  the  de- 
stroying wind  of  philosophy  was 
violently  shaking  religious  belief  in 
France  and  several  other  countries 
of  Europe,  the  King  of  Spain, 
Charles  III.,  instituted  an  order  in 
honor  of  the  Virgin  conceived  with- 
out sin,  and  solemnly  declared  her, 
with  the  assembled  Cortes  and  a 
brief  of  the  Holy  See,  Universal 
patrona  de  Espana  ^  Indias.\ 

In  France,  notwithstanding  the 
license  and  the  unbelief  which  the 
flood  of  revolution  left  behind  it, 
this  doctrine  is  gaining  ground, 
and  penetrating  even  to  the  most 
distant  hamlets.  The  Diocese  of 
Paris   is   particularly  distinguished 


pecado  concebida,  santisima,"  (holiest,  conceived 
without  sin.) 

J  "  Por  la  devocion  que  desde  nuestra  in- 
fancia  hemos  tenido  a  Maria  santisima  en 
su  misterio  de  la  Immaculada  Concepcion, 
deseamos    poner    bajo    los     divinos    auspicios 

de  esta  celestial  protectora  la Nueva  Orden, 

y  mandamos  que  sea  reconocida  en   ella   por 


72 


UFE  OF  TEE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


for  its  zeal  in  propagating  this  * 
pious  belief^  which  flourishes  there 
under  the  protecting  shadow  of 
its  archbishops,*  confirmed  by  the 
supernatui'al  things  related  of  the 
miraculous  medal  struck  in  honor 
of  the  mystery  of  the  spotless 
Conception. 

K  the  tradition  of  the  Apostles, 
the  inclination  of  the  Church,  the 
authority  of  Councils,  the  adhesion 
of  universities  and  religious  orders, 
the  assent  of  kings  and  nations,  the 
dedication  of  temples  and  altars,  the 

})atrona. "     {Leg.   12,   t.   iL,  1.   vi.   Noviss. 

Bee.) 

*  "  It  is  a  fact  we  would  wish  to  establish,  and 
to  make  known  in  even  the  most  remote  parts 
of  the  Catholic  world  :  in  our  Diocese,  this  de- 
votion has  been  rooted  deeper  and  deeper  with 
passing  time,  and  misfortunes  have  come  in 
plenty  to  confirm,  increase,  and  extend  it  with 
marvellous  rapidity."     {See  the  mandamus  of   ¥ 


foundation  of  offices,  the  institution 
of  confraternities  and  royal  orders 
have  any  weight  in  a  controversy 
which  has  astonished  the  Pagans 
themselves,!  then  the  cause  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception  of  Mary,  so 
long  pending  before  the  tribunal 
of  Catholic  opinion,  appears  to  us 
gained ;  and  we  do  not  think  it  rash 
to  suppose  that  God,  preserving 
his  divine  Mother  from  the  original 
stain,  said  to  her,  as  Assuerus  did 
to  Esther,  "This  law  is  not  made 
for  thee,  but  for  all  others." 

His  Grace  the  Archbishop  of  Paris  on  the  occa- 
sion of  the  consecration  of  the  Church  of  Our 
Lady  of  Loretto. ) 

f  "  How !"  exclaimed  JuUan  the  Apostate,  ad- 
dressing a  bishop  who  maintained  the  univer- 
sality of  original  sin  ;  "  How !  dost  thou,  then, 
subject  the  birth  of  Mary  to  the  empire  of  tho 
Devil!"     (St.  Augustine,  L  iv.,  Op.  imperf.) 


CHAPTER    III. 


THE     BIRTH 

BOUT  the  time 
when  the  reli- 
gion and  the 
prosperity  of 
the  Hebrews 
were  on  the 
decline  at  the 
period  pointed  out  by  the  prophets, 
and  when  the  royal  sceptre  was  in 
stranger  hands,  according  to  the 
great  prediction  of  Jacob,  there 
was  in  Nazareth,  a  city  of  Lower 
Galilee,  not  far  from  Mount  Carmel, 
a  just  man  named  Joachim,*  of  the 

*  A  biographer  of  Mary,  Christopher  de 
Castro,  discovered,  according  to  the  Rabbins, 
St.  Hilary  and  other  Fathers  of  the  Church, 
that  the  father  of  Mary  had  two  names,  Heli 
and  Joachim.  The  Arabs  and  the  Mussulmans 
know  him  under  that  of  Amram,  son  of  Matheus, 
and  distinguish  him  from  another  Amram, 
father  of  Mary,  the  sister  of  Moses.  (D'Herbe- 
lot,  Bibtiotheque  Orientale,  t.  ii.) 

f  According  to  the  proto-Gospel  of  St.  James 
and  the  Gospel  of  the  nativity  of  Mary,  Joachim 
was  of  the  race  of  David.  Justin,  who  flourished 
only  fifty  years  after  the  death  of  St.  John  the 
Apostle,  who  was  born  in  Palestine,  and  was 
in  a  position  to  collect  traditions  still  quite 
recent,  likewise  says  that  Mary  was  descended 
in  a^irect  line  from  David. 

I  St.  August.,  De  consens.  Evangel. 

§  The  Mahometans,  inheritors  of  the  Arabian 


OF     MARY. 

tribe  of  Juda  and  the  race  of  Davidf 
by  Nathan ;  his  wife,  who,  according 
to  the  opinion  of  St.  Augustine,  was 
of  the  sacerdotal  tribe,J  was  called 
Anne,  a  name  which,  in  Hebrew, 
signifies  graceful.^ 

They  were  both  just  before  Jeho- 
vah, and  walked  in  the  way  of 
His  commandments  with  a  perfect 
heart ;||  but  the  Lord  seemed  to 
have  turned  away  his  face  from 
them,  for  a  great  blessing  was 
wanting  unto  them;  they  were 
childless,    and    therefore   sorrowful, 

traditions,  know  the  blessed  mother  of  the 
Virgin  under  her  own  name,  which  is  Hannah  ; 
she  was,  according  to  them,  the  daughter  of 
Makhor,  and  wife  of  Amram.  (D'Herbelot, 
Bibliotheque  Orientale,  t.  ii.) 

II  St.  Anne  and  St.  Joachim  were  publicly  hon- 
ored in  the  Church  in  the  first  ages.  St.  John 
Damascene  highly  extols  their  virtue.  The 
Emperor  Justinian  I.  had  a  church  built  in 
Constantinople  under  the  invocation  of  St. 
Anne,  about  the  year  550.  The  body  of  the 
saint  was  removed,  it  is  said,  from  Palestine 
to  Constantinople  in  710.  {See  Godescard, 
t.  V.  p.  319.)  Luther  had  a  great  devotion  for 
St.  Anne  previous  to  his  heresy  ;  it  was 
to  that  saint  that  he  promised  to  embrace 
the  monastic  state,  in  presence  of  the  corpse 
of  a  comrade  killed  by  lightning  before  his 
eyes. 


74 


Lil 


THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART, 


because  in  Israel  barrenness  was  a 
(lisgmce. 

Juucliim,  who  loved  his  wife  for 
her  exceeding  mildness  and  her  em- 
inent virtues,  would  not  increase 
her  misfortune  by  giving  her  those 
letters  of  divorce  which  the  law 
then  gmnted  so  easily;*  he  kept 
her  with  him,  and  that  pious  pair, 
humbly  resigned  to  the  divine  be- 
hest, passed  their  days  in  labor, 
prayer,  and  alms-deeds. 

So  many  virtues  could  not  go  un- 
rewarded ;  after  twenty  years  of 
baiTcnness,  Ann  conceived,  as  it 
were  by  a  miracle,  and  brought 
forth  that  favored  creature  who  was 
more  perfect,  more  holy,  and  more 
agreeable  to  the  Lord  than  all  the 
elect  taken  together. 


*  It  was  the  Pharisees  who  had  introduced 
this  abuse  of  divorce,  so  loudlV  censured  by  our 
Lord  [Matth.  eh.  xix.  v.  8)  ;  they  taught  that  a 
wife  might  be  put  away  for  the  most  trifling 
cause ;  for  instance,  for  having  cooked  her 
master's  meat  over  much,  or  even  for  not 
being  sufficiently  handsome.  This  was  the 
opinion  of  Hillel  and  of  Akiba.  (Basnage,  1. 
vii.  ch.  22.) 

f  The  8th  of  September,  according  to  the 
teaching  of  the  Church.  Baronius  has  it  that 
Mary  was  born  in  the  year  of  Rome  733,  twenty- 
one  years  before  the  vulgar  era,  on  the  8th  of 
September,  being  Saturday,  at  the  dawn  of  day. 
Le  Nain  de  Tillemont  says  that  the  Virgin  was 


It  was  about  the  beginning 
of  the  month  Tisri,f  which  is  the 
lirst  of  the  civil  year  of  the  Jews, 
whilst  the  smoke  of  holocausts 
was  ascending  to  heaven  for  the 
expiation  of  the  sins  of  the  peo- 
ple, that  the  promised  Virgin  was 
born — she  who  was  to  repair  the 
primitive  transgression ;  J  her  birth 
was  humble,  like  that  of  her  di- 
vine Son ;  her  parents  were  of  the 
people,  although  descended  from  a 
long  Ime  of  kings,  and  led,  to  all 
appearance,  an  obscure  life ;  that 
mystical  rose,  whom  St.  John  after- 
wards beheld  clothed  with  the  sun  as 
with  a  radiant  garment,  was  to  blos- 
som, in  the  scorching  wind  of  adver- 
sity, on  a  withered  and  leafless  stem.§ 
The  cradle  of  the  Queen  of  Angels 


born  'in  the  year  734  of  the  Roman  era.  This 
opinion  is  the  most  generally  followed. 

I  Here  is  what  the  Turks  relate  regarding  the 
birth  of  the  Blessed  Virgin.  The  wife  of  Amram 
(Joachim)  said  to  God,  "  Lord,  I  have  conse- 
crated to  thee  the  fruit  of  my  womb  ;  vouchsafe 
to  receive  it,  O  Thou  who  kuowest  and  hearest 
all."  When  she  had  brought  forth,  she  added, 
"  Lord,  I  have  brought  a  daughter  into  the 
world ;  I  have  called  her  Miriam  (Mary)  ;  I 
place  her  under  thy  protection,  she  and  her  pos- 
terity, to  the  end  that  thou  mayst  preserve  them 
from  the  snares  of  Satan."     (Koran,  ch.  iii.^ 

§  Isaias  had  foretold  it,  saying :  There  shall 
^    come  forth  a  rod  out  of  the  root  of  Jesse,  and  a 


\.^ 


LIFE   OF   THE  BLESSED   VIRGIN  MARY. 


75 


was  neither  adorned  with  gold  nor 
covered  with  the  richly-embroidered 
quilts  ^of  Egypt,  neither  perfumed 
with  spikenard,  myrrh,  nor  aloes, 
like  those  of  the  Hebrew  princes ; 
it  was  formed  of  flexible  branches, 
and  bands  of  coarse  linen  confined 
the  little  arms  which  were  one  day 
to  cradle  the  Saviour  of  the  world. 
The  children  of  kings,  whilst  yet 
wrapped  up  in  their  sumptuous 
swaddling-clothes,  behold  the  great 
ones  of  the  land  humbling  them- 
selves before  them,  and  calling  them 
by  high-sounding  titles.  The  woman 
who  was  to  be  the  Spouse  and  the 
Mother  of  God  bestowed  her  first 
smile  on  poor  humble  women,  who 
perhaps  said  within  themselves,  as 
they  remembered  the  obscurity  and 
hardship  of  their  lot,  "  Another  slave 
is  born!" 

It  was  the  custom  amongst  the 
Israelites  to  assemble  the  family  on 
the  ninth  day,  in  order  to  give  the 
new-born  child  its  name.  The 
daughter  of  Joachim  received  from 


■flower  shall  rise  up  out  of  his  root  ;  for  this  word 
root  signifies,  in  Hebrew,  as  St.  Jerome  observes 
{in  Is.  c.  xi.)  a  stena  without  branches  and  with- 
out leaves,  to  denote,  continues  this  holy  doctor, 
that  the  august  Mary  was  to  be  born  of  the  race 


her  father  the  name  of  Miriam 
(Mary),  which  means  in  the  Syriac 
language,  lady,  sovereign,  mistress, 
and  in  Hebrew,  star  of  the  sea. 

"  And  assuredly,"  says  St.  Ber- 
nard, "  the  Mother  of  God  could  not 
have  a  name  more  appropriate,  nor 
more  expressive  of  her  high  dignity. 
Mary  is,  in  fact,  that  fair  and  lumin- 
ous star  which  shines  over  the  vast 
and  stormy  sea  of  this  world." 

There  is  hidden  in  that  divine 
name  a  spell  so  potent,  and  of  such 
marvellous  sweetness,  that  merely  to 
pronounce  it  softens  the  heart,  mere- 
ly to  write  it  beautifies  the  style. 
''The  name  of  Mary,"  says  St.  An- 
thony of  Padua,  ''  is  sweeter  to  the 
lips  than  honey,*  more  grateful  to 
the  ear  than  the  sweetest  music, 
more  delicious  to  the  heart  than  the 
purest  joy." 

Eighty  days  after  the  birth  of  a 
daughter,  the  Jewish  woman  was 
solemnly  purified  in  the  temple 
where  she  ofi'ered  her  first-born 
child.     Conformably  to  the  law  of 


of  David,  when  that  family  should  have  lost  its 
splendor  and  its  royalty. 

*  Noraen  Virginis  Marice,  mel  in  ore,  melos  in 
aure,  jubilum  in  corde,  is  the  poetical  expression 
of  St.  Anthony  of  Padua. 


T« 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


Moses,  she  theu  olfered  to  the  Lord.  ^ 
a  laiiib  or  two  doves;  the  latter  was 
the  holy  offering  of  the  poor,  and 
was  that  of  Joachim's  wife. 

But  the  gratitude  of  the  pious 
mother  went  still  farther  than  the 
customary  sacrifice;  worthy  imitator 
of  Anna,  the  wife  of  Elcana,  she 
offered  to  the  Lord  a  victim  more 
pure,  a  dove  more  innocent,  than 
those  which  fell  bleeding  and  palpi- 
tating under  the  sacrificing  knife. 
She  had  no  votive  crown  of  purest 
gold  wherewith  to  adorn  the  walls 
of  the  temple ;  *  she  laid  at  the  feet 
of  the  Most  High  the  crown  of  her 
old  age,  the  child  whom  He  had 
given  her,  and  solemnly  promised  to 
bring  back  her  daughter  to  the  Tem- 
ple, and  to  consecrate  her  to  the  ser- 
vice of  the  holy  place  as  soon  as  her 
mind  was  capable  of  knowing  good 
from    evil.     Mary's    father    ratified 


*  Mach.  lib.  i.  cap.  4. 

f  There  were  amongst  the  Jews  two  sorts  of 
vows  ;  the  first,  neder,  was  a  simple  vow,  after 
which  men  could  purchase  a  dispensation  of 
what  they  had  vowed  to  the  Lord  (of  this  kind 
was  the  vow  of  Ann,  mother  of  Mary)  ;  the 
second,  cherem,  was  a  vow  indispensably  bind- 
ing, whereby  all  right  and  title  to  the  thing 
promised  was  irrevocably  given  up.  Every  Isra- 
elite could  thus  consecrate  whatever  belonged 
to  him — houses,  lands,  cattle,  children,   slaves,    ^  -, 


this  vow,  which  then  became  bind- 
ing.f 

The  ceremony  being  finished,  the 
holy  couple  took  their  way  back  to 
their  own  country,  to  that  country  so 
barren  in  regard  to  great  men  that 
Israel  was  far  from  expecting  a 
prophet  to  arise  there,  J  and  they 
returned  to  their  humble  dwelling, 
which  was  ever  the  asylum  of  the 
poor  and  the  stranger.  There  it  was 
that  the  child  of  benediction,  the 
child  of  grace  and  of  miracle,  pass- 
ed her  early  years,  the  delight  of 
her  family,  growing  up  like  one  of 
those  lilies  whose  loveliness  is  prais- 
ed by  Jesus  Christ  himself,  and 
which  have,  as  St.  Bernard  poeti- 
cally says,  "  the  odor  of  hope,"  hahens 
odorem  spei.  Anne  was  herself  to 
nurse  the  child,  according  to  the 
custom  of  her  people.  § 

Mary's    understanding,   like    the 

&c.  ;  and  the  things  so  consecrated  could  neither 
be  sold  nor  redeemed  at  any  price  whatsoever. 

X  "  Can  anything  good  come  forth  from 
Nazareth  ?  "  asked  Nathaniel  of  those  who 
spoke  to  him  of  Christ.  "Because  the  place 
was  small  and  contemptible,"  says  St.  John 
Chrysostom,  "  and  not  only  that  particular 
place,  but  the  whole  of  Galilee."  (Serm.  d,  in 
S.  Matth.) 

§  In  Judea,  the  women  did  not  often  dispense 
with  nursing  their  children  ;  there  are  only  three 


LIFE  OF  TEE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


T7 


day  in  some  favored  regions,  had 
scarcely  a  dawn,  and  shone  clearly 
out  from  her  earliest  days.  Her 
precocious  fervor  and  the  wisdom 
of  her  discourse,  at  a  period  of  life 
when  other  children  still  enjoy  but 
a  purely  physical  existence,  made 
the  parents  judge  that  the  time  of 
their  separation  was  come ;  and 
when   Joachim  had  offered  to  the 


¥ 


Lord,  for  the  third  time  since  the 
birth  of  his  daughter,  the  first-fruits 
of  the  crops  and  fruits  of  his  small 
inheritance,  the  husband  and  wife, 
grateful  and  resigned,  set  out  for 
Jerusalem,  in  order  to  deposit 
within  the  sacred  precincts  of 
the  temple  the  treasure  which  they 
had  received  from  the  Holy  One 
of  Israel. 


CHAPTEE,    IV. 


THE     PRESENTATION. 


HE  Cison  rolled 
majestically  on, 
its  reddish  waves 
swelled  by  the  e- 
quinoctial  rains,  * 
and  the  green 
mountains  of  Gal- 
ilee were  beginning  to  put  on  their 
snowy  covering,    when   Mary's   pa- 


nurses  mentioned  in  Scripture  ;  they  are  those 
of  Kebecca,  of  Miphiboseth,  and  of  Joas  ;  then 
it  is  to  be  observed  that  Rebecca  was  a  foreigner, 
and  the  others  royal  personages. 


rents  undertook  the  journey  to  Jeru- 
salem. There  is  no  knowing  the 
motive  which  induced  them  to  leave 
their  native  province  during  the 
rainy  season.  It  might  be  that  they 
wished  to  assist  at  the  grand  solem- 
nities of  the  Feast  of  the  Dedication ; 
or  perhaps  it  was  that  they  simply 
regulated   their    departure    by  the 


*  The  Cison  is  a  small  river  which  flows  be- 
tween Nazareth  and  Mount  Carmel ;  shallow 
and  insignificant  in  summer,  like  all  the  water- 
courses of  Palestine,  it  becomes  a  considerable 


78 


Lli'L    ui     lUL  JiLESSLD   VIRGIN  MARY. 


period  of  Zachary's  service  in  the  ^ 
toinplo    which  only  took  place  at 
rc)j;ular  intervals.* 

Uaving  before  them  a  journey  of 
several  days,  in  the  midst  of  the 
lainy  seixson,  with  an  infant  child, 
the  pious  and  prudent  travellers 
journeyed  not  towards  the  Holy 
City  by  the  wild  and  pebbly  road 
which  winds  amid  the  arid  plains, 
the  foamy  torrents  and  deep  ravines 
of  the  mountains  of  Samaria,  where 
the  frosts  of  winter  had  already  set 
in.  They  descended  by  the  woody 
slopes  of  Carmel,  into  the  charming 
plains  which  extend  between  the 
mountains    of    Palestine    and    the 


stream  during  the  rainy  season.  The  troops  of 
Sisara,  general  of  the  army  of  Jabin,  were 
drowned  in  the  swollen  waters  of  this  rivor 
while  trying  to  force  a  passage. 

*  According  to  the  ordinance  of  David,  the 
priests  were  divided  into  twenty-four  classes 
or  courses,  each  of  which  served  its  week. 
Each  course  was  subdivided  into  seven  parties, 
of  which  each  officiated  in  its  turn  ;  each  indi- 
vidual of  these  parties  had  his  share  of  the 
service  assigned  to  him  by  lot  (1  Par,  ch. 
xxiv.)  Zacharias  belonged  to  the  course  or 
service  of  Abiu.     (Prid.,  Hint,  of  the  JewH.) 

f  Volney  mentions  having  seen,  on  the  coasts 
of  Syria,  orange-trees  loaded  with  fruit  in  the 
open  air,  in  the  month  of  January.  "  With  us," 
says  he,  "  nature  has  divided  the  seasons  by 
months  :  there,  it  may  be  said,  that  they  are 
only  divided  by  hours.     At  TripoU,  we  suffer 


coasts  of  Syria,  that  fair  and  favored 
region,  whose  climate  is  so  mild  that 
the  orange-trees  blossom  in  the 
depth  of  winter,  and  the  flowers  of 
summer  bloom  in  December.f  Hav- 
ing left  behind  them  the  rich  pastur- 
age-lands where  rose  of  old  the 
tents  of  Issachar,  that  race  of  pasto- 
ral astronomers  J  whom  the  burning 
breath  of  the  wrath  of  God  had 
scattered,  like  a  handful  of  straw, 
over  the  wild  and  mountainous  re- 
gions of  Media ;  having  admired  as 
they  passed,  the  groves  of  palms, 
banana  -  trees  and  pomegranates 
clothing  the  hills  which  were  once 
the  fair  inheritance  of  the  children 


from  the  excessive  warmth  of  July :  six  hours' 
journey  brings  us  to  the  adjacent  mountains, 
where  the  air  has  the  temperature  of  March. 
On  the  other  hand,  we  are  chilled  by  the  frost 
of  December  in  the  mountain  districts  :  a  day's 
journey  brings  us  to  the  shore,  where  we  find 
the  summer-flowers  in  bloom." 

I  St.  Jerome  says  that  the  sons  of  Issachar 
were  the  sages  who  made  the  chronological  cal- 
culations, and  marked  the  festivals.  (Hieron., 
QucBst.  in  1  Paral.  112,  p.  1390,  et  in  Gen.,  49.) 
This  tradition  agrees  with  that  of  the  rabbins, 
who  relate  that  the  tribe  of  Issachar  were 
much  given  to  the  study  of  astronomy.  (Mai- 
mon.,  in  Kiddosch,  hachodesch,  et  Zachuth,  in 
Juchasin.)  Finally,  the  Scripture  authorizes 
this  tradition,  since  it  mentions  that  the  sons  of 
Issachar  knew  all  times  to  order  what  Israel  should 
do.     (1  Par.  xii.  32.) 


LIFE   OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


79 


of  Joseph,  that  noble  and  warlike 
race,  renowned  for  their  skill  in 
archery,  our  (Jalilean  travellers  sped 
along  by  the  small  stream  of  Graas, 
overhung  by  its  graceful  willows, 
traversed  the  groves  of  Ramatha, 
that  pretty  town,  which  resembles  a 
cameo  laid  in  a  basket  of  roses,  and 
at  length  gained  the  confines  of  the 
ancient  territory  of  the  Jebusites. 
There,  all  was  changed:  no  more 
flowers,  no  more  verdure,  no  more 
balmy  breezes,  laden  with  the  per- 
fumes of  the  citron-tree.  All  around 
were  sterile  rocks,  profound  ravines 
through  which  the  wind  swept  in 
mournful  murmurs;  abrupt  and 
craggy  mountains,  resounding  with 
the  hoarse  cry  of  the  eagle;  in  a 
word,  a  landscape  the  grandest,  the 
most  desolate,  and  the  most  cheer- 
less that  can  well  be  imagined. 

The  little  party  had  been  follow- 
ing, for  some  time,  a  rugged  path 
which  crossed  the  table-land  of  a 
barren  mountain,  when  Joaehim 
suddenly  stopped  at  an  abrupt  turn 
of  the  road,  and  stretched  his  arm 

*  The  exterior  front  of  the  Temple  was  80 
thickly  covered  with  plates  of  gold  that,  when 
the  day  began  to  appear,  it  was  no  less  dazzUog 
than  the  rays  of  the  rising  snn.   As  for  the  other 


f  towards  the  south  with  an  emotion 
of  religious  exultation  mingled  with 
national  pride.  The  object  which 
he  thus  pointed  out  to  his  compan- 
ions was  well  worthy  of  being  re- 
marked, for  Asia  had  then  nothing 
more  magnificent  or  fantastic.  It 
was  a  city  about  thirty-three  stadas 
in  circumference ;  set  in  stone  like 
a  ruby  of  Beloochistan ;  a  city  of 
marble,  of  cedar,  and  of  gold,  whose 
splendor  had  in  it  something  gloomy, 
ferocious  and  suspicious,  denoting 
an  unsettled  jx)wer  and  a  permanent 
dread  of  the  stranger;  a  state  of 
things  abounding  in  strange  con- 
trasts. There  were  seen  enormous 
towers,  magnificent  as  palaces,  and 
palaces  fortified  like  citadels.  Its 
temple,  radiant  with  gold,  stood 
glittering  on  a  narrow  table-land  of 
the  highest  mountain,  like  the  fiili- 
orbed  moon  when  it  rises  over  the 
snowv  heiprhts  of  Lebanon.*  It 
was  an  almost  impregnable  for- 
tress, held  in  awe  by  the  people  of 
(Jod,  whilst  the  tower  of  Antonia, 
with  its  four  elegant  turrets  of  pol- 

sides,  where  there  was  no  gold,  their  stones  were 
BO  white  that,  at  a  distance,  that  superb  pile  of 
building,  looked  Uke  a  mountain  covered  with 
mow.     f  Joseph.  De  Bello,  b.  t.  ch.  xiiL) 


80 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


ished  mtuble,  kept  jealous  and  un-  * 
ceasing  watch  over  the  precincts  of 
the  temple. 

A  triple  inclosui-e  of  massive  stone 
walls,*  with  ninety  forts,  encom- 
passed that  singular  city,  and  all 
around  it  lay  gloomy  valleys,  dizzy 
heights  and  inaccessible  rocks.  That 
stately  and  warlike  city,  which  seem- 
ed as  though  it  were  transported 
by  magic  from  the  fabulous  regions 
of  Ginnistan,f  to  be  placed  under 
the  cloudless  sky  of  Palestine,  was 
that  Jewish  Paradise  [Ghangh-dix- 
hoitcht),  so  poetically  mourned  on  the 
banks  of  the  Euphrates, — the  city  of 
David  and  the  Maccabees ;  that  Je- 
rusalem which,  even  in  its  slavish 
abjection,  is  still  hailed  throughout 
the  East  by  the  ancient  appellation 
then  given  it  by  the  father  of  Mary : 
cl  Cods  (the  Holy  City)  ! 

The  parents  of  the  Virgin  entered 
the  capital  of  Judea  by  the  gate  of 


♦ "  Extrema  rupis  abrupta  :  et  turres,  ubi 
mons  juvisset,  in  sexaginta  pedes,  inter  devexa, 
in  centenos  vicenosque  attollebantur  ;  mira  spe- 
cie, ac  procul  intuentibus  pares."  (Tacit.  Hist. 
cap.  v.> 

f  Ginnistan,  which  is  placed  by  the  marvel- 
lous legends  of  the  Arabs  and  Assyrians,  at  the 
foot  of  Mount  Caucacus  on  the  shores  of  the 
•  Caspian  Sea,  was  the  abode  of  the  Peris,  a  fair 


Rama,  which  was  shaded  by  a  tow- 
erj  so  lofty  that  its  flat  roof  com- 
manded a  view  of  Mount  Carmel, 
the  great  sea,  and  the  mountains  of 
Arabia.  From  its  summit  still  float- 
ed the  green  banner  of  Judas  Mac- 
cabeus with  its  sacred  device;  no 
longer  understood  by  the  soldiers 
who  kept  guard  aroimd,  for  they 
were  Thracians,  Galatians,  Germans, 
and  the  fair-haired  sons  of  Gaul, 
whom  Herod,  in  his  fear  of  the 
Jews,  kept  always  in  pay,  and  who 
were  almost  as  odious  to  the  people 
as  himself 

The  travellers  then  took  their  way 
through  some  dark  and  winding 
streets,  bordered  with  heavy-looking 
square  houses,  without  windows, 
their  flat  roofs  forming  long  un- 
broken lines  that  looked  like  fortifi- 
cations, and  stopped  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  city,  in  front  of  a  house 
of  unpretending  appearance,  pointed 


and  fabulous  race  bearing  much  resemblance  to 
our  fairies.  These  powerful  beings,  born  before 
the  Deluge,  were  supposed  to  command  the 
elements,  and  to  create  whatever  they  wished. 
Their  capital  city,  which  they  had  carefully 
fortified  in  order  to  keep  ofif  the  incursions  of 
the  Dives,  a  formidable  race  of  evil  spirits,  was 
of  marble,  gold,  rubies,  and  diamonds. 
I  The  tower  Psephina. 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


81 


out  by  tradition  as  the  dwelling  of 
St.  Ann.* 

Having  purified  himself  for  seven 
days,  according  to  the  custom  of 
those  who  went  to  offer  sacrifice  in 
the  temple,f  Joachim  provided  him- 
self with  the  lamb  which  he  was  to 
present  to  the  Lord,  put  on  white 
garments,  J  gathered  together  such 
of  his  relations  and  friends  as  were 
in  Jerusalem,  and  went  up  with 
them  to  the  temple  as  resolutely  as 
though  he  were  about  to  make  an 
assault.  § 

That  temple  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts, 
where  the  Virgin  then  presented 
herself  like  the  dove  with  the  olive 
branch,  had  undergone  numerous 
vicissitudes.  One  of  the  ancestors 
of  Mary,  the  wise  son  of  David,  had 
made  it  the  glory  of  the  East.  He 
lavished  upon  it  the  gold  of  Ophir, 
the  perfumes  of  Saba,  the  cedar  of 

*  A  monastery  was  erected  on  this  house  of 
St.  Ann,  but  it  has  since  been  converted  into  a 
mosque.  Under  the  Christian  kings  it  was  in- 
habited by  nuns.  (See  Itineraire  de  Paris  a 
Jerusalem,  vol.  2,  p,  211.) 

fit  was  not  only  that  they  had  to  present 
themselves  in  the  temple  with  their  victim  ;  the 
law  required  that  they  should  remain  outside 
for  seven  entire  days,  and  that  they  should  sol- 
emnly purify  themselves  on  the  third  and  seventh 
days  with  ashes  and  hyssop  ;  that  done,  they 


t  Lebanon,  brass  which  the  fleets  of 
Tyre  brought  fi'om  far-off  lands,  and 
silver,  which  was  then  so  plenty 
that  it  had  become  a  base  metal. 
That  splendor  had  passed  away  like 
a  vision  of  the  night,  thanks  to  the 
insatiable  greed  of  the  tribes  of 
Egypt  and  Ohaldea,  a  score  of  times 
had  it  been  despoiled,  and  as  often 
restored  to  its  former  splendor,  and 
finally  it  arose  from  its  ruins  under 
Zorobabel,  who  built  it,  sword  in 
hand,  notwithstanding  the  active 
opposition  of  many  envious  nations. 
Nevertheless,  the  second  temple, 
with  all  its  unheard-of  magnificence, 
was  as  inferior  to  the  fii'st  in  grand- 
eur as  in  sanctity.  It  was  in  vain 
that  the  Jews  poured  forth  upon  it 
with  a  liberal  hand  the  strength  of 
wheat  and  the  blood  of  the  vine  ;  that 
rivers  of  gold,  flowing  in  from  every 
point  of  the  compass,   unceasingly 

might  offer  their  sacrifice.  (Philo,  Tract  de 
Sacrif.,  c.  3.) 

J  According  to  the  Rabbins,  the  sacrifice  was 
null  when  he  who  offered  it  was  not  clothed  in 
white.     (Basn.  b.  ix.  ch.  iv.) 

§  This  was  of  obHgation  ;  the  Hebrews  were 
to  go  up  to  the  temple  with  as  much  ardor  as  a 
soldier  goes  up  to  battle  ;  they  found  this  precept 
in  the  fifty-fifth  Psalm,  where  David  said  that 
he  went  to  the  house  of  Grod  as  to  a  strong  city. 
{See  Basn.,  Histoire  des  Juifs,  b.  vii.  ch.  17.) 


82 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


replenished  its  sacred  treasury ;  that 
the  pagan  kings,  recognizing  the 
awful  sanctity  of  the  God  of  Israel, 
sent  thither  the  most  magnificent 
offerings.*  Nothing  of  all  that  could 
supply  the  absence  of  the  Ark,  with 
which  had  disappeared  the  tables 
of  the  law,  that  is  to  say,  the  decrees 
of  (rod  wiitten  by  Himself  amid  the 
lightnings  of  Sinai ;  the  miraculous 
rod,  which  constituted  the  most  an- 
cient title  of  the  sons  of  Aaron  to 
the  supreme  priesthood;  and  the 
manna  of  the  desert,  which  confirm- 
ed by  the  miracle  of  its  long  pres- 
ervation, so  many  ancient  prodigies 
wrought  for  the  deliverance  of  Israel. 
Those  precious  objects  were  lost,  to- 
gether with  the  sacred  fire,  which 
was  only  to  be  fanned  by  the  breez- 
es of  the  holy  mountain  on  the 
brazen  altar  of  holocausts ;  and  the 
oil  of  unction,  prepared  by  Moses, 
from  which  the  priests  and  the  kings 

*  Josephus  g^ves  a  minute  description  of  the 
magnificent  table  of  massive  gold  incrusted  with 
precious  stones,  and  the  equally  splendid  vases 
given  by  Ptolemy  Philadelphus  to  the  Temple  ; 
nearly  all  the  princes  of  Asia  had  enriched  it 
with  thej'r  gifts,  and,  about  the  time  of  the  Pres- 
entation )f  the  Virgin,  the  Empress  Livia  sent 
there  in  her  name  and  that  of  Augustus,  some 
superb  vases  of  gold.  (Joseph,  de  BeUo,  b.  ii 
ch.  17.— Philo,  ad  Cajum.) 


^  derived  their  lofty  title :  anointed  of 
the  Lord.  But  most  mom-nful  of 
all,  the  ScJiekina,  that  radiant  cloud 
which  attested  the  divine  presence, 
had  never  been  seen  in  the  sacred 
temple,  and  even  the  jewels  of  the 
breast-plate,  that  last  and  most  bril- 
liant oracle  of  the  God  of  hosts,  had 
lost  their  prophetic  lustre.f  This  it 
was  that  filled  the  hearts  of  the  sons 
of  Aaron  with  bitterness  when  they 
compared  the  house  of  Zorobabel 
with  the  temple  of  the  son  of  David ; 
and  this  it  was  that  made  the  doc- 
tors of  the  law  declare  that  the  ful- 
fillment of  the  prophecy  of  Aggeus 
was  not  to  be  hoped  for,  unless  the 
Messiah  himself  appeared  in  person 
in  the  new  temple. 

Having  passed  that  magnificent 
gate  of  Corinthian  brass  which 
twenty  Levites  could  hardly  close  at 
night,  and  which,  to  the  great  dis- 
may of  the  Deicide  people,^  opened 

f  God  made  use  of  the  precious  stones  which 
the  high-priest  wore  on  the  breast-plate  in  order 
to  presage  victory ;  for,  before  they  encamped, 
these  stones  emitted  so  bright  a  lustre  that  the 
people  thereby  recognized  the  presence  and 
assistance  of  his  divine  majesty  ;  but  for  two 
hundred  years  past,  the  breast-plate  has  ceased 
to  emit  that  light.  (FL  Joseph.  Ant.  Jud.,  b.  iii. 
ch.  8.) 

X  Joseph,  de  Bella,  1.  vL 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


83 


of  its  own  accord  four  years  before 
the  ruin  of  Jerusalem,  Mary  and  her 
parents  found  themselves  in  a  vast 
inclosure  paved  with  black  and 
white  flags,  and  surrounded  by  lofty 
piazzas  which,  in  time  of  war,  served 
as  ramparts.*  A  crowd  of  strangers 
and  of  natives,  whose  brilliant  cos- 
tumes of  glaring  colors  recalled  the 
idea  of  an  immense  bed  of  tulips, 
walked  to  and  fro  in  conversatix)n 
in  that  forum  of  Jerusalem,  which 
was  not  considered  sacred,  and  was 
called  the  Gentiles'  Porch,  because 
idolators  could  not,  under  pain  of 
death,  advance  farther. j* 

At  some  distance  from  the  crowd, 
under  Solomon's  porch,  stood  the 
proud  aristocrats  of  Israel,  clad  in 
scarlet  and  purple,  or  in  those  long 
Babylonian  robes  embroidered  with 
gold,  which  cost  enormous  sums, 
awaiting  the  hour  of  prayer,  and  de- 
taching themselves  from  the  strang- 
ers with  a  haughty  reserve  that 
savored    of    contempt.       Joachim, 


f  whose  birth,  notwithstanding  his 
poverty,  was  as  noble  as  that  of 
any  of  the  princes  of  his  people, 
bent  his  steps  in  that  direction,  sure 
of  a  cordial  reception;  for  those 
Jews,  so  disdainful  towards  the 
Gentiles,  J  were  amongst  themselves 
like  brethren,  especially  when  they 
belonged  to  the  same  line.  Scarcely 
had  they  perceived  him  when  a 
number  of  illustrious  ladies,  warri- 
ors, and  princes  of  the  house  of 
David,  came  to  meet  him,  and,  after 
the  usual  salutations,  they  joined 
the  Galilean  family,  as  though  to 
form  a  suitable  train  for  Mary.§ 
The  Fathers,  who  note  this  circum- 
stance, have  piously  supposed  that 
those  great  personages,  the  flower 
of  the  Jewish  nobility,  were  not 
there  by  mere  accident,  but  that 
God,  who  would  have  the  future 
mother  of  the  Messiah  enter  his 
temple  in  triumph,  had  divinely 
inspired  them  to  be  there  at  that 
particular  time. 


*  Tacit.,  Historiarum,  1.  y. 

f  Joseph,  de  Bella,  1.  v.  and  vi. 

J  Basnage  remarks  that  at  the  time  of  Jesus 
Christ  the  Jews  regarded  the  Gentiles  as  dogs, 
and  mortally  hated  them.  "If  idolators  are 
drowning,"  taught  the  doctors,  "  no  one  is  to  take 
them  out  of  the  water,  or  render  them  any  assist-    ^ 


ance ;  the  utmost  that  can  be  done  for  them  is  not 
to  plunge  them  deeper  into  the  water,  or  throw 
them  farther  down  the  precipice."  (Basnage,  L 
vii.  ch.  25. ) 

§  "  Primarios  quoque  Hierosolymitas  viros  et 
mulieres  interfuisse  huic  deductioni,  succinenti- 
bus  universis  angeUs."     (Isid.  de  Tfuss.) 


84 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


From  the  middle  of  the  Gentiles' 
Porch  arose  two  other  inclosm'es, 
both  sacred,  which  composed  the 
temple.  Seen  fiom  below,  that 
majestic  and  resplendent  edifice  pre- 
sented a  quadrangular  mass,  w^hose 
walls,  of  alabaster  whiteness,  were 
pierced  with  ten  superb  gates,  cov- 
ered with  thick  plates  of  gold  and 
silver.  As  the  temple,  properly 
so  called,  crowned  the  summit  of 
Mount  Moria,  a  becoming  site  for 
the  dwelling  of  the  God  of  Moun- 
tahis,  the  ground  had  a  gradual  as- 
cent, and  the  walls  were  completely 
sm-rounded  by  marble  steps,  which 
somewhat  concealed  their  height. 

Having  ascended  the  steps  of  the 
temple,  the  purified  group,  in  whose 
midst  was  the  holy  child  about  to  be 
consecrated  to  God,  paused  a  mo- 

*  The  chel  was  a  space  of  ten  cubits  between 
the  court  of  the  Gentiles  and  that  of  the  women. 

fThe  tephilim  were  small  pieces  of  parchment 
whereon  they  wrote  four  sentences  of  Scripture, 
with  ink  made  expressly  for  the  purpose  ;  the 
Jews  wore  them  at  the  bend  of  the  left  arm 
and  on  the  middle  of  the  forehead.  These 
tephilim,  or  phylacteries,  were  much  in  use 
at  the  time  of  Jesus  Christ,  since  they  were 
paraded  as  marks  of  distinction,  and  called 
forth  his  censure.  (Basnage,  Hisloire  des  Jui/s, 
b.  vii.  c.  17.) 

J  The  Pharisees  always  walked  with  their 
heads  bowed  down,  in  order  to  affect  a  more 


^  ment  on  the  narrow  platform  of  the 
c/w?/.*  There  the  Pharisees  display- 
ed their  tephilim^-\  and  threw  back 
over  their  subdued  brows  J  a  flap  of 
their  taled,  which  was  composed  of 
fine  white  wool,§  adorned  with  pur- 
ple pomegranates  and  small  violet 
twists.  The  undaunted  captains  of 
Herod  half  concealed  their  dazzling 
breast-plates  under  their  long  cloaks, 
and  the  daughters  of  Sion  wrapped 
themselves  more  closely  in  their 
veils  of  purple,  of  azure,  or  of  Syr- 
ian gauze  embroidered  with  gold, 
through  respect  for  the  holy  angels 
of  the  sanctuary.  1 1  That  done,  they 
entered  the  temple  by  the  east- 
ern gate,  the  most  gorgeous  of 
all ;  that  gate  which  poured  forth 
streams  of  liquid  gold  when  the 
Romans,    unable    to    force    an   en- 

humble  appearance,  and  sometimes  even  with 
their  eyes  closed,  so  as  to  avoid  seeing  anything 
that  might  be  a  cause  of  temptation  ;  hence  it 
often  happened  that,  in  passing  along  the  streets 
they  knocked  their  head  against  the  walls. 
(Basn.,  b.  iii.  ch.  3.) 

§  Taled,  a  species  of  square  cloak,  which  the 
Jews  wore  while  praying  in  the  temple  ;  some 
fastened  it  around  their  neck,  others  threw  it 
over  their  head ;  this  last  cnstom  was  the 
most  generaL  (Basnage,  tom.  v.  book  vii. 
chap.  17.) 

I  Ideo  debet  mulier  potestatem  habere  supra 
caput  propter  angelos.     (1  Gor.  xi.  IC.) 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


85 


trance   through    it,   opened    it    by  f 
means  of  fire.* 

In  our  cold  northern  regions  vast 
edifices  are  required  to  shelter  the 
people  from  the  inclemency  of  the 
weather.  Hence,  we  have  immense 
cathedrals,  made  to  contain  whole 
multitudes ;  but  in  ancient  Asia  the 
temples  were  for  little  else  than  the 
use  of  the  priests ;  the  people  prayed 
without.  In  Israel,  the  engdah  or 
sacred  assembly  was  usually  held  in 
the  women's  court.  The  second  in- 
closure  was  so  called  because  the 
Jewish  women,  whom  the  old  law, 
in  its  severity,  assimilated  to  slaves, 
could  not  advance  farther.  Sepa- 
rated from  their  sons  and  husbands, 
who  remained,  during  the  religious 
ceremonies,  either  in  the  open  air 
of  the  square  or  under  the  arches 
of  the  peristyle,  they  prayed  apart 
in  the  upper  galleries,  their  heads 
humbly  inclined  towards  the  house 
of  Jehovah,  whose  magnificent  roof 

*  Josephus  mentions  that,  when  Titus  gave 
orders  to  set  fire  to  the  gates  of  the  second 
inelosure  of  the  temple,  the  molten  gold  and 
silver  ran  down  in  streams,  as  water  streams 
from  a  fountain.     {De  Bello,  c.  xxiii.) 

f  This  precaution  had  been  taken  in  order  to 
prevent  the  doves  and  pigeons,  who  were  very 
numerous  in  Jerusalem,  from  resting  on  the 
temple  and  soiling  its  roof. 


of  cedar,  bristling  with  needles  of 
gold,  they  beheld  at  some  dis- 
tance.f 

The  ceremony  of  the  presentation 
undoubtedly  took  place  in  the  wo- 
men's court,  and  not  in  the  very 
interior  of  the  sanctuary,  as  some 
authors  have  said.  It  opened  with 
a  solemn  sacrifice.  The  gate  of 
Meaner,  opening  to  admit  the  vic- 
tim, gave  a  perspective  view  of  the 
inner  inelosure,  like  a  glimpse  of 
that  lost  paradise,  whose  golden 
palaces,  shaded  by  lofty  cedars, 
were,  as  the  Pharisees  taught,  the 
dwelling  of  the  just. J  Through  the 
marble  columns  of  a  stately  portico, 
overhung  by  the  gigantic  leaves  and 
fruit  of  a  golden  vine,  there  was 
seen  a  structure  which,  at  first  sight, 
seemed  of  massive  gold,  so  dazzling 
was  the  effect  of  its  golden  front  of 
a  hundred  cubits  as  it  reflected  the 
rays  of  the  Asiatic  sun.  An  incred- 
ible   number    of   votive    garlands, 

X  The  Jews  believed  that  the  souls  of  the  just 
went  to  the  Garden  of  Eden,  from  which  the  hv- 
ing  were  debarred  by  the  angel  of  death.  They 
are  sublime  in  their  descriptions  of  this  place, 
whose  palaces,  they  say,  are  of  precious  stones, 
and  its  rivers  of  odorous  perfumes.  In  hell, 
on  the  contrary,  a  river  of  fire  flows  over  the 
damned,  who  suffer  the  extremes  of  hea*  and 
cold.     (Maimonides,  Menasse,  &c.) 


86 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY, 


whose  ears  of  corn,  lilies,  pome- 
granates, and  vine-leaves  were  com- 
posed of  emeralds,  topazes,  carbun- 
cles, rubies,  according  to  their  color, 
were  attached  to  the  walls  by  cords 
of  gold ;  and  when  the  wild  moun- 
tain-breeze agitated  theii'  leaves, 
you  would  have  taken  them  for  real 
flowei'S,  so  exquisite  was  the  work- 
manship and  so  perfect  the  imitation 
of  nature.  Here  and  there  were 
seen  tattered  and  blood-stained  ban- 
ners, wrested  by  the  brave  Asmo^ 
nian  princes  from  the  Greeks  of 
Syria  in  the  glorious  wars  of  the 
Independence,  and  consecrated  to 
the  God  of  Hosts  by  their  priestly 
and  warrior  hands.  Herod,  that 
cruel  prince  but  valiant  leader,  had 
recently  added  thereto  the  standards 
taken  in  his  successful  expeditions 
against  the  Arabs ;  and  the  sight  of 
those  warlike  trophies  filled  with 
patriot  pride  and  martial  ardor  those 
Jewish  hearts,  who  regarded  death 
as  a  trifling  thing  when  there  was 
question  of  fighting  for  what  was 
dearer  to  them  than  gold,  family, 
and  life — ^the  temple ! 

The  priests  and  the  Levites  assem- 
bled in  the  inner  inclosure  received 
from  the  hands  of  Joachim  the  victim 


^  of  prosperity.'^  Those  ministers  of 
the  living  God  were  not  crowned 
with  laurel,  like  the  Pagan  priests. 
A  sort  of  round  mitre,  composed  of 
very  thick  linen ;  a  linen  tmiic,  long, 
white,  and  without  fullness,  confined 
by  a  broad  zone  embroidered  with 
sky-blue  and  purple ;  these  compos- 
ed the  sacerdotal  costume,  which 
was  worn  only  in  the  temple.  One 
of  the  sacrificers  took  the  lamb,  and, 
after  a  short  invocation  to  the  God 
of  Jacob,  slew  him,  turning  his  head 
towards  the  north;  the  blood  was 
caught  in  a  vase  of  brass,  and 
sprinkled  around  the  temple.  These 
preliminary  rites  being  gone  through, 
the  priest  arranged  on  a  golden  dish 
a  portion  of  the  flesh  of  the  victim, 
together  with  part  of  the  entrails, 
which  had  been  carefully  washed  by 
the  Levites  in  the  hall  of  the  spring. 
He  wrapped  up  the  oblation  in  a 
coat  of  fat,  covered  it  with  incense, 
and  threw  upon  it  the  salt  of  the 
covenant;  then,  ascending  barefoot 
to  the  platform  in  front  of  the  brazen 
altar,  he  deposited  the  offering  on 
the  sound,  firm  logs,  which,  stripped 

♦Whether    they  asked  a,  favor  of    God,  or 
thanked  him  for  having  bestowed  one,  it  waa 
^    called  the  sacrifice  of  prosperity. 


LIFE  OF  TEE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


87 


of  their  bark,  fed  the  sacred  lire. 
The  remainder  of  the  host,  with  the 
exception  of  the  breast  and  the  right 
shoulder,  which  belonged  to  the 
priests,  was  given  back  to  Joachim, 
in  order  to  furnish  a  banquet  for  his 
friends  and  neighbors,  according  to 
custom.* 

The  last  sounds  of  the  priestly 
trumpets  were  dying  away  along  the 
arched  roof,  and  the  sacrifice  was 
still  burning  on  the  brazen  altar, 
when  a  priest  descended  to  the 
women's  court  in  order  to  complete 
the  ceremony.  Ann,  followed  by 
Joachim,  and  bearing  Mary  in  her 


*  This  festival,  which  was  considered  sacred, 
might  be  kept  up  for  two  days  in  succession,  but 
the  law  expressly  prohibited  keeping  anything 
of  it  for  the  third.  While  it  lasted,  the  poor 
were  to  have  their  full  share,  and  that  for  two 
reasons,  says  Philo.  Firstly,  because  the  victim 
belonged  to  God,  who  is  bountiful  by  nature, 
and  wished  that  the  needy  should  be  relieved  ; 
secondly,  for  fear  that  avarice,  which  is  a  slavish 
vice,  might  creep  in  and  dishonor  a  pious  prac- 
tice.    (Philo,  Trad  de  Sacrif.,  c.  ii.) 

f  According  to  a  Mahometan  tradition,  when 
St.  Ann  was  delivered  of  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
she  presented  her  to  the  priests,  saying  these 
words,  which  are  also  found  in  the  Koran, 
"  Dhouncon  hadih  alne-dhirat ; "  that  is  to  say, 
"  Behold  the  offering  which  I  make  to  thee." 
Hossain  Vaer  adds  to  these  words,  in  his 
Persian  paraphrase,  "  Kih  ez  an  Khoddi,"  which 
signifies,    "For  this  is  a  gift  which  God  has 


f  arms,  advanced,  veiled,  towards  the 
minister  of  the  Most  High,  and  (if 
we  may  believe  an  Arabian  ti*adition 
which  Mahomet  himself  inserted  in 
the  Koran)  presented  to  him  the 
young  servant  of  the  Lord,  saying, 
in  a  tremulous  voice,  "  I  come  to  offer 
you  the  gift  which  God  gave  to  me."f 
The  priest  accepted,  in  the  name 
of  God,  who  fructifies  the  womb  of 
mothers,  the  precious  deposit  which 
the  gratitude  of  blessed  Joachim 
and  his .  pious  companion  confided 
to  him ;  J  then  extending  his  hands 
over  the  assembly  who  bowed  to 
receive  his  pontifical  blessing :  §   "0 


given  me  ; "  or  rather,  word  for  word,  "  For 
it  is  from  this  gift  that  God  is  to  come." 
(D'Herbelot,  Bibliotheque  Orientate,  torn.  ii.  p. 
620.) 

I  Eli  blessed  Elcana  and  his  wife,  and  said  to 
the  former,  "  May  the  Lord  give  you  yet  other 
children  by  this  woman,  because  of  the  deposit 
which  you  have  placed  in  his  hands."  And  they 
returned  to  their  home.  (Kings,  b.  1  ch.  ii.  ver. 
20.)  See  Pere  Croiset  on  this  ceremony.  {Ex- 
ercises de  Piete,  t.  xviii.  p.  48.) 

§  Whilst  the  high-priest  gave  his  blessing,  the 
people  were  obliged  to  place  their  hands  on  their 
eyes  and  to  hide  their  face,  because  they  were 
not  permitted  to  look  upon  the  hands  of  the 
priest.  The  Jews  imagined  that  God  was  be- 
hind the  pontiff,  looking  at  them  through  hia 
outstretched  hands  ;  they  dared  not  raise  their 
eyes,  then,  to  look  upon  him, /or  no  man  could  see 
God  and  live.     (Basn.,  1.  vii.  ch.  15.) 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


Israel,"  said  he,  "  may  the  Lord  shed 
bis  light  upon  thee;  may  He  prosper 
thee  in  all  thy  ways,  and  grant  thee 
peaee ! "  A  canticle  of  thanksgiving, 
harmoniously  accompanied  by  the 
priestly  harps,  terminated  the  pres- 
entation of  the  Virgin. 

Such  was  the  ceremony  which  took 
place  towards  the  end  of  November, 
in  the  holy  temple  of  Sion.  Men, 
who  usually  go  no  farther  than  the 
surface,  saw  there  only  a  young  child 
of  marvellous  beauty  and  precocious 
piety,  consecrated  by  her  mother  to 
the  God  who  had  granted  her  to  her 
tears  and  mortifications ;  but  the 
angels  of  heaven,  hovering  over  the 
sanctuary,  beheld  in  that  fair  and 
fragile  creature  the  Virgin  of  Isaiah, 
the  spouse  whose  mystic  hymn  was 
sung  by  Solomon,  the  celestial  Eve 
who  came  to  restore  to  a  fallen  race 
the  hope  of  a  glorious  immortality. 
Penetrated  with  joy  to  see  the  dawn 
of  the  Messiah's  day  at  last  appear, 
"they  thronged,"  say  the  ancient 
authors,*  "to  that  earthly  festival, 
and,  covering  with  their  snowy 
wings   the  youthful  descendant  of 


*  St  Andrew  ol  Crete  and  St.  George  of  Nic- 
omedia. 


*  the  royal  David,  they  strewed  hei 
path  with  the  odoriferous  flowers  of 
paradise,  and  celebrated  her  entry 
into  th^  temple  by  melodious  con- 
certs." 

Who  can  tell  what  was  then  pass- 
ing in  Mary's  soul — that  soul  pre- 
maturely matured  by  the  breath  of 
the  sanctifying  Spirit,  wherein  al. 
was  peace,  and  light,  and  love  ?  By 
what  secret  bonds  was  she  united  tc 
Him  who  had  preferred  her  before 
the  virgins  and  queens  of  so  many 
nations  ?  This  is  a  secret  between 
her  and  God ;  but  we  may  reasona- 
bly suppose  that  never  was  obla- 
tion more  favorably  received;  and 
St.  Evodius  of  Antioch,  St.  Epipha- 
nius  of  Salamina,  St.  Andrew  of 
Crete,  and  a  number  of  the  Latin 
fathers,  agree  in  regarding  the  con- 
secration of  the  Virgin  as  more 
pleasing  to  God  than  any  act  of 
religion  that  man  had  yet  accom- 
plished. 

We  know  not  the  name  of  the 
priest  who  received  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin amongst  the  daughters  of  the 
Lord;  St.  Germanus,  patriarch  of 
Constantinople,  and  St.  George  of 
Nicomedia,  incline  to  the  opinion 
that  it  was  the  father  of  St.  John  the 


LIFE  OF  TEE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


89 


Baptist.  The  relationship  existing 
between  Zachary  and  the  family  of 
Joachim,  the  high  rank  which  he 
then  held  in  the  priesthood,*  and 
the  tender  affection  wherewith  Mary 
ever  regarded  him,  as  well  as  Eliza- 
beth, make  this  supposition  ex- 
tremely probable. 

Whoever  it  was,  the  blessed 
daughter  of  Joachim  was  solemnly 
admitted  to  the  number  of  the 
almas  or  young  virgins  who  were 
brought  up  in  the  sacred  shade  of 
the  altar. 

That  Mary  spent  her  best  years 
in  the  temple,  is  proved  by  apostolic 
tradition,  the  writings  of  the  Fathers, 
and  the  opinion  of  the  Church,  which 
is  not  apt  to  sanction  doubtful  facts.f 
Nevertheless,  heretics  have  chosen 
to  treat  this  circumstance  as  fabu- 
lous, and  even  some  Catholic  authors 
have  considered   it  as  an   obscure 

*  The  Jews  believed  that  John  the  Baptist  was 
much  greater  than  Jesus  Christ,  because  he  was 
the  son  of  a  high-priest.  (S.  J.  Chrysostom, 
Serm.  12  in  Matt.) 

t  In  1373,  Philippe  de  Maziere,  a  French 
gentleman,  chancellor  of  the  King  of  Cyprus, 
came  to  the  court  of  Charles  V.  and  informed 
him  that  in  the  East,  where  he  had  long  resided, 
they  celebrated  every  year  the  feast  of  the  pres- 
entation of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  in  memory  of  her 
having  been  presented  in  the  temple  at  the  age 


*  point,  shi'ouded  by  the  veil  of  time, 
and  very  difficult  to  determine.  The 
denial  of  the  former  is  not  at  all 
surprising,  but  the  doubt  of  the 
latter  is  indeed  wonderful;  for  if 
ever  Christian  tradition  bore  the 
stamp  of  authenticity,  it  is  this.  St. 
Evodius,  a  contemporary  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  and  the  Apostles, 
was  the  first  who  recorded  this  glori- 
ous peculiarity  of  the  childhood  of 
Mary,  in  an  epistle  entitled  Liimen^ 
which  Mcephorus  has  preserved. 
He  was  bishop  of  Antioch,  a  city  of 
Syria,  much  frequented  by  both 
Jews  and  Christians ;  and  the  tem- 
ple, where  the  early  faithful  followed, 
with  profound  veneration,  the  traces 
of  the  Son  of  God  and  his  divine 
Mother,  was  still  standing  in  all  its 
splendor.  This  tradition,  which  came 
from  the  Church  of  Jerusalem, — a 
Church  which  was  composed  of  the 

of  three  years.  Philippe  added,  "  I  began  to  re- 
flect that  this  great  festival  was  not  known  in  the 
Western  Church,  and,  when  I  was  ambassador 
from  the  King  of  Cyprus  to  the  Pope,  I  spoke  to 
him  of  that  festival,  and  presented  its  office  to 
him  ;  he  had  it  carefully  examined  by  cardinals, 
bishops,  and  doctors  of  theology,  and  then  per- 
mitted the  feast  to  be  celebrated."  The  Greeks  be- 
gan early  to  celebrate  it  under  the  title  of  The  En- 
trance of  the  Blessed  Virgin  into  the  Temple.  It  is 
mentioned  in  their  most  ancient  martyrologies. 


90 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART, 


fii-bt  disciples  of  Jesus  Christ,  many  * 
of  whom  were  relations  of  the  Virgin 
and  St  Joseph, — was  very  eai-ly  con- 
secrated by  a  religious  monument, 
a  demonstrative  proof  even  in  the 
eyes  of  Protestants.*  Finally,  the 
majority  of  the  Fathers,f  and  espe- 


cially St.  Jerome,  who  lived  amidst 
the  scenes  of  the  Redemption,  and 
while  the  ti-aditions  were  still  very 
recent,  have  related  it  and  held  it 
as  true.  We  may,  therefore,  place 
this  traditionar  belief  amongst  the 
best  authenticated  facts  of  history. 


CHAPTER   V. 


MARY    IN    THE    TEMPLE. 


Virgins 


ITHIN  the  forti- 
fied inclosure  of 
the  temple  rose 
that  part  of  the 
sacred  edifice 
which  was  set 
apart  for  the 
consecrated   to    the   Lord. 


*  Gibbon  himself  could  not  help  admitting 
the  authenticity  of  the  religious  traditions  in 
Palestine.  "  The  Christians  point  out,"  says  he, 
"by  undoubted  tradition,  the  scene  of  every 
memorable  event"  (voL  iv.  p.  101),  an  admission 
of  considerable  importance  coming  from  a  man 
of  such  research  as  the  English  historian,  and 
at  the  same  time  so  little  favorable  to  religion. 
— ^According  to  M.  Chateaubriand,  if  there  be 


Thither  did  Zachary  conduct  his 
youthful  relative.^  On  this  site  the 
Christians  of  Jerusalem  erected  an 
oratory,  which  was  afterwards  re- 
placed by  a  church  with  a  gilded 
.dome,  by  Godfrey  de  Bouillon's 
companions  in  arms.  This  church 
the  valiant  knights  of  the   temple 

anything  on  earth  clearly  proved,  it  is  the 
authenticity  of  the  Christian  traditions  of  Jeru- 
salem. 

fSt.  Epiphanius,  St.  Gregory  of  Nyssa,  St. 
Gregory  Nazianzen,  St.  Germanus,  patriarch  of 
Constantinople,  St.  George  of  Nicomedia,  St. 
John  Damascene,  &c. 

X  St.  Germanus  states  that  it  was  Zachary  who 
took  charge  of  the  Virgin,  and  placed  her  in  the 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


91 


took  pleasure  in  adorning  with  the 
rich  spoils  which  they  took  from  the 
Saracens.* 

Although  virginity  was,  in  Israel, 
but  the  virtue  of  a  season,  and  was 
soon  to  give  place  to  the  conjugal 
duties,  it  was  not  without  its  honors 
and  its  special  prerogatives.  Jeho- 
vah delighted  in  the  prayers  of 
spotless  children,  of  pure  virgins; 
and  it  was  a  virgin  rather  than  a 
queen  whom  he  had  chosen  to  co- 
operate in  the  redemption  of  man- 
kind. Hence,  when  the  seers  of 
Juda  disclosed  to  that  chosen  but 
often  chastised  people  the  prophetic 
picture  of  its  miseries  or  of  its  tri- 
umphs, they  always  painted  a  virgin 

temple.  The  Arabian  traditions  also  have  it  that 
God  gave  the  Virgin  in  charge  to  Zachary, 
ouacqfalha  Zojcharia.  The  Koran,  in  the  Sural 
which  treats  of  the  family  of  Amram,  adds  to 
this  fact  a  marvellous  legend  handed  down 
amongst  the  Christian  tribes  of  the  desert.  It 
says  that  Zachary,  going  now  and  then  to  visit 
his  young  relative,  always  found  near  her  a 
quantity  of  the  finest  fruits  of  the  Holy 
Land,  and  that,  at  seasons  when  they  were 
not  to  be  had,  which  at  last  induced  him  to  ask 
Mary  where  she  got  all  those  fine  fruits.  Mary 
answered,  Hou  men  and  Allah  'iarroc  man  'iascha 
hegdir  hissa:  All  that  you  see  comes  from 
God,  who  provides  for  whosoever  he  will, 
without  number  and  without  measure.  (D'Her- 
belot,  Bibl.  Orient.,  t.  ii.  art,  Miriam.) 
*  The  mosque  of  Omar  {el  AJcsa)  represents  for    ^ 


either  joyous  or  in  tears,  to  personi- 
fy the  cities  and  provinces.  In  the 
wars  of  extermination,  when  the 
broadsword  of  the  Hebrews  smote 
the  women,  the  children,  and  the 
old  men  of  Moab,  the  virgins  were 
spared;  and  the  high-priest,  who 
was  prohibited  by  a  severe  law  from 
fulfilling  the  last  duties  to  a  friend 
whom  he  loved  as  Ms  own  sotd,  and 
even  to  the  prince  of  his  people, 
could  assist,  without  contracting 
legal  impurity,  at  the  funeral  of  his 
sister,  who  died  a  virgin.f 

The  virgins,  or  almas,  figured  in 
the  ceremonies  of  the  Hebrew  wor- 
ship before  that  worship  had  a  tem- 
ple.    "We  see  them,  under  the  guid- 

Christians  the  ancient  temple  of  Solomon ;  el 
sakhra  (the  rock)  is  built  on  the  place  where 
Mary  lived  from  the  age  of  three  years  till  her 
betrothal  with  Joseph. . . .  This  place  was  at  that 
time  a  dependency  of  the  temple  of  Solomon,  aa 
el  sakhra  is  now  of  the  mosque  of  Omar.  Before 
the  crusades,  el  sakhra  was  but  a  chapel ;  the 
Franks  added  thereto  a  church,  surmounted  by 
a  gilded  cupola.  When  the  victors  threw  down 
the  great  cross  which  shone  on  the  cupola  of  the 
sakhra,  the  acclamations  of  the  Mussulmans  and 
the  lamentations  of  the  Christians  were  so  great, 
says  an  Arab  writer,  that  it  seemed  as  though 
the  whole  world  were  about  to  be  swallowed  up. 
(Correspondence  d' Orient,  t.  v.)  According  to 
Schonah,  it  excited  so  great  a  tumult  in  the  city, 
that  Saladin  himself  had  to  interfere, 
f  Levit.  oh.  xxi.  v.  3. 


9-2 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


ance  of  Mary,  the  sister  of  Moses,  * 
celebniting  by  songs  and  dances  the 
passage  of  the  Red  Sea.*  Those 
diincing-ehoirs  of  young  maidens, 
transplanted  fi'om  Egypt  to  the  des- 
ei-t,  were  long  kept  up  amongst  the 
Hebrews.  The  virgins  of  Silo,  who 
seem  to  have  been,  fi'om  the  time  of 
the  Judges,  more  especially  conse- 
crated to  the  service  of  Adonai  than 
the  other  daughters  of  Israel,  were 
singing  canticles  and  dancing  to  the 
sound  of  the  harp,  within  a  short 
distance  of  the  holy  place,  during 
a  certain  festival,  when  they  were 
carried  off  by  the  Benjamites.  But 
that  event  did  not  abolish  the  cus- 
tom, which  was  kept  up  till  that 
disastrous  period  when  the  ark  was 
lost  and  the  first  temple  desti'oyed.f 
It  is  probable  that  all  the  almas 
were  admissible  to  those  sacred 
choirs,  when  their  reputation   was 


*  Mary  and  her  young  companions  (the  almas) 
sang  canticles  on  the  passage  of  the  Red  Sea, 
accompanying  themselves  with  the  timbrel.  (R. 
sal  Tarhhi.)     Exod.  xv. 

f  These  sacred  dances,  which  commemorated 
the  passage  of  the  Red  Sea,  and  were  accompani- 
ed by  hymns  of  praise,  were  regarded  by  the  Jews 
as  a  practice  so  pious  as  to  be  adopted  even 
amongst  the  austere  therapeutae.  "  The  sacred 
dance  of  the  devout  therapeutce,"  says  Philo, "  was 


untarnished ;  but  there  was  amongst 
them  a  select  number  who  gathered 
around  the  altar  with  more  fervor, 
and  more  perseverance.  Whilst  the 
ark  of  the  Lord  was  yet  encamped 
under  the  tents,  the  women  who  watch- 
ed and  prayed  at  the  door  of  the  taber- 
nacle, offered  to  God  the  brazen 
mirrors  which  they  had  brought 
from  Egypt.  These  were  probably 
pious  widows  who  had  refused  to 
contract  new  ties,  in  order  to  apply 
themselves  more  constantly  to  heav- 
enly tilings,  and  almas  devoted  by 
their  parents  to  the  service  of  the 
sanctuary,  who  had  been  placed 
under  the  care  of  those  righteous 
matrons.  St.  Jerome  thus  under- 
stands this  passage  of  Exodus : 

As  the  vow  of  the  parents  was 
usually  redeemable,  and  the  ransom, 
fixed  at  a  moderate  sum,J  always 
took  place  after  the  expiration  of  a 


composed  of  two  choirs,  one  of  men,  the  other  of 
women  ;  the  effect  of  which  was  very  musical  and 
harmonious,  because  the  words  that  were  heard 
were  very  fine,  and  the  grave  and  modest  danc- 
ers had  only  in  view  the  honor  and  the  service 
of  the  God  of  Israel."     (Philo,  de  Vita  cont.) 

X  Moses  had,  by  a  special  law,  fixed  the  re- 
demption of  this  vow  at  a  sum  of  fifty  shekels  or 
more.  The  shekel  of  silver  was,  at  least,  four 
Attic  drachms. 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


93 


few  years,*  these  temporary  vows 
were  called  a  loan  given  to  the 
Lord.f  /  have  lent  him  to  the  Lord, 
said  Anna,  as  she  conducted  her 
young  Samuel  to  Silo.J 

After  the  return  from  captivity, 
the  influence  of  the  Persians  oper- 
ated against  the  institution  of  the 
almas,  as  that  people  excluded  wo- 
men from  their  religious  celebra- 
tions. §  They  ceased  to  form,  as  it 
were,  a  body  in  the  state,  and  to 
figure  ostensibly  in  the  public  wor- 
ship. Under  the  pontiff-kings  they 
lived  shut  up,  and  their  days  flowed 
on  in  such  profound  seclusion,  that 
when  they  ran  in  terror  to  the  high- 
priest  Onias,  at  the  moment  when 
the  sacrilegious  crime  of  Heliodorus 


*  Children  in  this  sort  of  bondage  retained 
their  rights  to  the  paternal  inheritance,  and 
might  redeem  themselves,  in  case  they  were  not 
redeemed  by  their  parents.  {Ahh'e  Ouenee.) 
Josephus  {Ant.,  h.  iv.)  remarks  that  those  men 
and  women  who,  after  having  voluntarily  conse- 
crated themselves  to  the  ministry,  wished  to 
break  their  vows,  paid  the  priests  a  certain  sum, 
and  that  those  who  were  insolvent  placed  them- 
selves at  the  disposal  of  the  priest. 

f  Pere  Croiset,  Exerc.  de  Piet'e. 

I  Ideirco  et  ego  commodavi  eum  Domino. 

§  In  Bombay,  the  descendants  of  the  Persians 
have  a  temple  consecrated  to  the  fire.  They 
come  in  crowds  to  the  esplanade,  with  their 
snow-white  garments  and  colored  turbans,  to    ^j 


threw  all  Jerusalem  into  confusion, 
the  fact  was  considered  so  unusual 
and  so  remarkable,  that  the  Jewish 
historians  give  it  a  place  in  their 
annals.  1 1 

It  appears,  then,  that  whatever 
may  be  said  to  the  contrary,  there 
were  virgins  attached  to  the  service 
of  the  second  temple  at  the  time 
of  Mary's  presentation.  The  institu- 
tions of  the  first  Christians  certify 
that  such  was  the  case,^]  and  St.  Am- 
brose, St.  Jerome,  and,  before  them, 
the  proto-gospel  of  St.  James  afiirm- 
ed  it.  But  what  took  place  during 
the  Virgin's  sojourn  in  the  temple  ? 
What  were,  at  that  most  interesting 
period  of  her  life,  her  tastes,  her 
habits,   her  practices  of  devotion? 


salute  the  rising  sun  or  to  offer  their  homage  to 
his  departing  rays,  humbly  prostrating  them- 
selves before  him.  Their  women  do  not  then 
appear,  for  it  is  at  that  time  that  they  go  to  fetch 
water  from  the  wells.  (Buckingham,  Tableau  de 
I'Inde.) 

II II.  Mac.  iii. 

\  It  is  known  that  the  first  Christians,  es- 
pecially those  of  Jerusalem,  who  were  of  He- 
brew origin,  preserved  some  of  the  institutions 
of  the  old  law ;  of  this  number  was  that  of 
the  virgins  and  widows,  whom  we  find  attached 
to  the  primitive  chui-ches  for  the  exercise 
of  various  good  works  suitable  to  their  sex. 
{See  Fleury,  Mosurs  des  Israelites  et  des  Chretiens, 
p.  115.) 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


There  remains  to  us,  on  this  head, 
but  few  authentic  documents.  These 
details  were  most  probably  given  in 
a  traditional  life  of  the  Mother  of 
God,  which  St.  Epiphanius,  in  390, 
regarded  as  very  ancient,  but  that 
life  is  lost.  The  "  Gospel  of  the 
Childhood  of  Mary  "  and  St.  Jerome, 
when  they  mention  that  Mary  was 
a<)mitted  amongst  the  daughters  of 
the  Lord,  say  very  little  more  on  the 
subject  To  fill  up  this  vacuum  in 
a  life  which  God  seems  to  have 
taken  pleasure  in  surrounding  with 
mystery,  we  have  only  some  incon- 
clusive lines,  some  detached  pages 
fi*om  the  Fathers,  from  which  it  is 
very  difficult,  even  with  the  utmost 
care,  to  make  a  satisfactory  sketch. 
No  matter;  like  the  Indian  work- 
man who  joins  a  broken  tissue 
thread  by  thread,  and  patiently  tries 
to  tie  the  ends  together,  unweaving, 
knotting,  sending  his  shuttle  with 
infinite  care  along  that  worn-out  and 
attenuated  woof,  we  are  going  to 
apply  ourselves  assiduously  to  our 
work,  and  gather  together  the  scat- 
tered fragments  of  the  precious  tissue 
of  the  Virgin's  life,  so  as  to  connect, 
if  possible,  the  broken  thread.  With 
the  persevering  patience  of  the  han- 


^  ian,  we  will  endeavor  not  to  make  a 
suppositious  narrative — which  our 
profound  respect  for  our  subject  for- 
bids— but  to  give,  with  the  help  of 
the  best  authorities,  and  a  long  study 
of  the  customs  of  the  Hebrews,  the 
most  precise  idea,  and  the  nearest 
to  the  truth  that  can  possibly  be 
given,  of  the  almost  monastic  life  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin  in  the  temple. 

Many  of  the  old  legendary  writers 
took  pleasm-e  in  surrounding  the 
childhood  of  Mary  with  a  multitude 
of  prodigies.  These  we  pass  over  in 
silence,  because  they  are  not  suffi- 
ciently authenticated.  But  there  is 
one  thing  which  we  cannot  omit  to 
mention,  viz.,  an  inaccurate,  or  rath- 
er an  inadmissible  assertion,  which 
has  been  adopted  credulously  and 
without  examination  by  some  holy 
personages  and  religious  writers.* 
From  the  fact  that  the  Virgin  was 
always  sanctity  itself,  which  no 
one  disputes,  they  inferred  that  she 
must  have  been  placed  in  the  most 
sanctified  part  of  the  temple,  which 
is  materially  false.  The  Holy  of 
Holies,  that  impenetrable  sanctuary 


*  St.  Andrew  of  Crete,  St.  George  of  Nicome- 
.j    dia,  &c 


1- 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


95 


of  the  God  of  Hosts,  was  closed  to 
the  whole  Hebrew  priesthood  ex- 
cept the  high-priest,  who  entered  it 
but  once  a  year,  after  much  fasting, 
watching,  and  purification.  He  only 
presented  himself  there  in  the  midst 
of  a  thick  cloud  of  incense,  which 
interposed  between  him  and  the 
Divinity,  "whom  no  man  can  see 
and  live,"  says  the  Scripture.  Fi- 
nally, he  remained  there  but  a  few 
minutes,  while  the  people,  prostrate 
on  the  ground,  sobbed  and  wept, 
fearing  lest  he  should  meet  his 
death.  He  himself  afterwards  gave 
a  grand  banquet  to  his  friends,  to 
rejoice  with  them  for  having  escaped 
such  imminent  and  fearful  danger.* 

From  this  we  may  judge  whether 
it  be  possible  that  Mary  was  brought 
up  in  the  Holy  of  Holies. 

The  local  traditions  of  Jerusalem, 
no  less  loudly  than  common  sense, 
protest  against  this  rash  opinion. 
The  sakhra^  which  was  first  a  Chris- 


*  Prideaux. — ^Basnage,  Hidoire  desSuisses,  1,  v. 
ch.  15. 

■j"  The  uncleanness  of  the  woman,  according  to 
the  Jewish  doctors,  dates  from  the  seduction  of 
Eve  by  the  serpent,  and  is  only  to  be  extirpated 
at  the  coming  of  their  Messiah.  Her  prayer  is 
not  so  obhgatory  as  that  of  man,  and  she  is  not 
8ven  bound  to  the  observance  of  most  of  the 


tian  church,  built  on  the  site  of  the 
apartments  of  the  Virgin,  is  distinct- 
ly detached  from  the  mosque  of 
Omar;  yet  the  mosque  of  Omar  is 
built  on  the  very  ground'  of  the 
temple. 

Father  Croiset,  in  his  Exercises  de 
Piete,  did  not  adopt  this  opinion; 
but,  unwilling  to  reject  it  altogether, 
he  attempted  a  sort  of  compromise. 
According  to  him,  the  Mother  of 
God  was  not  brought  up  in  the  Holy 
OF  Holies,  but  the  priests,  touched 
by  her  admirable  virtues,  permitted 
her  to  pray  there  from  time  to  time. 
The  Jesuit  Father,  in  adopting  this 
mezzo  termine,  has  forgotten  several 
things:  first,  that  amongst  the  He- 
brews, woman  was  considered  an 
unclean  creature,  assimilated  to  the 
slave,  and  scarcely  bound  to  pray ;  f 
that  she  was  banished  to  an  inclos- 
ure  whose  boundaries  she  might  not 
cross,  and  that  the  interior  of  the 
temple  was  to  her  a  forbidden  place. 


affirmative  commandments.  Finally,  the  Jews 
still  say,  in  their  morning  prayer.  Blessed  be  thou, 
0  Lord,  King  of  the  universe,  for  that  thou  hast 
not  made  me  a  woman.  Woman,  on  the  other 
hand,  said,  in  her  humility,  Blessed  be  thou,  0 
Lord,  who  hast  made  me  according  to  thine  own 
will.  (Basnage,  Bistoire  des  Juifs,  lib.  vii 
ch.  10.) 


96 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


even  though  she  were  a  prophetess  f 
or  the  daughter  of  a  king ;  the  sec- 
ond is,  that  the  priests  could  not 
grant  to  Mary  a  privilege  which  they 
did  not  themselves  enjoy,  and  which 
would,  moreover,  have  exposed  her 
to  certain  death ;  *  finally,  that  even 
supposing  the  priests  of  Jehovah  to 
have  been  without  these  fears  and 
prejudices,  they  would  by  no  means 
have  suffered  any  one  to  penetrate 
to  the  Holy  of  Holies,  seemg  that  it 
was  important  to  conceal  from  the 
])eople  the  disappearance  of  the  ark, 
lost  in  some  obscure  grotto  of  the 
mountains  since  the  days  of  Jere- 
minh.f 

This  second  version,  then,  is  not 
more  admissible  than  the  first. 

The  education  which  Mary  receiv- 


♦  "The  sanctuary,"  says  Philo,  "  is  so  holy  a 
place,  that  npne  amongst  us,  save  the  high-priest, 
is  permitted  to  penetrate  there,  and  even  he  only 
once  a  year,  after  a  solemn  fast,  to  burn  per- 
fumes in  honor  of  God,  and  humbly  to  beg  of 
Him  that  the  year  may  be  favorable  for  all  men. 
If  any  one,  even  a  prince  of  our  nation,  dared 
to  enter,  or  if  the  high -priest  himself  went 
in  a  second  time  in  one  year,  or  more  than 
once  on  the  day  that  he  is  permitted  to  do 
so,  it  would  cost  either  of  them  his  life,  with- 
out any  chance  of  escape,  so  strict  was  the 
ordinance  of  Moses,  our  legislator,  concerning 
the  veneration  of  the  temple.  (Fhilo,  ad  Cajum, 
C.16.) 


ed  in  the  temple  was  the  best  that 
those  times  and  the  customs  of  the 
Hebrews  permitted.  It  was  chiefly 
confined  to  the  domestic  labors,  from 
which  even  the  wife  and  daughter 
of  Cesar  Augustus  did  not  exempt 
themselves  in  their  imperial  palace 
and  amid  the  delights  of  Rome.;); 
Brought  up  in  the  strict  observance 
of  the  Mosaic  law,  and  conforming 
herself  to  the  customs  of  her  people, 
Mary  arose  with  the  lark,  at  the 
hour  when  wielded  spirits  are  silent^ 
and  when  prayers  are  most  favorably 
heard.^  She  dressed  herself  with 
the  greatest  modesty,  through  re- 
spect for  the  glory  of  God  who  is 
every  where  present,  and  beholds  all 
the  actions  of  men,  even  through  the 
gloom  of  the  darkest  night.     At  the 


fThe  Jews  do  not  agree  concerning  the  fate 
of  the  ark  after  the  ruin  of  the  first  temple. 
Some  will  have  it,  that  Jeremiah  concealed  it  in 
a  cavern  of  the  mountains,  the  entrance  to  which 
was  never  found  ;  others  say  that  the  holy  king 
Josias,  warned  by  Holda,  the  prophetess,  that 
the  temple  should  be  destroyed  shortly  after  his 
death,  caused  that  precious  deposit  to  be  placed 
in  a  subterraneous  vault,  which  had  been  con- 
structed by  Solomon. 

J  Augustus  wore  no  other  garments  than 
those-  which  were  spun  by  his  wife  or  daugh- 
ter, and  Alexander  the  Great  by  his  mother  and 
sisters. 

§  Basnage,  L  vii,  ch.  17,  p.  308. 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


97 


same  time,  she  gave  thanks  to  the 
Lord  for  having  added  another  day 
to  her  life,  and  for  having  preserved 
her  during  her  sleep  from  the  snares 
of  the  evil  one.*  Her  toilet  was  ex- 
tremely simple,  and  occupied  but 
little  time.  She  wore  neither  brace- 
lets of  pearl,  nor  chains  of  gold  inlaid 
with  silver^  nor  purple  tunics,  such 
as  were  worn  by  the  daughters  of  the 
princes  of  her  race.  A  robe  of 
sky-blue,  a  white  tunic,  confined 
at  the  waist  by  a  girdle  with 
flowing  ends,  a  long  veil,  simply 
but  gracefully  arranged,  so  as 
completely  to  cover  the  face  when 
necessary;  these,  with  a  species 
of  shoe  corresponding  to  the  robe, 
composed  the  oriental  costume  of 
Mary.f 


*Ba.sn  age,  joZace  quoted. 

f  The  Annunciade  of  Genoa  wore,  in  the  six- 
teenth century,  the  costume  of  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin, that  is  to  say,  white  under  and  blue  over,  in 
order  that  such  dress  might  continually  remind  them 
of  her.  The,  slippers  of  the  choristers  are  also  com- 
posed of  blue  leather.  {Ride  of  the  Annunciade  of 
Genoa,  ch.  2.)  M.  de  Lamartine  found  in  that 
Eastern  land,  where  nothing  seems  to  change, 
that  the  costume  of  the  women  of  Nazareth  is 
still  that  which  was  worn  by  Mary.  "  They 
wear,"  says  he,  "  a  long  tunic  of  sky-blue,  con- 
fined by  a  white  girdle,  the  ends  of  which  reach 
the  ground ;  the  soft  folds  of  a  white  tunic  fall 
gracefully  over  the  blue."      M.  de  Lamartine 


After  the  customary  ablutions,  the 
Virgin  and  her  young  companions, 
with  certain  pious  women  who  were 
answerable  to  the  priests  and  to  God 
for  that  sacred  deposit,  took  their 
way  towards  the  gallery  J  where  the 
almas  sat  in  the  place  of  honor.  § 
The  sun  began  to  gild  with  his 
radiant  beams  the  distant  mountains 
of  Arabia,  the  eagle  cut  circles  in 
the  clouds  above,  the  sacrifice  burn- 
ed on  the  brazen  altar  to  the  sound 
of  the  morning  trumpets,  when  Mary, 
her  head  bowed  down  beneath  her 
veil,  after  repeating  the  eighteen 
prayers  of  Esdras,  demanded  of  God, 
with  all  Israel,  that  Christ,  so  long 
promised  and  so  tardy  in  appear- 
ing— 

"  Let  thy  name,  O  God !  be  praised  and  glori- 


traces  this  costume  to  the  time  of  Abraham  and 
Isaac,  and  his  supposition  is  not  at  aU  improba- 
ble. "We  see  that  there  is  but  a  very  trifling 
difference  between  the  costume  adopted  in  the 
sixteenth  century,  from  the  traditions  of  Italy, 
and  that  which  the  French  traveller  found  in  the 
Holy  Land. 

I  During  the  feast  of  the  drawing  of  water, 
the  men  were  placed  under  the  galleries  which 
surround  the  women's  peristyle. 

§  Origen,  St.  Basil,  St.  Gregory  of  Nyssa,  and 
St.  Cyril,  have  preserved  to  us  a  tradition  which 
assigns  to  the  virgins  of  the  temple  an  hon- 
orable and  distinct  place  in  the  women's  peri- 
style. 


96 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


fied  in  this  world,  which  thoa  hast  created  ac- 
oording  to  thy  good  pleasure  ;  rouchsafe  to 
ertabliih  thy  reign  ;  let  redemption  flourish,  and 
th«  Mewiah  quickly  come."  * 

And  the  people,  in  chorus,  re- 
sponded, "Amen I  Amen!" 

Then  were  sung  the  concluding 
verses  of  that  beautiful  psalm  at- 
tributed to  the  prophets  Aggeus  and 
Zacharias. 

"  The  Lord  unbinds  those  who  are  fettered ; 
the  Lord  enlightens  those  who  are  blind. 

"The  Lord  upraises  those  who  are  crushed 
down  ;  the  Lord  loves  those  who  are  just. 

"  The  Lord  has  care  over  strangers ;  he  will 
protect  the  widow  and  the  orphan,  and  the  ways 
of  sinners  he  will  destroy. 

•'  The  Lord  shall  reign  for  ever  and  ever  ;  thy 
God,  O  Sion  1  shall  rule  the  nations."  f 

The  reading  of  the  schema'l  and 
the  blessing  of  the  priest  termin- 
ated this  public  prayer,  which  took 
place  every  morning  and  evening.  § 


♦  This  prayer,  which  is  called  the  kaddisch,  is 
the  most  ancient  of  all  those  which  the  Jews 
have  preserved,  and,  as  it  is  read  in  the  Chal- 
dean tongue,  it  is  thought  to  be  one  of  the  pray- 
ers composed  after  the  return  from  Babylon. 
(Basn.,  1.  viL  ch.  17,  p.  314.)  Prideaux  affirms 
that  it  was  in  use  long  before  the  coming  of 
Christ,  and  that  the  Apostles  frequently  offered 
it  up  with  the  people  in  the  synagogues.  It  was 
often  recited  during  the  service,  and  the  assem- 
bly was  obliged  to  answer  Amen  several  times. 

t  Leo  of  Modena. — Maimonides. 

X  Leo  of  Modena,  c.  xL  p.  29.  By  the  schema 
they  meant  three  different  sections  of  Deuter- 


Having  fulfilled,  with  indescriba- 
ble fervor,  this  first  religious  duty, 
Mary  and  her  young  companions 
resumed  their  wonted  avocations. 
Some  rapidly  twirled  in  their  agile 
fingers  spindles  of  cedar  or  of  ithel  ;|| 
others  embroidered  the  veil  of  the 
temple,  or  the  rich  girdles  of  the 
priests,  with  purple,  blue,  and  gold ; 
whilst  groups,  bent  forward  over  a 
Sidonian  loom,  applied  themselves 
to  the  execution  of  those  magnificent 
carpets  which  won  for  "  the  strong 
woman"  the  admiration  of  all  Israel, 
and  were  extolled  by  Homer  him- 
self.^ The  Virgin  surpassed  all  the 
daughters  of  her  people  in  those 
beautiful  fabrications  so  highly  priz- 
ed by  the  ancients.  We  learn 
from  St.  Epiphanius  that  she  ex- 
celled  in   embroidery   and   the  art 

onomy  and  Numbers.  It  was  a  sort  of  profes- 
sion of  faith  recited  morning  and  evening, 
whereby  they  acknowledged  that  there  is  but  one 
God,  who  drew  his  people  out  of  Egypt. 

§It  is  certain  that  the  Blessed  Virgin  must 
have  assisted  very  often  at  the  morning  and 
evening  service.  Those  prayers  were  considered 
more  efficacious  than  any  others,  and  some  of  the 
Hebrew  doctors  even  maintain  that  God  hears 
none  but  these. 

II  The  ithel  is  a  species  of  acacia  which  grows  in 
Arabia  ;  it  is  of  a  beautiful  black,  resembling  eb- 
ony ;  it  is  thought  to  be  the  setim  wood  of  Moses. 

1"  See  the  Iliad,  b.  vi 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


99 


of  working  wool,  in  byssus,  and  in 
gold.*  The  proto-gospel  of  St. 
James  represents  her  seated  before 
a  distaff  of  purple  wool,  which  mov- 
ed under  her  taper  fingers  like  the 
trembling  leaf  of  the  poplar  ;f  and 
the  Christians  of  the  West  have  per- 
petuated the  traditional  opinion  of 
her  unrivalled  skill  in  spinning  the 
flax  of  Pelusia,  J  by  giving  the  name 
of  Virgin^s  thread  to  that  net-work 
of  dazzling  whiteness,  and  of  almost 
etherial  texture,  which  floats  over 
deep  valleys  in  the  damp  mornings 
of  autumn.  The  chaste  and  mod- 
est brides  of  the  early  Christians, 
in  memory  of  thes-e  domestic  avoca- 
tions of  the  Queen  of  Angels,  never 
failed  to  consecrate  to  her  a  distaff 


*In  the  middle  ages,  in  commemoration  of 
the  Virgin's  works  in  flax,  weavers  were  ranged 
under  the  banner  of  the  Annunciation.  The 
makers  of  gold  brocade  and  silkeri  stuffs  had  for 
their  patroness  Notre  Dame  la  Riche  ( Our  Lady 
the  Rich),  and  bore  her  image  on  their  banner, 
heavy  with  superb  embroidery.  (Alex.  Monteil, 
Hidoire  des  Frangais  des  divers  etats.) 

f  The  Church  of  Jerusalem  early  consecrated 
this  remembrance  by  ranking  amongst  its  treas- 
ures the  spindles  of  Mary.  Those  spindles  were 
subsequently  sent  to  the  Empress  Pulcneria, 
who  placed  them  in  the  Church  of  the  Guides 
in  Constantinople. 

I  The  garments  worn  in  the  morning  by  the 
chief  priests  were,  says  the  Misnah,  of  the  fine    ^ 


adorned  with  fillets  of  purple,  and 
charged  with  spotless  wool.§ 

But  the  talents  and  acquirements 
of  the  Virgin  did  not  end  here.  St. 
Ambrose  ascribes  to  her  a  perfect 
understanding  of  Holy  Writ,  and 
St.  Anselm  will  have  it  that  she  was 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  old 
Hebrew,  the  language  of  the  terres- 
trial paradise,  ||  in  which  God  himself 
traced,  on  tables  composed  of  pre- 
cious stones,^  the  ten  precepts 
of  the  Decalogue.  Whether  Mary, 
studying  the  idiom  of  Anna  and 
of  Deborah,  became  conversant, 
during  her  solitary  vigils,  with  the 
lofty  conceptions  of  the  seers  of 
Israel,  or  that  she  received  from  the 
sanctifying  Spirit,  who  had  so  richly 


flax  of  Pelusia,  a  city  of  Egypt  famous  for  the 
excellent  quality  of  its  flax. 

§  This  custom  is  still  kept  up  in  some  hamlets 
in  the  north  and  west  of  France. 

II  According  to  the  Rabbins  and  the  Commen- 
tators on  the  Bible,  the  language  of  Paradise 
was  the  ancient  Hebrew. 

^  A  Hebrew  tradition.  (Basnage,  vi.  ch.  16.) 
According  to  some  Oriental  writers,  the  tables 
of  the  law  were  either  of  rubies  or  carbuncles ; 
but  the  most  common  opinion,  amongst  the 
Arabs  and  Mussulmans,  is,  that  they  were  of 
emeralds,  within  which  the  characters  were 
cut,  so  that  they  could  be  read  on  every 
side.     (D'Herbelot,  Bibliotheque  Orientale,  tome 

ii-) 


100 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


endowed  her,  a  breath  of  poetic 
inspiration,  like  tlie  harmonious 
breezes  which  swept  the  JEolian 
har]>  of  the  Koyal  Prophet,*  it 
must  be  acknowledged  that  the 
youthful  prophetess,  who  gave  to 
the  new  law  its  finest  canticle,  could 
not  have  been  a  stranger  to  the 
sweetest  or  the  most  sublime  inspir- 
ations of  genius.  Undoubtedly,  the 
woman  who  composed  the  Magnifi- 
aU  was  not  a  mere  common  girl,  as 
some  Protestant  authors  have  not 
hesitated  to  assert,  and  must  have 
united  to  unequaled  sanctity  talents 
of  the  highest  order.  But  then  this 
brilliant  aspect  of  her  character  was 
scarcely  perceptible,  so  carefully  did 
she  cover  it  with  her  angelic  modes- 
ty. Knowing  the  delicate  duties 
and  the  real  interests  of  her  sex,  she 
shrank  from  all  display,  and  passed 
silently  along  the  way  of  life,  like 
some  fair  star  gliding  through  the 
clouds.  The  rich  treasures  of  her 
mind  and  heart  were  but  partially 
revealed  on  earth ;  they  were  as  the 


♦Accordiug  to  the  ancient  Jewish  tradition, 
David  had  a  harp  which  played  by  night  when  a 
certain  wind  came  to  blow.  Basnage  ridicules 
the  idea  of  chords,  which  only  echo  to  the  night 
wind,  and  plainly  sets  it  down  as  an  absurdity. 


t  roses  of  Yemen  which  the  Arab 
maiden  conceals  beneath  her  veil, 
and  whose  gentle  perfume  is  scarce- 
ly felt. 

An  ancient  poet  said  servilely  to 
Augustus  that  he  alone  was  the 
work  of  several  centuries,  and  that, 
ever  since  the  creation,  all  the  in- 
dustry of  natm-e  had  been  employed 
in  producing  him.  That  which  was 
an  outrageous  hyperbole  in  speaking 
of  the  sanguinary  nephew  of  Cesar, 
becomes  a  demonstrated  truth  when 
applied  to  the  Virgin.  In  reality, 
Mary  is  the  masterpiece  of  Nature, 
the  flower  of  the  ancient  days,  and 
the  wonder  of  ages.  Never  has  the 
earth  seen,  and  never  will  it  again 
see,  so  many  perfections  re-united 
in  a  mere  mortal.  In  that  blessed 
creature  all  was  grace,  sanctity,  and 
grandeur.  Conceived  in  the  friend- 
ship of  Gpd,  sanctified  before  her 
birth,  she  knew  nothing  of  the  pas- 
sions which  agitate  the  soul,  or  the 
sin  which  corrupts  the  heart.  Hav- 
ing a  sweet  and  natural  inclination 


The  invention,  or  rather  the  re-invention  of 
-Slolian  harps,  whose  magic  sounds  enchant  the 
English  parks,  gives  probability  to  the  statement 
of  the  Rabbins. 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


101 


to  virtue,  thanks  to  her  immaculate  * 
conception,  her  pure  and  innocent 
acts  were  like  the  wreath  of  snow 
which  silently  falls  on  the  mountain- 
top,  adding  purity  to  purity  and 
whiteness  to  whiteness,  till  it  rears 
itself  into  a  shining  cone,  which  at- 
tracts the  rays  of  the  sun,  and  daz- 
zles the  eye  of  man.  It  has  not  been 
given  to  any  other  creature  to  pre- 
sent such  a  life  to  the  Sovereign 
Judge  of  men.  Jesus  Christ  alone 
surpassed  her ;  but  Jesus  Christ  is 
the  Son  of  God. 

Mary  entered  the  temple  of  Jeru- 
salem like  one  of  those  unspotted 
victims  shown  by  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  to  Malachi.  Young,  beautiful, 
nobly  born,  and  qualified  to  aspire 
to  the  highest  place  amongst  a 
people  who  often  raised  beauty  to 
the  throne,*  she  bound  herself  to  the 
horns  of  the  altar  by  a  vow  of  vir- 
ginity which  her  infant  lips  could 
barely  articulate,  and  which  her 
heart  subsequently  ratified,  with  a 
perfect  renunciation  of  the  pomps 
and  vanities  of  the  world.     By  that 

*  It  is  certain  that  David,  Solomon,  and  the 
other  kings  of  Juda,  often  took  to  their  royal  bed 
women  of  obscure  condition  ;  the  famous  Sulam- 
ite  of  Solomon  was,  it  is  said,  a  young  country 


VOW,  till  then  unheard,  Maiy  crossed 
the  boundary  which  divides  the  old 
law  from  the  new,  and  plunged  so 
deep  into  the  sea  of  evangelical 
virtues,  that  one  might  think  she  had 
already  sounded  its  depths  when  her 
divine  Son  came  to  reveal  it  to  the 
children  of  men. 

God  does  not  alter  his  course  ab- 
ruptly. He  announces,  he  prepares 
long  beforehand  the  great  events 
which  are  to  change  the  aspect  of 
the  world.  A  precursor  was  requir- 
ed for  the  Messiah,  and  he  found  one 
in  the  person  of  St.  John  the  Baptist. 
A  preliminary  was  required  for  the 
new  law,  and  the  virtues  of  Mary 
were  to  the  Gospel  what  the  fresh 
and  roseate  dawn  is  to  the  risen 
day. 

St.  Epiphanius,  cited  by  Niceph- 
orus,  has  left  us  a  charming  descrip- 
tion of  the  Virgin.  That  portrait, 
traced  in  the  fourth  century  from 
traditions  now  lost,  and  manuscripts 
which  are  no  longer  in  existence, 
is  yet  the  only  one  which  remains 
to  us. 


girl  from  the  little  village  of  Sulam,  situated  at  a 
short  distance  from  Jerusalem.  In  the  time  of 
Mary,  Herod  the  Great  espoused  Mariamne,  the 
daughter  of  a  priest,  because  of  her  beautj. 


102 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


The  Virgin,  according  to  this  holy 
bisliop,  was  not  of  tall  stature, 
though  somewhat  above  the  middle 
height;  her  face  was  of  that  fine 
oval  which  characterizes  the  Jewish 
women,  and  her  eyes  were  of  a  soft 
hazel  color.  Her  person  was,  in 
fine,  a  casket  worthy  of  the  priceless 
jewel  it  contained,  and  was  like  it 
all  bemUi/uL 

All  the  Fathers  agree  as  to  the 
admirable  beauty  of  the  Virgin.  St. 
Denis  the  Areopagite,  who  had  seen 
the  divine  Mary,  assures  us  that  she 
was  of  dazzling  beauty,  and  that 
he  would  have  worshipped  her  as 
a  goddess,  had  he  not  known  that 
there  is  but  one  God. 

But  it  was  not  to  this  assemblage 
of  physical  perfections  that  Mary 
owed  the  power  of  her  beauty;  it 
emanated  from  a  higher  source. 
This  was  well  understood  by  St. 
Ambrose  when  he  said  that  her 
charming  exterior  was  but  a  trans- 
parent veil  which  disclosed  all  her 
virtues ;  and  that  her  soul,  the  no- 


*  It  is  neither  climate,  nor  food,  nor  bod- 
ily exercise,  which  forms  human  beauty; 
it  is  the  moral  sentiment  of  virtue,  which 
cannot  subsist  without  religion.  The  beauty 
of  the  countenance  is    the  true  index  of  the 


^  blest  and  the  purest  that  ever  was, 
after  the  soul  of  Jesus  Christ,  re- 
vealed itself  fully  in  her  look.  The 
physical  beauty  of  Mary  was  but 
the  distant  reflection  of  her  intel- 
lectual and  imperishable  beauty ; 
she  was  the  fairest,  because  she 
was  the  purest  and  holiest,  of  the 
daughters  of  Eve.* 

God  has  incased  the  Green  Sea 
pearl  in  a  mother-of-pearl  shell,f 
but  it  is  the  pearl  and  not  its  bril- 
liant case  that  men  set  in  gold  and 
place  in  the  diadem  of  kings.  The 
Fathers  were  well  aware  of  this,  and, 
in  their  glowing  descriptions  of 
Mary's  loveliness,  they  dwelt  partic- 
ularly on  the  charms  of  her  mind — 
those  which  belong  not  to  the  earth, 
and  perish  not  with  the  frail  body. 
We  are  about  to  collect  the  gems 
scattered  here  and  there  throughout 
their  works,  to  form  them  into  a 
mosaic,  which  may  present  a  second 
portrait  of  her  who  was,  as  Sophro- 
nius  says,  "  a  garden  of  pleasure  to 
the  Lord."I 

soul.     ( Bernardino  de  St.  Pierre,  Mudes  de  la 
Nature,  dtude  10.) 

\  Bahr-al-Akhdhar,  one  of  the  names  of   the 
Persian  Gulf. 

X  Vere  Virgo  erai  hortiis  deliciarum  in  quo  con^ 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


103 


The  greatest  decorum  reigned  in  f 
all  the  actions  of  the  Virgin.  She 
was  kind,  aifable,  compassionate, 
and  never  tired  of  hearing  the  com- 
plaints of  the  wretched.  She  spoke 
little,  always  to  the  purpose,  and 
never  did  falsehood  defile  her  lips. 
Her  voice  was  mild  and  penetrating, 
and  her  words  had  in  them  some- 
thing unctuous  and  soothing,  which 
infused  peace  into  the  soul.  She 
was  the  first  in  vigils,  the  most  ex- 
act in  fulfilling  the  divine  law,  the 
most  profound  in  humility,  the  most 
perfect  in  every  virtue.  She  was 
never  seen  in  anger ;  never  offended, 
annoyed,  or  rebuked  any  one.  She 
was  averse  to  all  pomp,  simple  in 
her  apparel,  simple  in  her  manners, 
and  never  once  thought  of  turning 
to  account  either  her  beauty,  her 
noble  birth,  or  the  rich  treasures  of 
her  mind  and  heart.  Her  presence 
seemed  to  sanctify  all  around,  and 
the  very  sight  of  her  was  sufficient 
to   detach   the    mind   from   earthly 


aita  sunt   universa  Jlorum  genera  et  odoramenta 
virtutum.     (Sophro.,  Serm.  de  Ass.) 

*  The  ancients  believed  that  the  grasshoppers 
lived  on  air  and  dew.  (Philo,  de  Vita  cont.,  p. 
831.)  Homer,  book  third  of  the  Iliad :  "Like  the 
grasshoppers  which,  perched  on  the  top  of  the 
forest-trees,  send  forth  their  harmonious  strains 


things.  Her  politeness  was  not  an 
idle  formula,  consisting  of  empty 
words ;  it  was  an  expansion  of  uni- 
versal beneficence  proceeding  from 
her  inmost  soul.  In  fine,  her  look 
already  denoted  the  Mother  of  Mercy, 
the  Virgin  of  whom  it  has  been  since 
said,  "  She  would  even  ask  pardon 
of  God  for  Lucifer,  if  Lucifer  would 
ask  it  for  himself." 

Although  she  had  but  little  of 
this  world's  wealth,  yet  Mary  w^as 
bountiful  towards  the  poor,  and  her 
childish  alms  fell  often  unperceived 
into  the  poor-box  attached  to  one 
of  the  pillars  of  the  peristyle ;  the 
same  into  which  Jesus,  in  after- 
times,  saw  the  widow  drop  her 
mite.  St.  Ambrose  reveals  the  pure 
and  sacred  source  whence  Mary  de- 
rived her  alms.  She  deprived  her- 
self of  all,  granted  nothing  to  nature 
but  barely  what  was  necessary  for 
preserving  life,  and  seemed  to  live, 
like  the  grasshopper,  on  air  and 
dew.*     Her  frequent  and  rigorous 

(after  having  drunk  a  Httle  dew)."  "  The  grass- 
hoppers feed  only  on  dew."  (Theocrit.  idyl  4.) 
"Does  he  feed  only  on  dew  hke  the  grass- 
hopper ?  "     And  Virgil : 

Dum  thymo  pascentur  apes,  dum  tore  cicadse. 

"  Whilst  the  bees  shall  feed  on  thyme  and  the 


104 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART 


fasts  were  also  made  profitable  to  f  so  profound,  that  her  soul  seemed  to 


the  poor.  The  fasts  observed  by  the 
Virgin  were  not  like  our  northern 
fasts,  which  last  but  for  a  single 
moniing,  and  are  confined  to  the 
abstiiining  from  certain  '  kinds  of 
food ;  it  was  a  total  abstinence  from 
all  things,  which  began  at  sunset 
and  continued  the  whole  of  the  next 
day  till  the  stars  were  in  the  sky.* 
During  that  time,  Mary  deprived 
herself  of  every  thing  that  might 
gratify  her  taste  or  her  appetite. 
She  imposed  on  herself  the  hardest 
labor,  the  most  disgusting  works  of 
mercy,  clothed  herself  in  her  mean- 
est garments,  slept  on  the  bare 
ground,  and  allowed  herself  nothing 
during  this  time  of  penace  and  mor- 
tification (often  prolonged  for  whole 
weeks)  but  a  light  repast  composed 
of  bread  baked  under  the  ashes, 
some  bitter  vegetables,  and  a  cup 
of  water  from  the  fountain  of  Siloe.f 
Her  meditations  were  frequent,  and 
her  prayer  so  collected,  so  attentive, 

grasshoppers  on  dew."  Hence  it  was  that  Cal- 
limachus  called  the  dew  "  the  grasshopper's  food." 

*  The  Jews  considered  that  no  fast,  on  which 
the  sun  did  not  set. 

"f  Basnage,  1.  vii.,  ch.  18.  Fleury,  Moeurs  des 
Israelites,  p.  104. 

X  Augustus,  if  we  may  believe  Suetonius,  was    ^ 


melt  in  adoration  before  the  Eternal 
God.  The  roar  of  the  tempest  and 
the  crash  of  the  thunder,  which 
drove  Cesar  to  the  subterraneous 
vaults  of  his  palace,J  reached  not 
the  ear  of  the  youthful  Virgin; 
completely  absorbed  in  her  religious 
duties,  her  soul  was  at  the  feet  of 
the  great  Author  of  the  universe,  far 
beyond  the  confines  of  the  world 
and  the  region  of  storms.  "  Never 
was  any  one  endowed,"  says  St. 
Ambrose,  "  with  a  more  sublime 
gift  of  contemplation.  Her  mind, 
ever  in  accordance  with  her  heart, 
never  lost  sight  of  Him  whom  she 
loved  more  ardently  than  all  the 
seraphim  put  together.  Her  whole 
life  was  but  a  continual  exercise  of 
the  purest  love  of  her  God,  and, 
when  sleep  weighed  down  her  eye- 
lids, her  heart  still  watched  and 
prayed.  § 

Such  were  the  virtues,  such  the 
occupations  of  Mary  in  the  temple. 

as  much  afraid  of  thunder  and  lightning  as 
any  female  could  be.  At  the  slightest  appear- 
ance of  a  storm,  he  went  and  hid  himself  in  the 
deepest  vaults,  whither  the  noise  of  the  thunder 
and  the  glare  of  the  lightning  could  not  pene- 
trate. 

§  St.  Ambrose,  de  Virg.,  L  iu 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


105 


Slie  shone  amongst  her  young  com- 
panions like  a  rich  diamond  which, 
placed  amidst  other  precious  stones, 
effaces  them  all  by  its  splendor. 
Hence  it  was  that  men  who  had 


* 


grown  gray  in  the  priesthood  never 
passed  her  without  a  murmured 
blessing,  and  considered  her  as 
the  fairest  ornament  of  the  holy 
house. 


CHAPTEE    YI. 


MARY,    AN     ORPHAN, 


must  be  admit- 
ted— though  it 
is  a  strange 
thing — that  the 
history  of  the 
Virgin  is  bar- 
ren of  facts  and 
full  of  gaps.  It  may  be  likened  to 
the  majestic  remains  of  some  ancient 
city  of  the  desert.  Here,  gigantic 
columns  standing  firm  as  the  moun- 
tains ;  there,  porticoes  which  the 
Arab,  in  his  love  of  the  marvelous, 
proclaims  as  the  work  of  genii; 
farther  on,  temples  buried  in  the 
sand  which  the  imagination  delights 
to  raise  again;  and  then,  here  and 


*  there,  a  bleak  and  sterile  area,  with- 
out a  single  blade  of  grass  for  the 
camel  of  the  Bedouin.     In  default 
of    the    Apostles,    who    were    too 
much  occupied,  it  would  seem,  with 
the  grand  figure  of  Christ  to  think 
of  his  earthly  relatives,  the  Fathers 
have  made  us  acquainted  with  the 
virtues    of   St.    Ann.      "We    follow 
them  into  her  humble  dwelling ;  we 
behold  her  piety,  we  hear  her  vows 
and  her  fervent  prayers ;   we  wit- 
ness the  joys  of  her  late  maternity, 
and  the  outpouring  of  her  gratitude ; 
but  there   the   thread  of  tradition 
becomes  so  frail  that  it  incessantly 
snaps  asunder,  and   the  remainder 


106 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


of  St  Ann's  life  is  almost  entii'ely 
conjectural.  That  mother,  who  had 
obtained  her  blessed  daughter  after 
so  many  fasts  and  tears,  who  had  so 
lovingly  watched  over  her  infancy, 
who  had  brought  her  in  her  arms  to 
the  Lord,*  and  had  laid  her  weeping 
in  his  sanctuary,  reappears  but  for 
a  moment  on  the  scene,  and  that 
only  to  die.  It  is,  however,  very 
unlikely  that  the  wife  of  Joachim 
would  have  remained  nine  years 
without  seeing  her  child  again. 
The  outer  buildings  of  the  temple, 
where  the  consecrated  children  were 
brought  up,  could  not  have  been 
closed  against  their  mothers.  The 
rights  of  a  mother  are  both  sacred 
and  religious:  all  nations  declare 
them  to  be  imprescriptible;  and, 
moreover,  the  Scripture  tells  us  that 
Anna,  wife  of  Elcana,  freely  visited 
her  son  at  Silo,  on  solemn  days,  and 
that  she  never  failed  to  bring  a  tunic 
spun  by  her  own  hands,  to  the 
young  prophet,  whom  she  had  lent 

♦Liguori,  Glories  of  Mary,  discourse  iii.,  p. 
59. 

t  It  has  been  said  that  St.  Ann  had  another 
daughter  of  the  name  of  Mary,  born  twenty 
years  before  the  Blessed  Virgin  ;  this  tradition 
has  not  been  accepted  by  the  Church. 

J  The  Jewish  women  spun   together  in   the 


to  the  Lord.  Anna  had  had,  after 
the  birth  of  Samuel,  several  children, 
whom  she  beheld  growing  up  around 
her  like  olive-trees,  and  who  shared 
with  the  yomig  servant  of  the  taber- 
nacle her  maternal  solicitude.  St. 
Ann  had  none  but  Mary;|  that 
dear  child  was,  therefore,  the  sum 
of  her  happiness,  the  hope  of  her 
old  days,  and  the  source  of  her 
earthly  joy.  It  is,  then,  almost 
certain  that,  in  company  with  her 
husband,  she  came  to  see  her  as 
often  as  her  piety  drew  her  to  the 
temple,  and  that  she  also  sat  up,  by 
the  light  of  her  lamp  or  the  silvery 
radiance  of  the  moon,  J  to  spin  the 
virginal  robes  of  her  child. 

It  is  thought  that  St.  Joachim  and 
St.  Ann  retm-ned  to  their  home 
after  the  presentation  of  Mary,  and 
that  they  remained  there  for  some 
years  before  their  final  settlement  in 
Jerusalem.  Joachim,  who  was  not 
an  artisan  like  Joseph,  seems  to 
have  cultivated  the  small  patrimony 

summer  evenings  by  the  light  of  the  moon,  since 
the  Jewish  doctors  authorize  a  husband  to  put 
away  his  wife  when  slandered  by  the  women 
who  loere  spinning  by  moonlight.  (Sotah,  cap. 
6,  p.  250.)  This  custom  of  spinning  by  moon- 
light is  still  kept  up  in  many  southern  coun- 
tries. 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


107 


which  he  had  inherited,  and  enjoyed 
that  happy  mediocrity  for  which 
sages  and  poets  have  ever  sighed 
when  weary  of  the  great  world.* 
Churches  have  been  erected  in  Seph- 
oris,  in  Nazareth,  and  in  Jerusalem, 
on  sites  which  had  formed  part  of 
his  inheritance.  But  the  vineyard, 
or  farm  of  his  fathers,  must  have 
been  in  the  vicinity  of  Sephoris ; 
hence  his  return  to  Low^er  Galilee. 
Joachim  was  a  true  Israelite,  sti'ongly 
attached  to  the  law  of  Moses.  He 
went  to  the  temple  on  every  solemn 
festival  with  his  wife  and  some  of 
their  kinsfolk,  according  to  the  cus- 
tom of  the  Hebrews,  and  it  is  likely 
that  the  desire  of  seeing  his  daugh- 
ter, made  him  still  more  eager  to 
visit  the  temple.  How  joyfully  did 
his  good  and  pious  spouse  set  out 
for  the  Holy  City!  How  endless 
did  the  way  appear,  as  she  beheld 
it  winding  far  and  away  over  hill 


^  and  dale!  Looking  eagerly  forward, 
she  passed  a  score  of  times  in  imag- 
ination before  she  reached  them  in 
reality,  the  nopal  bushes,  the  thickets 
of  rose-bay,  the  clumps  of  oak  or 
sycamore  which  marked  the  road; 
for,  each  of  these  points  gained,  she 
was  so  much  nearer  her  daughter— 
her  daughter,  the  gift  of  the  Lord, 
the  child  of  miracle — she  whom  an 
angel  had  announced  as  the  glory  of 
Israel !  With  what  emotion  did  she 
hail,  from  the  depth  of  the  valley, 
that  tower  of  Antonia  rising  proud 
and  menacing  on  its  base  of  polished 
marble,f  to  protect  the  house  of 
prayer !  and  how  her  holy  and  ten- 
der heart  must  have  throbbed  at  the 
sight  of  that  temple  which  contained 
her  child  and  her  God ! 

When  evening  came,  and  the 
sacerdotal  trumpets  summoned  the 
people  to  the  ceremony,  J  Ann  has- 
tened  to   adore   God,   and  catch  a 


*  According  to  St.  Gregory  of  Nyssa,  the  father 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin  was  an  honorable  citizen. 
God-fearing,  and  of  singular  piety.  Father  de 
Valverde  states,  on  the  testimony  of  some  of  the 
Fathers  of  the  Church,  that  Ann  and  Joachim, 
being  in  easy  circumstances,  gave  one  part  of 
their  savings  to  the  temple  and  the  other  to  the 
needy.     ( Vie  de  Jesus  Christ,  t.  1.,  p.  46.) 

f  The  tower  of  Antonia  might  be  considered    ^ 


as  the  citadel  of  the  temple ;  it  was  of  old  the 
palace  of  the  Asmonian  princes.  The  rock  on 
which  it  was  seated  was  fifty  cubits  high,  and  in- 
accessible on  all  sides.  Herod  had  this  rock  cov- 
ered with  marble  from  base  to  summit,  so  that  no 
one  could  either  go  up  or  down.  (Joseph.,  A)it. 
Jud^  1.  XV.,  ch.  14,  and  de  Bello,  1.  ii.,  ch.  16.) 

I  The  rehgious  festivals  of  the  Jews  began 
always  in  the  svening. 


108 


UFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


glimpse  of  her  daughter,  whom  she 
had  not  seen  for  months  long.  The 
comt-yai-d  had  no  other  covering 
than  the  sky,  and  the  dazzling 
radiance  of  its  candelabras*  min- 
gled with  the  glimmering  light  of 
the  stars.  Thousands  of  lights  were 
gleaming  beneath  the  porticoes, 
garlands  of  fi'esh  flowers  were 
wreathed  around  the  pillars,f  and 
the  chief  priests  walked  through 
the  crowd  with  their  splendid  orna- 
ments, brought  from  Indian  lands 
by  the  caravans  of  Palmyra.  J  Now 
and  then  the  chords  of  the  harp 
seemed  to  accompany  the  mm-murs 
of  prayer,  which,  like  the  voice  of 
many  waters,  §  went  up  from  that 
multitude  of  Hebrews  assembled 
from  the  banks  of  the  Mle,  the 
Euphrates,  and  the  Tiber,  to  bend 
the  knee  before  the  only  altar  of 
their  fathers'  God.||     In  the   midst 


t  of  this  immense  concourse  of  native 
and  foreign  believers,  Ann,  ab- 
sorbed in  prayer,  raised  her  head 
but  for  a  moment;  it  was  wlien 
Mary  and  her  young  companions 
passed,  veiled  and  robed  in  white, 
with  lamps  in  their  hands,  like  the 
wise  virgins  of  the  gospel. 

The  festival  over,  Ann,  after  hav- 
ing blessed  and  embraced  Mary, 
took,  with  Joachim,  her  homeward 
way  through  the  mountains  ;  slowly 
did  she  depart  from  Jerusalem,  not 
daring  to  cast  a  look  behind,  and 
bearing  with  her  a  fund  of  happi- 
ness and  of  joyous  reminiscences 
for  all  the  time  that  was  to  elapse 
before  the  next  festival. 

When  years  and  toil  had  exhaust- 
ed Joachim's  strength,  so  that  he 
was  no  longer  able  to  cultivate  his 
ground,  he  began  to  think  of  moving 
nearer  to  his  daughter.   Accordingly, 


*  These  candelabras  were  of  gold,  and  fifty 
cubits  high.  The  light  which  they  shed,  say  the 
Babbins  (who  are  noted  for  exaggeration),  was 
seen  at  an  incredible  distance  from  Jerusalem, 
while  within  the  city  the  houses  were  so  well  lit 
that  cooks  could  pick  the  grain  for  their  pottage 
without  the  assistance  of  their  lamps.  (  Talmud, 
tract.  Lucca.,  foL  3.) 

f  These  green  wreaths  were  used  during  the 
feast  of  Tabernacles.     (Basn.,  1.  vii.,  ch.  16.) 

X  The  garments  worn  in  the  evening  by  the    ^ 


priests  on  solemn  festivals  came  from  India,  and 
cost  very  dear.     (Basn.,  1.  vii.,  ch.  15.) 

§  It  is  well  known  that  the  Jews  and  the  Arabs 
pray  aloud. 

II  So  long  as  the  temple  stood,  the  Jews  made 
a  special  devotion  of  visiting  it.  More  than 
eleven  hundred  thousand  persons  perished  in 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  under  Titus,  be- 
cause they  were  assembled  for  the  feast  of  the 
Passover  when  the  city  was  besieged.  (Joseph., 
de  Bella,  1.  vii.,  ch.  17.) 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


109 


he  and  his  spouse  bade  a  last  fare- 
well to  Lower  Galilee,  and  took  up 
their  abode  in  Jerusalem,  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  temple.  Ann 
was  then  at  the  summit  of  her 
wishes ;  she  could  serve  the  Lord 
in  his  holy  house,  and  see  her 
daughter  frequently.  How  often, 
during  the  fine  evenings  of  summer, 
as  she  sat  spinning  before  her  door, 
would  she  twirl  her  spindle  mechan- 
ically, whilst  her  maternal  glance 
was  pensively  fixed  on  the  glittering 
roof  of  the  temple !  Where  a  mavUs 
treasure  is,  says  the  Holy  Scripture, 
there  is  his  heart. 

St.  Ann  might  have  shortened 
the  duration  of  that  painful  separa- 
tion, as  the  law  of  Moses  accepted 
compensations.  This  she  would  not 
do;  her  gratitude  to  God  spoke  still 
louder  than  her  maternal  tenderness, 
and  when  the  voice  of  religion  made 
itself  heard,  that  of  nature  became 
silent. 

The  Virgin  had  been  nine  years 
shut  up  in  the  temple*  when  the 


*  Pere  Croiset,  Exercises  de  Piete,  t.  xviii., 
p.  59. 

f  The  Hebrew  confession  is  from  all  antiquity; 
the  Jews  made  it,  at  the  article  of  death,  not 
merely  aloud,  but  before  ten  persons  and  a  Rab- 


*  first  dark  cloud  obscured  her  young 
life.  Her  beloved  father,  Joachim 
the  Just,  fell  dangerously  ill,  and 
the  symptoms  of  approaching  disso- 
lution very  soon  appeared.  Appre- 
hensive for  his  life,  his  friends  and 
kinsfolk  crowded  around,  with  every 
manifestation  of  kindness  and  sym- 
pathy ;  for  the  families  of  Juda  were 
closely  united  amongst  themselves, 
and  lived  in  the  utmost  harmony. 
The  dying  man  smiled  benignly  on 
his  friends  and  neighbors.  Like 
Jacob,  he  had  been  long  a  wanderer 
on  the  earth,  and  it  gave  him  little 
concern  that  the  wind  of  death  came 
to  beat  down  his  tent,  for,  beyond 
this  earthly  planet,  he  saw  in  spirit 
those  blissful  regions  where  he  was 
going  to  repose  for  ever  in  Abra- 
ham's bosom. 

When  his  increasing  wealniess 
gave  him  to  understand  that  life 
was  ebbing  fast  away,  the  holy  old 
man  confessed  his  sins  aloud,  in 
presence  of  all,  according  to  the 
custom  of  the  Hebrews,f  and  offered 

bin.  Aaron  ben  Berachia,  in  his  book  entitled 
Maavar  Jobbok,  treating  of  the  art  of  dying  well, 
and  the  assistance  to  be  rendered  to  the  dying, 
records  the  method  of  confessing  and  the  pray- 
ers for  the  agonizing.      Abraham    ben    Isaao 


uo 


LIFE  OF  TEE  BLESSED   VIRGIN  MARY. 


up  his  death  to  the  Supreme  Judge 
in  expiation  of  the  faults  inherent 
in  our  nature,  from  which  even  the 
just  are  not  exempt.  This  duty  ac- 
complished, Joachim  asked  for  his 
daughter,  in  order  to  give  her  his 
blessing.  Mary  came ;  *  her  ardent 
prayers  for  the  preservation  of  her 
father's  life  had  not  been  heard. 
ThQJealoris  God  would  sever,  one  by 
one,  the  earthly  bonds  of  his  chosen 
Spouse,  to  the  end  that  she  might 
lean  on  Him  alone. 

Some  pious  authors  have  thought 
that,  at  the  moment  when  Joachim 
extended  his  hands  to  bless  his 
child,  a  revelation  from  on  high 
suddenly  disclosed  to  him  the  glori- 
ous destiny  awaiting  her;  the  joy 
of  the  elect  diffused  itself  over  his 
venerable  countenance,  his  arms  fell 
by  his  side,  he  bowed  down  his  head 
and  died. 


Laniado  also  wrote  a  book,  entitled  !Z%e  Shield 
of  Abraham,  a  work  much  esteemed  by  the  Jews, 
wherein  he  treats  of  the  confession  of  sins.  See 
also  Basnage,  1.  vii.,  ch.  24. 

*  It  was  customary,  from  the  very  times  of  the 
patriarchs,  for  the  dying  father  to  bless  his  chil- 
dien.  Mary  had  to  conform  to  this  custom. 
Her  seclusion  in  the  temple  was  not  monastic, 
and  St.  Joachim  then  resided  in  Jerusalem. 

t  St.  Jerome  remarks  that,  in  his  time,  most 
of  the  Jews  still  slashed  their    skin    on    the 


The  house  then  resounded  with 
cries  and  lamentations.  The  women 
hacked  their  breasts  and  tore  their 
hair;f  the  men  covered  their  heads 
with  ashes  and  rent  their  garments, 
whilst  some  of  the  matrons,  moved 
by  charity  and  devotion,  spread  a 
a  thick  veil  over  the  pale  calm 
face  of  the  just  man,  which  was 
never  more  to  be  seen  in  this  world, 
and  folded  the  thumb  within  the 
hand,  which  was  left  open  to  denote 
the  total  abandonment  of  all  earthly 
things. 

After  having  washed  the  body 
in  water,  mingled  with  myrrh 
and  dried  rose-leaves,  those  pious 
women  wrapped  it  up  in  a  linen 
shroud,  which  they  tied  round 
with  bands,  after  the  manner  of 
Egypt.  Having  then  opened  all 
the  doors  and  windows  of  the 
house^J    they  lit   near   the   corpse 

death  of  their  friends,  and  made  themselves 
bald  by  tearing  out  their  hair,  which  they  sacri- 
ficed to  death. 

I  Dead  bodies,  amongst  the  Jews,  defiled 
those  who  touched  them,  and  rendered  them 
unclean.  (Misnah,  Ordo  puritatum.)  "When 
the  doors  are  closed,  the  house  of  death  is 
regarded  as  a  sepulchre,  and,  consequently, 
it  is  defiled ;  when  the  doors  are  open,  on 
the  contrary,  the  impurity  goes  away."  {Mair 
monides.) 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


Ill 


I 


a  brazen  lamp,  with  several  sockets 
— the  lamp  of  the  dead — which  cast 
its  mournful  reflection  on  the  bed 
of  death. 

On  the  following  day,  a  numerous 
train,  in  which  the  flute-players 
fvere  conspicuous,*  stopped  before 
the  house  of  death.  The  nearest 
of  kin  ascended  to  the  upper  cham- 
ber, wherein  Joachim  had  been  laid 
out,  and  placed  the  corpse  on  a 
bed,f  which  they  then  took  upon 
their  shoulders.  The  funeral  pro- 
cession traversed  the  streets  of  Je- 
rusalem chanting  funeral  hymns, 
accompanied  by  the  soft  wailing 
sound  of  the  flutes,  drowned  at 
times  in  the  noisy  lamentations  of 
the  weepers.  Ann  and  Mary  were 
present  at  the  funeral,  and  walked 
with  downcast  eyes    amongst   the 

*  Jesus  found  the  flute-players  making  a  great 
noise  at  the  door  of  a  nobleman  whose  daughter 
he  restored  to  life.  Maimonides  says  that  the 
poorest  of  the  Jews  is  obliged  to  hire  two  flute- 
players  and  a  weeper  for  the  burial  of  his  wife, 
and  that  the  rich  are  to  increase  the  number  in 
proportion  to  their  wealth.  See  also  Fleury, 
Mceurs  des  Israelites,  page  106. 

f  These  funeral  beds  were  used  long  before 
sofiins :  the  latter  are  still  unknown  to  the 
Arabs,  who  bury  their  dead  only  in  a  shroud, 
which  enables  the  jackals,  who  prowl  at  night 
through  the  cemeteries,  to  disinter  the  bodies 
and  devour  them. 


* 


^  matrons  of  their  family,  whose  tears 
flowed  profusely.  J 

The  procession  passed  through 
the  Gate  of  Flocks,  since  known  to 
Christians  as  the  Virgin's  gate.  On 
reaching  the  place  of  sepulture,  the 
sound  of  the  flutes,  the  hymns,  and 
the  lamentations  all  ceased  awhile, 
and  the  chief  mourners  thus  apos- 
trophized the  dead:  "Blessed  be 
God,  who  formed  and  nourished 
thee,  and  has  now  deprived  thee  of 
life.  Oh,  ye  dead,  he  knows  your 
number,  and  will  one  day  raise  ye 
up !  Blessed  be  He  who  taketh  life 
and  restoreth  it  again ! "  § 

They  then  put  a  small  bag  of  clay 
on  the  head  of  the  corpse,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  open  the  sepulchre — a 
gloomy  grotto,  which  was  called  the 
hotcse   of  the   living  || — wherein   the 

X  Women  and  children  assisted  at  the  funer- 
als of  their  husbands  and  fathers.  The  widow 
of  Naim  followed  the  corpse  of  her  son  ;  Joseph 
mourned  for  his  father.  This  custom  is  still 
observed  in  Judea.  The  Hebrew  children  re- 
ceived the  blessing  of  their  parents,  closed  their 
eyes,  and  accompanied  them  to  their  last  resting- 
place,  amongst  the  bones  of  their  fathers.  (M. 
Salvador,  Histoire  des  Institutions  de  Mdise  et  du 
peuple  Hebreu,  t.  ii.,  p.  398.) 

§  Ldon  de  Modena,  Gout,  des  Juifs.  Buxtorf, 
Syn.  Hebr.,  p.  502. 

II  The  sepulchre,  which  should  be  called  (ha 
house  of  the  dead.     They  gave  it,  on  the  contrary, 


112 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


patriarch  was  to  sleep  his  hist  sleep,  * 
awaiting  the  other  members  of  his 
family.  Xiien  the  most  heart-rend- 
ing cries  arose  on  every  side.  Ann 
threw  hei-self  on  the  mortal  remains 
of  her  husband  to  bid  him  a  last 
farewell,  and  was  soon  taken  away 
almost  insensible.  Having  com- 
mitted to  the  earth  the  holy  remains 
of  the  just  man,  they  rolled  to  the 
mouth  of  the  sepulchral  cave  an 
enormous  stone,  which  no  man  was 
to  remove  under  pain  of  excommu- 
nication. The  cries  of  lamentation 
began  once  more,  and  the  spectators, 
pulling  three  different  times  a  tuft 
of  grass,  and  casting  it  each  time 
behind  them,  said,  in  a  sorrowful 
tone.  They  shall  flourish  like,  the  grass 
of  the  fields!  These  rites  terminated 
the  obsequies  of  the  descendant  of 
the  kings  of  Juda — the  father  of 


the  title  of  the  house  of  the  living,  to  denote  that 
the  immortal  soul  survives  its  separation  from 
the  body.  This  title  is  attributed  to  the  Phari- 
sees. (Basn.,  1.  vii.,  24.)  The  Rabbins  give  an 
3xact  description  of  these  sepulchres.  The  door 
is  usuallj  made  very  narrow,  for  they  are  gener- 
ally closed  by  a  stone  rolled  to  the  entrance.  A 
large  space  is  left  in  the  middle  of  the  sepulchre, 
■where  the  bearers  go  in  and  rest  the  coffin 
before  it  is  put  in  its  place.  In  the  sides  and  at 
the  end  were  hollowed  out  a  certain  number  of 
niches,  wherein  the  dead  bodies  of  each  family 


Mary — the   grandsire   of  Jesus,  ac- 
cording to  the  flesh.* 

The  tender  heart  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin  was  crushed  by  this  first 
affliction — the  prelude  to  so  many 
others.  It  was  ber^  apprenticeship 
in  sorrow.  Misfortune  greeted  her 
on  the  threshold  of  adolescence, 
but  the  noble  child  shrank  not 
from  its  approach.  She  wept;  for 
her  soul — like  that  of  her  divine 
Son — was  never  cold  or  insensi- 
ble; but  she  drained  the  bitter 
chalice,  saying,  "  Jehovah,  thy  will 
be  done!"  The  mother  and  daugh- 
ter put  on  mourning  after  the 
manner  of  the  Hebrews ;  they 
clothed  themselves  in  tight  robes, 
made  of  a  coarse  camlet,  called 
hair-cloth;  their  head  and  feet  bare, 
their  face  concealed  in  a  fold  of 
their    robes,   fasting    and    abstain- 


were  placed.  Tombs  were  held  in  great  respect. 
No  one  was  allowed  to  cross  them  in  making  a 
road  or  an  aqueduct,  nor  to  cut  wood  there,  nor 
bring  flocks  to  graze.  They  were  placed  on  the 
side  of  the  highway,  in  order  to  remind  the 
passengers  of  death,  and  to  keep  the  dead  in 
their  recollection.  (Lightfoot,  Cent,  chorogr.,  c. 
100.)  We  see  in  the  Gospel  that  the  tomb  of 
Lazarus  was  a  cave  closed  by  a  large  stone. 

*  Salom.    ben    Virgse.,    Hist.    Jud.,    p.     193. 
L^on  de  Modena,  CotU.  relig.  des  Juifs.     Bas- 
J5    nage,  L  vii.,  ch.  25. 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


113 


ing,*  they  remained  for  seven  days 
seated  on  the  ground,  weeping  and 
lamenting  with  their  kindred,  and 
praying  for  the  departed  soul.f 
When  the  seven  days  were  ended, 
Ann  had  lamps  lit  in  the  synagogue, 
and  prayers  offered  up  for  her  hus- 
band, giving  alms  in  proportion 
to  her  means.  Mary,  on  her  side, 
fasted  every  week  on  the  day  of  her 
father's  death,  and  prayed  morning 
and  evening  for  the  repose  of  his 
soul.  These  fasts  and  prayers  for 
the  dead  lasted  for  the  space  of 
eleven  months.  J 

"  Thou  art  welcome,  0  Misfortune  I 
if  thou  comest  alone,"  say  the  Greeks. 
Thus,  this  first  affliction  of  Mary's 
was  followed  by  one  more  poignant 
still,  and  she  was  soon  called  upon 
to  renew  her  mourning.  Scarcely 
had  the  death-lamp  been  extinguish- 
ed in  the  melancholy  dwelling  of  St. 
Ann  when  it  had  to  be  lit  again; 

*  Fasting  was  very  severe  amongst  the  Jews; 
there  was  nothing  allowed  but  some  vegetables, 
beans,  for  instance,  or  lentils,  which  were  consid- 
ered mourning  food.  Eggs  were  permitted,  for 
the  figure  of  the  egg  being  round  and  globular, 
is  the  image  of  an  afOlicted  man.  Wine  was  no 
less  forbidden  than  meat. 

f  During  the  days  of  mourning  they  recited 
the  49th  Psalm.  (L.  de  Modena,  Gout,  des 
Juifs,  p.  182.     Lightfoot,  in  John.,  p.  1072.) 


*  the  last  tears  which  Mary  had  shed 
for  one  parent  were  scarcely  dry  on 
her  cheek,  when  she  had  to  bewail 
the  loss  of  the  other.  §  One  evening 
Mary,  accompanied  by  some  of  her 
kindred,  went  down  from  the  temple 
to  the  narrow  and  obscure  street  in 
which  her  mother  lived.  The  lurid 
glare  of  a  lamp  shone  out  through 
one  of  the  latticed  windows  of  the 
humble  dwelling.  Before  the  thresh- 
old were  grouped,  in  silence,  some 
of  the  women  who,  even  now, 
throughout  all  the  East,  make  a 
trade  of  weeping  for  the  dead ;  like 
those  birds  of  ill  omen  which  seem 
to  foresee  deaths,  these  sinister 
creatures  were  waiting  for  the  mo- 
ment when  an  afflicted  family 
should  come  to  engage  their  hired 
lamentations.  1 1 

St.  Ann  collected  all  her  failing 
strength  to  bless  her  daughter,  pa- 
thetically recommended  her  to  her 

X  Basnage,  1.  vii.,  eh.  11,  p.  182. 

§  According  to  the  best  authorities,  St.  Ann 
survived  St.  Joachim  but  a  very  short  time. 

II  All  over  the  Levant,  people  hire,  as  mourn- 
ers for  their  dead,  women  who  have  no  other 
means  of  earning  their  living.  They  pay  them 
so  much  an  hour,  and  they  endeavor  to  earn 
their  wages  by  uttering  the  most  heart-rending 
cries.  (Burkhart,  Voyage  en  Arable,  t.  ii.,  p. 
139.) 


* 


114 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


friends,  but  especially  to  Him  who  ^ 
is  the  Father  of  the  oi'phan,  and 
then  calmly  slept  the  sleep  of  the 
just*  Mary  bent  in  anguish  over 
the  lifeless  body  of  her  mother ;  her 
fair  tresses  mingled  with  the  snowy 
locks  of  the  dead.  It  seemed  as 
though  she  hoped  that  her  tears 
would  restore  her  to  life ;  but  it  is 
only  the  breath  of  God  that  can  re- 
animate the  dead.  When  the  first 
paroxysm  of  her  grief  was  over, 
Mary  closed  the  eyes  of  the  saint, 
and  took  leave  of  her  by  a  long,  last 
kiss,  according  to  the  custom  of  her 
people.f 

The  sorrow  of  the  young  orphan 
was  deep  and  silent,  and  endured 
with  heroic  patience.  Having  now 
no  other  support  on  earth  but  Prov- 
idence, she  took  refuge  in  the  bosom 
of  God.     Thence,  as  from  the  depth 


*  Grave  historians  state  that  the  Blessed 
Virgin  was  present  at  the  death  of  her  mother, 
which  is  quite  conformable  to  the  customs  of 
the  Hebrews. 

t  This  custom  is  very  ancient;  for  Philo,  relat- 
ing the  complaints  of  Jacob  for  the  untimely 
death  of  his  son,  makes  him  say  that  he  will  not 
have  the  consolation  of  closing  his  eyes,  and 
giving  him  the  parting  kiss. 

J  Descoutures,  Vie  de  la  Sainte  Vierge,  page 
27. 

§  A  young  girl  might  make  vows  amongst  the    ^^ 


of  a  peaceful  harbor,  she  overheard 
the  distant  roaring  of  the  world's 
storms,  and  comprehended  all  the 
vanity  of  earthly  things ;  the  vanity 
of  rank,  of  greatness,  of  wealth,  of 
beauty,  things  which  glitter  and 
pass  away  like  the  bubble  on  the 
wintry  torrent,  which  itself  disap- 
pears at  the  end  of  a  season. 

It  is  at  this  period  of  sorrow,  of 
isolation  and  lonely  watching,  that 
a  historian  has  judiciously  fixed 
Mary's  vow  of  perpetual  virginity ;  J 
in  fact,  we  do  not  anywhere  find 
that  either  Ann  or  Joachim  knew  of 
that  vow,  and  without  their  knowl- 
edge it  was  not  valid  in  the  eyes  of 
the  law,  either  civil  or  religious.  § 
It  was,  therefore,  after  their  death 
that  Mary  chose  the  Lord  for  her 
portion,  and  devoted  herself  to  his 
service   without  any  limitation   of 


Jews,  and  she  could  even  make  a  vow  of  vir- 
ginity ;  but  such  vow  was  annulled  by  paternal 
authority,  because  that,  being  subject  to  her 
father,  she  could  not  violate  the  law  of  nature  by 
disobeying  him.  All  vows  made  by  a  young 
maiden  or  a  married  woman,  unknown  or  con- 
trary to  the  will  of  a  father  or  husband,  were 
null.  {Num.,  ch.  xxx.)  Some  Kabbins  main- 
tain, nevertheless,  that  the  father  or  husband 
had  to  annul  the  vow  within  twenty-four  hours 
after  he  had  cognizance  of  it,  otherwise  it  was 
vahd.     ^Basnage,  1.  vii.,  ch.  19.) 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


115 


time,  says  Bernadine  de  Busto,  and 
with  the  intention  of  remaining 
always  in  the  temple.  Like  the 
august  founder  of  her  race,  the 
Yii'gin   found  that  a  day  spent  in 


ik 


the  tabernacles  of  the  God  of  Israel 
was  worth  a  thousand,  and  she  also 
would  rather  be  the  last  in  the  holy 
place  than  the  first  under  the  tents 
of  cedar. 


CHAPTER    YII. 

MARRIAGE     OF     THE     VIRGIN. 


HETHER  Jo- 
achim, on  his 
death-bed  had 
placed  the 
Virgin  under 
the  special 
protection  of 
the  priesthood;  or  that  the  magis- 
trates who  took  care  of  orphans  had 
themselves  chosen  guardians  for  her 
in  the  powerful  family  of  Aaron, 
to  which  she  was   related   by  the 


*The  Jews,  as  also  Celsus,  Porphyrus,  and 
Faust  have  taken  occasion  from  this  relationship 
to  maintain  that  the  Blessed  Virgin  was  of  the 
tribe  of  Levi.  Catholic  doctors  combat  this 
opinion.  They  maintain  that  Mary  was  of  the 
tribe  of  Juda,  and  the  family  of  David.  In  fact, 
St.  Matthew  tells  us  that  Jesus  Christ  is  called 


*  mother's  side;  or  that  the  tutelage 
of  children  devoted  to  the  service 
of  the  temple  belonged  of  right  to 
the  Levites,  it  is  certain  that  Mary, 
after  the  death  of  her  parents,  had 
guardians  of  the  sacerdotal  race.  It 
is  probable  (and  the  Arab  traditions 
say  so)  that  the  cares  of  this  tutel- 
age devolved  chiefly  on  Zachary, 
the  holy  spouse  of  St.  EKzabeth, 
whose  high  reputation  and  near  re- 
lationship*   entitled    him    to  that 


the  son  of  David  according  to  the  flesh.  Now, 
he  can  only  be  the  son  of  David  through  Mary, 
since  he  had  no  father  amongst  men.  When  it 
is  asked  how  it  is  that  Mary,  being  of  the  tribe 
of  Juda,  was  the  cousin  of  St.  Elizabeth,  who 
was  of  the  tribe  of  Levi,  St.  Augustine  answers 
that  there  is  nothing  improbable  in  the  supposi- 


116 


LIFE  OF   THE  BLESSED   VIHUIN  MARY. 


office.*  The  alacrity  wherewith  the 
Blessed  Virgin  traversed  all  Judea, 
two  or  thiee  years  later,  to  assist 
and  congratulate  the  mother  of  St. 
John  the  Baptist,  and  her  prolonged 
sojourn  in  the  mountains  of  Hebron, 
seem,  indeed,  to  indicate  a  closer 
connection  than  that  of  mere  rela- 
tionship; the  roof  which  sheltered 
Mary  for  so  long  a  time  must  have 
been,  according  to  the  rigorous  pro- 
priety of  the  Hebrews,  as  sacred  to 
her  as  the  paternal  roof 

Whoever  the  priests  might  be 
that  were  honored  with  the  tutelage 
of  the  blessed  daughter  of  St.  Ann, 
they  scrupulously  acquitted  them- 
selves of  the  obligations  of  their 
charge;  and,  when  the  Virgin  had 
attained  her  fifteenth  year,  they 
began  to  think  of  providing  her 
with  a  suitable  husband.  This  hy- 
meneal project  gave  Mary  the  ut- 
most uneasiness ;  that  soul,  so  lofty, 

tion  that  a  man  of  the  tribe  of  Juda  had  taken 
a  wife  of  the  tribe  of  Levi,  and  that  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  the  issue  of  that  marriage,  was  related 
by  her  mother  to  St.  Elizabeth.  It  is  elsewhere 
proved  that  the  prohibition  of  marrying  into  an- 
other tribe  regarded  only  heiresses. 

*  The  Koran,  which  contains  many  Arabian 
traditions  relating  to  Mary,  says  expressly  that 
Zachary  took  her  under  his  protection.  {Koran, 
ch.  iiL) 


f  SO  pure,  so  contemplative,  had  an- 
ticipated the  Gospel,  and  regarded 
virginity  as  the  most  perfect,  the 
most  holy,  and  the  most  desirable 
of  all  states.  An  ancient  author, 
quoted  by  St.  Gregory  of  Nyssa 
relates  that  she  long  refused,  with 
much  modesty,  to  accede  to  the  pro- 
posal made  her,  and  that  she  hum- 
bly entreated  her  family  to  consent 
to  her  remaining  in  the  temple,  and 
leading  a  life  of  innocence,  of  seclu- 
sion, of  freedom  from  all  ties  except 
those  of  the  Lord.  Her  demand  was 
wholly  unaccountable  to  those  who 
had  care  over  her.  They  could  not 
understand  her  imploring  as  a  favor 
that  barrenness  which  was  consid- 
ered disgraceful,  and  was  solemnly 
condemned  by  the  law  of  Moses  f — 
the  celibacy  of  an  only  child,J  in- 
volving the  total  extinction  of  her 
father's  name — a  thought  which  was 
almost  impious  amongst  the  Jews, 

f  Origen  remarks  that  the  law  affixed  a 
stigma  on  steriUty ;  for  it  is  written,  "  Ac- 
cursed be  he  who  leaves  none  of  his  race  in 
Israel." 

\  Mary  was  an  heiress,  because  it  was  proper 
that  the  line  of  David,  whence  the  Messiah  was 
to  spring,  should  end  in  the  person  of  an  only 
daughter,  who,  bringing  into  the  world  the 
eternal  Heir  to  the  throne  of  David,  crowned 
^    and  consummated  his  race.     {Oldshausen.) 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


117 


who  considered  it  the  greatest  mis- 
fortune if  their  name  were  not  per- 
petuated in  Israel.  As  to  the  vow 
of  virginity  whereby  she  had  bound 
herself,  she  could  make  no  excuse 
of  that,  since  it  might  be  annulled 
by  a  decision  of  the  family  council. 
It  is  known  that  woman  was,  every- 
where and  always,  treated  as  a 
minor  before  the  promulgation  of 
that  immortal  code  which  has  glori- 
ously removed  fi'om  her  the  curse 
of  slavery. 

Hence  it  was  that  the  Virgin's 
supplications  found  but  little  sym- 
pathy even  amongst  the  priests  of 
Jehovah.  Such  virtues  were  far 
beyond  their  comprehension,  and 
with  all  their  learning  and  penetra- 
tion, the  angelic  and  all-holy  soul  of 
Mary  was  to  them  a  seven-sealed 
book.  Her  thought,  which  was  far 
in  advance  of  her  age,  and  contrary 
to  all  the  ancient  prejudices  of  her 
nation,  remained  incomprehensible, 
and  all  that  she  could  bring  for- 
ward, in  order  to  excuse  herself 
A'om  entering  on  a  state  so  wholly 
opposed  to  her  dearest  wishes,  was 
of  no  avail.     Besides,  how  could  she 

*  St.  Aug.,  de  Sancta  Virg.,  c.  14. 


f  have  succeeded,  since  God  himself 
was  against  her?  It  was  the  will 
of  God  that  her  marriage  with  a  just 
man,  who  was  to  render  testimony 
to  the  purity  of  her  life,  should 
screen  her  from  the  importunities 
of  the  young  Hebrews,  who  might 
have  sought  her  hand  even  in  the 
temple,  as  St.  Augustine  observes,* 
and  also  to  give  to  her  and  her 
divine  Son  a  protector  in  the  hour 
of  peril.  It  was  the  only  means  of 
hiding  the  mystery  of  the  Incarna- 
tion from  the  malevolent  scrutiny  of 
a  perverse  world,  which  would  have 
laid  hold  of  the  miracle  as  a  subject 
for  the  most  abominable  conjectures, 
and  might  even  have  been  so  infat- 
uated by  false  zeal  as  to  stone  the 
Mother  of  the  Saviour,  as  they  after- 
wards sought  to  stone  the  woman 
taken  in  adultery  ;  f  for  mercy  was 
never  one  of  the  chosen  virtues  of 
the  Hebrews,  and  God  himself  re- 
proaches them,  by  the  mouth  of  his 
prophets,  with  having  their  heart  as 
hard  as  adamant. 

In    addition    to    these    powerful 
reasons,  which  were  hidden  in  the 
impenetrable  obscurity  of  the  coun- 
ts      f  St.  John  Chrys.,  serm.  3,  in  Math. 


U8 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


6el8  of  God,  there  was  another  which 
had  its  source  in  the  antediluvian 
traditions  and  in  national  pride,  and 
that  one  reason,  of  itself,  left  little 
chance  of  success  for  the  timid 
opposition  of  the  Virgin.  Perpet- 
ual chastity,  which  Christians  have 
made  the  queen  of  virtues,  was  al- 
most unknown  amongst  the  disci- 
ples of  Moses,  who  lived  for  so  many 
ages  in  anxious  expectation  of  the 
Messiah-King  [Melech-Hamaschiak) . 
A  young  flower  of  the  root  of  Jesse, 
a  daughter  of  David,  was  not  at 
liberty  to  reject  the  bonds  of  Hymen. 
She  owed  a  son  to  the  ambitious 
piety  of  her  family,  who  would  not 
have  renounced,  for  all  the  treasures 
of  the  great  king,  the  hope  of  one 
day  numbering  amongst  themselves 
the  Liberator  of  Israel.  This  hope, 
which  had  sustained  the  Jews  when 
the  Chaldeans,  "  mounted  on  horses 
swifter  than  eagles,"  violently  rent 
asunder  the  embattled  wall  of  Sion, 
and  transplanted  its  people  to  the 


*  The  standard  of  Juda  was  of  a  green  color. 
{Dom  Calmet.) 

f  This  banner  of  the  Maccabees  bore  the 
^ords :  "Who  is  like  unto  thee,  O  Eternal? 
Mi  camocha  baelim,  Jehovah  ?  " 

J  Every    maiden    who    inherited     a     prop- 


^  banks  of  the  Euphrates — this  hope 
was  mingled  with  a  bitter  desire  of 
revenge  ever  since  the  Romans  ruled 
in  Asia.  The  Hebrews  hoped  soon 
to  see  the  day  when  the  eagles 
should  fly  before  the  emerald  ban- 
ner,* and  when  the  device  of  the 
Maccabees  f  should  wave  in  tri- 
umph over  that  of  the  Roman  senate. 
Never  did  the  fulfillment  of  the  Mes- 
sianic prophecies  seem  so  near  at 
hand,  and  hence  the  moment  was 
unfavorable  for  obtaining  the  favor 
solicited  by  Mary. 

According  to  the  Gospel  of  the 
Nativity  of  Mary  and  the  Proto- 
gospel  of  St.  James,  the  guardians 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  regardless 
of  her  remonstrances,  convoked  a 
meeting  of  her  nearest  relations, 
all  of  the  race  of  David  and  tribe 
of  Juda,  like  herself, J  in  order  to 
proceed  to  the  choice  of  the  hus- 
band whom  they  imposed  upon  her. 
Amongst  those  who  were  entitled 
to  aspire  to  her  hand,  there  were 


erty — and  not  maidens  in  general,  as  the 
Vulgate  says  —  was  bound  to  marry  a  man 
of  her  own  family  and  tribe,  and  not  her 
nearest  relation,  as  Montesquieu  asserts.  This 
was  in  order  that  patrimonies  might  not  pass 
from  one  tribe  to  another. 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIBGIN  MABY. 


119 


a  number  of  young  Israelites,  some 
handsome  and  brave,  others  the 
possessors  of  fertile  lands,  vine- 
yards, flocks  and  groves  of  olives. 
The  captains  of  Juda  would  have 
added  to  Mary's  portion  a  part  of 
the  spoils  and  slaves  taken  in  battle ; 
the  nabobs  of  her  tribe  would  have 
covered  her  with  the  gold-embroi- 
dered stuffs  of  India,  and  with  thrice- 
dyed  Tyrian  purple  ;  whilst  the  sons 
of  commerce,  who  traded  in  the 
emeralds  of  Egypt,  the  turquoises  of 
Iran,  and  the  pearls  of  the  Persian 
Gulf,  would  have  laid  at  her  feet 
chains  of  precious  stones,  costly 
bracelets  and  ear-rings,  that  were 
worth  a  prince's  ransom — in  short. 


*  aU  the  brilliant  insignia  of  female 
servitude.  But  these  were  all  weigh- 
ed in  the  balance  and  found  wanting-. 
Despising  the  advantages  of  youth, 
beauty,  high  rank,  wealth,  and  mar- 
tial glory,  the  priestly  guardians  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin  and  the  ancients 
of  her  house  fixed  their  choice  on  a 
man  of  advanced  age,*  a  decayed 
patrician,  whose  fortune  had  been 
swallowed  up  in  the  political  revo- 
lutions and  religious  wars  of  Judea 
as  the  sea  absorbs  a  drop  of  rain, 
leaving  him  only  his  arms  and  his 
trade.  This  poor,  but  high-bom  old 
man,  who,  according  to  the  Proto- 
gospel  of  St.  James,  was  a  widow- 
er,! but  according  to  St.  Jerome  had 


*Tlie  Proto-gospel  of  St.  James,  ch.  2,  and 
the  Gospel  of  the  Nativity  of  Mary,  ch.  8  (books 
whose  contents  have  been,  for  the  most  part, 
approved  of,  even  by  the  Fathers  of  the  Church), 
merely  say  that  he  was  already  old.  St.  Epi- 
phanius  gives  eighty  years  to  Joseph  at  the 
time  of  his  marriage,  Father  Pezron  fifty,  and 
FHistoire  divine  de  La  Vierge,  by  Marie  d'Agrada, 
thirty-three.  The  supposition  of  St.  Epiphanius 
will  not  bear  examination  ;  it  is,  moreover,  sol- 
emnly refuted  by  the  Hebrew  law,  which  forbids 
the  union  of  a  young  woman  and  an  old  man, 
and  places  it  in  the  most  disgraceful  category. 
(Basn.,  1.  vii.,  ch.  21.)  Hist,  de  Institutions  de 
Mdise.  Neither  the  priests  nor  Joseph  would 
have  done  that  which  was  condemned  by  the 
law.  The  age  given  by  Marie  d'Agrada  to 
Joseph  does  not  agree  with  the  opinion  of  the    jj 


Fathers  ;  there  remains  but  that  of  Father  Pez- 
ron, which  is  altogether  the  most  probable. 

f  Many  of  the  Fathers  have  thought  that  St. 
Joseph  was  a  widower  when  he  espoused  the 
Blessed  Virgin.  The  Proto-gospel  of  St.  James, 
and  the  Gospel  of  the  Nativity  of  the  Virgin 
both  mention  it  as  a  fact.  St.  Epiphanius  as- 
serts that  he  had  had  four  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters. St.  Hippolytus  of  Thebes,  calls  his  first 
wife  Salomd.  Origen,  Eusebius,  St.  Ambrose, 
and  several  other  Fathers,  have  adopted  the 
same  opinion.  Yet  still  it  is  by  no  means  gen- 
erally received,  and  it  is  commonly  thought  that 
St,  Joseph  led  a  Hfe  of  virginity.  Such  is  the 
opinion  of  St.  Jerome,  who  expressly  says,  writ- 
ing against  Helvidius,  "  We  nowhere  read  that 
he  had  had  any  other  wife  than  Mai-y ;  aliam  eum 
uxorem  habuisse  non  scribitur."     St.  Augustine 


XM 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


never  been  married — and  this  last  f 
is  the    prevailing   opinion    of   the 
Church — this  old  man  was  Joseph, 
the  carpenter  of  Nazareth. 

When  we  think  of  the  rare  beauty 
of  Mary,  the  education  which  she 
had  received  in  the  temple,  the 
great  connections  of  her  family,  and 
her  quality  of  heiress,  which  was 
a  desirable  and  even  brilliant  lot 
amongst  the  Jews,  who  endowed 
their  wives  and  received  scarcely 
anything  with  them,*  we  might  be 
astonished  at  this  decision  of  her 
family,  were  we  not  informed  by  the 
Fathers  that  Joseph  was  chosen  by 
lot  and  by  the  express  manifestation 
of  the  divine  will.f  An  ancient  tra- 
dition, inserted  in  the  Proto-gospel 
of  St.  James  and  mentioned  by  St. 
Jerome,  relates  that  the  candidates, 
after  having  invoked  Him  who  de- 
cides lots,  left  each  his  own  almond- 
tree  rod  in  the  temple  in  the  evening, 


leaves  the  question  undecided  ;  but  St.  Peter 
Damian  declares  it  to  be  the  belief  of  the  entire 
Church  that  St.  Joseph,  who  passed  for  the  father 
of  the  Saviour,  was  a  virgin  like  unto  Mary. 

*0n  the  occasion  of  the  marriage-contract, 
the  woman  only  received  from  her  friends 
the  apparel  necessary  for  her.  It  was  the 
husband  who  gave  the  dowry.  (M.  Salva- 
dor,   Institutions    de    Mdise.    t.    ii.,  eh.  1.) 


and  that  next  day  the  dry  and  with- 
ered branch  of  Joseph,  son  of  Jacob, 
son  of  Nathan,  was  found  green  and 
blossomed  like  that  which  had  of 
old  secured  the  priesthood  to  the 
Aaronites.  The  history  of  Mount 
C  arm  el  states  that,  at  sight  of  this 
prodigy,  which  annihilated  his  hopes, 
a  young  and  wealthy  patrician,  be- 
longing to  one  of  the  most  powerful 
families  of  Judea,  broke  his  rod  in 
pieces,  with  every  token  of  despair, 
and  hastened  to  shut  himself  up  in 
one  of  the  caves  of  Carmel  with  the 
disciples  of  Elias.;|; 

When  the  guardians  had  made 
their  choice,  they  announced  it  to 
Mary,  and  that  admirable  young 
Virgin,  accustomed  only  to  works  of 
fancy — reared  amid  the  perfumes, 
the  melodious  songs,  and  fairy  pa- 
geants of  the  holy  house — hesitated 
not  a  moment  in  devoting  herself  to 
an  obscure  life,  menial  occupations, 


f  Gospel  of  the  Nativity  of  Mary,  ch.  7  ;  Proto- 
gosp.  St.  James,  ch.  8  ;  St.  Hier.  in  Dam.,  1.  iv., 
ch.  5 ;  St.  Greg.  Naz.,  horn,  de  St.  Nat.;  Niceph., 
b.  ii.,  ch.  7. 

J  This  young  candidate  for  the  Virgin's  hand, 
who  was  named  Agabus,  afterwards  became  a 
Christian,  it  is  said,  and  was  famous  for  his 
sanctity.  (See  Histoire  du  Garmd,  chaptei 
xii.) 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


121 


and  arduous  cares,  with  the  humble 
artisan  chosen  by  her  friends.  A 
divine  revelation  had,  they  say,  made 
known  to  her  that  this  just  man 
would  be  to  her  only  a  protector,  a 
father,  and  the  guardian  of  her  chas- 
tity.* What  would  she  more  ?  The 
Lord  had  heard  her  prayer.  While 
leaving  her  faithful  to  the  vow  which 
she  had  made,  he  gave  her,  in  addi- 
tion, the  merit  of  obedience. 

The  projected  marriage  of  Joseph 
and  Mary  must  have  excited  surprise 
both  in  Nazareth  and  in  Jerusalem, 
for  there  was  little  similarity  of  age, 
fortune,  or  condition  between  the 
pair.  It  would,  however,  be  a  great 
mistake  to  think  that  this  union, 
apparently  so  disproportionate,  was 
regarded  by  Jewish  society  (whose 
habits  were  simple  and  primitive) 
as  in  any  degree  improper.  Though 
not  holding  a  distinguished  rank  in 
the  state,  the  trade  of  a  mechanic 


*  Vie  de  la  Sainte  Vierge,  by  Descoutures,  p. 
49.    Viede  Jesus  Christ,  by  Valverde,  t.  i.,  p,  71. 

f  Mechanics  are  still  highly  respected  in 
Judea.  "  In  Syria  and  Palestine,"  says  Burck- 
hardt,  "  the  corporations  of  mechanics  are 
almost  as  much  respected  as  they  were  during 
the  middle  ages  in  France  and  Germany.  A 
master-tradesman  is  there  considered  equal 
to   a  merchant  of  the  second  class.     He  can 


I  was  neither  abject  nor  degrading  in 
Israel.f  We  see  in  the  genealogy 
of  the  tribe  of  Juda  a  family  of 
workers  in  fine  flax,  and  another  of 
potters,  whose  memory  is  held  in 
honor,  and  Scripture  has  handed 
down  to  posterity  the  names  of 
Beleseel  and  Hiram.  It  is  well 
known  that  St.  Paul,  brought  up  to 
the  study  of  the  law,  the  famous 
Pharisean  doctor,  Hillel,  and  since 
them  many  doctors  who,  according 
to  the  emphatic  language  of  the 
Rabbins,  shed  light  on  the  holy  nor- 
tion,  were  not  ashamed  to  apply 
themselves  to  the  most  common 
mechanical  arts.  But  what  is  more: 
all  the  Israelites  were  artificers ;  for 
every  father  of  a  family,  whatever 
might  be  his  social  position,  was 
bound  to  make  his  son  learn  a 
trade,  unless,  said  the  law,  he  would 
make  him  a  thief. ^ 

Those  Jews  whose  patrimony  had 


marry  into  the  respectable  families  of  the 
city,  and  has  usually  more  influence  in  his 
own  locality  than  a  merchant  who  has  three 
times  his  wealth."  (Burckhardt,  Voyage  en 
Arabie,  t.  ii.,  p.  139. ) 

X  Any  man  who  does  not  give  his  children  a 
profession,  said  the  Pharisean  school,  prepares 

them   for  a  bad  life "Be   not  burdensome 

to  any  one Never    say,   I  am  a  man  of 


122 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


passed  into  the  hands  of  sti'angers, 
had  no  other  alternative  than  to  quit 
the  country  or  support  themselves 
by  the  labor  of  their  hands,  awaiting 
the  arrival  of  that  grand  epoch  which 
restored  all  property  to  its  original 
owners.  They  whose  love  of  coun- 
try induced  them  to  adopt  the  latter 
course,  were  in  no  way  degraded 
thereby,  or  incapacitated  for  any 
office  in  the  state.  Unlike  Egypt 
and  India,  Israel  had  no  castes  ;  her 
pride  was  based  on  her  religious 
belief,  and  her  descent  from  the 
patriarchs.  "To  be  the  issue  of 
Abraham  according  to  the  flesh," 
says  the  great  Bossuet,  "  was  a  dis- 
tinction beyond  all  others."  In  fact, 
the  lowest  of  the  Hebrews  was  held 
as  a  prince  in  comparison  with 
strangers.*  There  were,  however, 
amongst  the  Jews,  as  amongst  the 
Arabs,  some  tribes  more  illustrious 
and  some  houses  more  noble  than 
others.  The  tribe  of  Juda,  which 
carried  the  national  standard  at  the 
head  of  the  embattled  thousands  of 
Israel,  and  with  whom  the  sceptre 


quality  —  that  occupation  does  not  suit  me. 
Kabbi  Johanan  wrought  as  a  skinner,  Na- 
hum  as  a  copier  of  books,  another  Johanan 
made  sandals,  and  Rabbi  Juda  knew  the  baking 


*  was  to  remain  till  the  coming  of 
the  Messiah,  had  always  the  preem- 
inence; and  the  family  of  David 
was  the  first  and  most  honored 
amongst  the  families  of  Juda.  Now 
Joseph,  although  poor,  was  of  the 
Davidical  race.  The  blood  of  twen- 
ty kings  flowed  in  his  veins,  and  it 
was  Zorobabel,  one  of  his  ancestors, 
who  brought  back  the  people  of 
God  from  the  land  of  exile.  Since 
that  time,  the  splendor  of  his  house 
had  gradually  declined;  his  family 
had  become  identified  with  the  peo- 
ple, like  that  of  Moses  and  of  Samuel, 
but  its  illustrious  origin  was  not  for- 
gotten. In  our  own  days,  the  hum- 
ble Abassides,  who  vegetate  in  the 
depth  of  the  Hedjaz,  are  still  honor- 
ed as  the  descendants  of  Haroun- 
al-Raschid,  and  the  highest  family 
in  Arabia  would  not  disdain  their 
alliance. 

The  holy  daughter  of  Joachim  did 
not  lower  herself,  therefore,  as  much 
as  might  be  thought  by  espousing 
the  CARPENTER.  TMs  is  said  in  a 
worldly  sense ;  for,  if  we  regard  this 

trade."     {Tcdmud.,  Tract.  Kidotischim,  Pessarh, 
Aboth,  Soto.) 

*  The  Jews  have  not  lost  this  opinion  with 
their  nationality  ;  they  hold  it  stilL 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


123 


union  from  a  higher  point  of  view, 
we  find  that  it  was  in  fact  a  noble 
alliance.  God  gave  not  to  his  chosen 
Virgin  a  man  whose  merit  consisted 
in  his  lands,  his  vines,  or  his  shekels 
of  gold — things  which  often  change 
masters,  and  are  not  more  inherent 
in  the  rich  than  the  clothes  which 
they  leave  off  at  night.  He  gave 
her  a  just  man,  the  most  perfect  of 
his  works.  The  Lord  takes  no  ac- 
count of  the  vain  gewgaws  which 
delight  mankind ;  before  Him  there 
is  no  distinction  between  the  poor 
creatures  who  crawl  a  moment  in 
the  dust,  soon  to  become  the  pasture 
of  worms.  Man  judges  by  appear- 
ances, says  the  Scripture,  but  Jelio- 
vah  beholds  the  heart.  If  G-od  chose 
the  humble  Joseph  to  be  the  spouse 
of  the  Queen  of  Angels,  the  adoptive 
father  of  the  Messiah,  it  was  because 
he  possessed  treasures  of  grace  and 
of  sanctity  which  the  angels  them- 
selves might  envy;  it  was  because 
his  virtues  had  made  him  first 
amongst  his  people,   and  that  his 


*  Hillel  and  Schammay  warmly  discuss  the 
value  of  this  marriage-coin,  mentioned  by  the 
Talmud,  but  have  come  to  no  conclusion  on  the 
subject.     (Basn.,  1.  vii.,  ch.  21.) 

f  The  following  is  the  Uteral  form  of  the  mar- 


^  name  stood  far  higher  in  the  book 
of  life — the  heraldic  annals  of  eter- 
nity— than  that  of  the  imperial 
Cesar.  The  Virgin  was  not  confided 
to  the  most  powerful,  but  to  the 
most  worthy;  thus  the  ark,  which 
the  princes  and  captains  of  Israel 
dared  not  touch  for  fear  of  being 
stricken  with  death,  drew  down  the 
blessing  of  heaven  on  the  house 
of  a  simple  Levite  wherein  it  was 
sheltered. 

Joseph,  in  presence  of  the  guar- 
dians and  some  witnesses,  presented 
her  with  a  small  piece  of  money, 
the  value  of  which  is  not  now 
known,*  saying,  "  K  thou  consentest 
to  become  my  wife,  accept  this 
pledge."  Mary,  by  accepting  the 
gift,  was  solemnly  bound,  and  thence 
forward  nothing  but  a  formal  divorce 
could  restore  her  to  freedom.  The 
contract  was  drawn  up  by  certain 
of  the  Scribes.  It  was  concise,  and 
not  overbm'dened  with  technical 
terms.f  The  husband  promised  to 
honor  his  wife,  to  provide  for  her 


riage  contract  of  the  Hebrews.  It  was  in  use 
from  the  very  earliest  times,  and  must,  therefore, 
have  been  employed  at  the  marriage  of  Joseph 
and  Mary.  "In  the  year  .  .  .  .,  the  ....  day  of 
the  month  of  ...  .  Benjamin,  son  of  . .  . .,  said  to 


124 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


support,  accoi-ding  to  the  custom  of  ^ 
Hebrew  husbands,  and  secured  to 
her  a  dowry  of  two  hundred  zuses 
(fifty  crowns),  being  just  the  same 
for  the  daughter  of  a  prince  as  for 
the  daughter  of  a  mechanic,  but  it 
might  be  increased  according  to  the 
wealth  of  the  husband.  After  hav- 
ing insured  this  dowry  by  pledging 
all  his  possessions,  and  even  his 
cloak,  which,  nevertheless,  the  law 
did  not  allow  to  be  claimed  until 
after  his  death,*  Joseph  signed  the 
contract,  to  which  Mary  likewise 
affixed  her  signature.  A  short  ben- 
ediction in  honor  of  God  terminated 
this  ceremony,  which  took  place 
several  months  before  that  of  the 


marriage. 


The  maiTiage  of  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin was  solemnized  in  Jerusalem, 
and  the  most  dignified  members  of 


Rachel,  daughter  of  .  .  .  .,  Become  my  wife  under 
the  law  of  Moses  and  Israel.  I  promise  to  re- 
spect thee,  to  provide  for  thy  maintenance,  in 
food  and  clothing,  according  to  the  custom  of 
Hebrew  husbands  who  honor  their  wives  and 
maintain  them  in  a  proper  manner.     I  give  thee 

at  this  present (the   sum  fixed   by  the 

law),  and  I  promise  thee,  over  and  above 
thy  food,  clothing,  and  all  other  necessaries, 
that  conjugal  love,  which  is  common  to  peo- 
ple of  all  nations.  Rachel  consents  to  be- 
come the  wife  of  Benjamin,   who,   of  his  own 


lier  family  made  it  their  duty  to 
appear  on  the  occasion,  with  all  that 
magnificence  so  characteristic  of  the 
East,  and  which  excites  the  wonder 
of  European  travellers — even  the 
common  people  exhibiting  at  such 
times  the  most  unheard-of  splendor.f 
Not  to  invite  all  their  relatives,  on 
an  occasion  so  solemn,  would  have 
been  tantamount  to  rejecting  the 
ancient  customs  of  their  fathers — 
a  thing  which  could  never  happen 
amongst  that  traditionary  people, 
as  unchanging  in  its  customs  as 
in  its  religious  practices,  as  Philo, 
the  Jew,  truly  said  to  the  emperor 
Cai'us.  It  would,  moreover,  have 
outraged  all  the  observances  of  He- 
brew society;  and  the  presence  of 
Mary  at  the  wedding  of  Cana  proves, 
on  the  contrary,  that  she  conformed 
to  them. 


free  will,  and  in  order  to  make  a  dowry  pro- 
portioned to  his    means,   adds  to   the  dowry 

aforesaid  the  sum  of "      {Institutions  de 

Mdise. ) 

*  Basnage,  1.  vii.,  ch.  21. 

f  "  We  in  Europe  have  no  idea  of  the  splendor 
displayed  in  the  East  on  such  occasions,"  says 
Baron  Geramb  in  his  Pilgrimage  to  Jerusalem; 
"  the  nuptial  garment  of  almost  every  woman  is 
of  crimson  velvet,  embroidered  with  gold  ;  with 
this  they  wear  numerous  diamond  and  pearl 
ornaments."      M.   de   Lamartine  was  likewise 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


125 


It  was  a  bright  winter's  day,*  and 
the  new  moon  was  slowly  rising  be- 
hind the  mountains,!  when  a  long 
train  of  richly-dressed  women  was 
seen  to  approach  the  dwelling  of 
Mary.  The  light  of  the  torches, 
borne  by  a  number  of  slaves,  flashed 
on  their  cinctures  of  gold,  their 
strings  of  pearl,  the  jeweled  cres- 
cents which  they  wore  on  their  fore- 
heads, and  the  diamonds  of  their 
Persian  tiaras.  J  Those  daughters  of 
Sion  still  retained  the  use  of  paint, 
which  was  known  even  in  the  days 
of  Jezabel ;  their  brows  and  eye- 
lashes were  painted  black,  and  the 
tips  of  their  fingers  were  red  as  the 
berries  of  the  eglantine.  §  Being 
ushered  into  the  inner  room,  where 
the  young  and  holy  bride  was  seated 
in  company  with  some  pious  matrons 
of  her  family,  they  blessed  God  for 
giving  her  a  husband  to  protect  her, 


dazzled  with  the  superb  costumes  and  profusion 
of  jewels  displayed  by  the  women  of  Syria  at 
the  weddings  of  their  friends. 

*  In  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century  the 
Church  authorized  the  celebration  of  this  festival. 
It  is  solemnized  on  the  22d  of  January,  being,  it 
is  said,  the  day  on  which  the  marriage  took 
place.  The  city  of  Arras  holds  this  festival  on 
the  23d  of  January,  and  some  of  the  Flemish 
churches  on  the  24th  of  the  same  mouth. 


and  complimented  her  on  her  ap- 
proaching marriage,  the  festivities 
of  which  they  came  to  share. 

Belonging  to  Jewish  society,  with 
whom  the  bridal  adornment  was  a 
Biblical  reminiscence,  and  could  not 
be  dispensed  with,  Mary  was  obliged 
to  submit  for  a  while  to  the  require- 
ments of  Eastern  luxury,  although  it 
had  no  charms  for  her.  Gold,  pearls, 
and  rich  stuffs  are  not,  of  them- 
selves, reprehensible ;  it  is  only  the 
thoughts  of  pride  and  vanity  which 
they  engender  in  weak  minds  that 
are  positively  evil.  Queen  Matilda 
was  more  humble  under  her  embroi- 
dered garments,  studded  with  jewels, 
than  the  coarsely-clad  women  with 
whom  she  shut  herself  up,  after  her 
glorious  regency ;  such  is  the  simple 
testimony  of  the  chroniclers  of  those 
times. 

Taking  care,  then,  to  avoid  that 


f  Amongst  the  Jews  marriages  were  not  cele- 
brated indiscriminately  on  every  day  of  the 
week  ;  they  were  usually  solemnized  at  the  time 
of  a  new  moon,  and  on  Wednesday  rather  than 
any  other  day.     (Basn.,  1.  vii.,  ch.  21.) 

\  Isai,  cap.  iii. 

§  Throughout  all  the  East,  the  women  color 
the  tips  of  their  fingers  with  lausonia  iner- 
rtm.  (Linn.)  This  plant  abounds  in  the  islo 
of  Cyprus. 


rj6 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


(lisrt'iraitl  of  dres8  which  would  have 
been  sure  to  give  offence,  at  a  time 
when  custom  required  even  of  the 
wedding-guests  a  certain  richness 
of  costume — failing  in  which  they 
were  expelled,  as  we  see  even  by  the 
Gospel — the  young  descendant  of 
the  kings  of  Juda  was  bound  to  wear, 
on  that  occasion,  a  rich  and  becom- 
ing costume,  and  we  see  by  authen- 
tic relics  that  such  was  the  case.* 
Her  robe  was  carefully  preserved  in 
Palestine,  and  thence  conveyed  to 
Constantinople  in  461  (as  we  learn 
from  Nicephorus).  It  was  exceed- 
ingly valuable  both  in  ornament  and 
design.  The  ground  was  of  a  buff,  or 
nankin  color,  interspersed  with  flow- 
ers of  blue,  white,  violet  and  gold. 
It  is  now  the  holy  relic  of  Chartres.f 

♦There  are  two  of  the  Virgin's  tunics  still 
preserved,  and  they  are  made  of  very  precious 
stofifl  Chardin  saw  one  of  these  in  Mingrelia  ; 
it  was  of  a  nankin  color  and  richly  embroidered. 

f  This  tunic  was  given  by  Charles  the  Bald 
to  the  Church  of  Chartres  in  877.  Numerous 
miracles  have  been  attributed  to  it. 

^The  Christians  of  Damascus  have  retained 
thiB  custom.  Some  days  before  the  nuptial 
feast,  the  bridegroom  sends  to  his  betrothed  a 
pair  of  bracelets  either  of  gold  or  of  jewels,  ac- 
cording to  his  means,  a  piece  of  gold  brocade, 
and  160  dollars  for  the  expenses  of  the  bath  and 
the  wedding  banquet  {Corres.  d' Orient,  lettre 
147.) 

§  The  bride's  crown  was  usually  of  gold,  and 


In  memory  of  ancient  times  and 
the  patriarchal  customs  of  her  fa- 
thers, she  wore,  like  Rebecca,  ear- 
rings and  bracelets  of  gold — a  mod- 
est and  indispensable  present  which 
Joseph  had  to  send  some  days  be- 
fore the  ceremony,  J  and  to  which 
the  richer  Hebrews  added  necklaces 
of  pearls,  and  magnificent  sets  of 
jewels.  Instead  of  the  pointed  gold- 
en crown,  §  worn  by  the  brides  of 
the  more  opulent  classes,  there  was 
placed  on  Mary's  fair  tresses  ||  a 
simple  wreath  of  myrtle,  which  in 
spring  would  have  been  intertwined 
with  roses.^  Her  bridal  veil  covered 
her  from  head  to  foot,  and  floated 
around  her  like  a  cloud.** 

A  canopy  of  precious  stuff,  borne 
by  four  young  Hebrews,  awaited  the 

made  in  the  form  of  a  tower  like  that  of  Cybella. 
This  custom  was  abolished  during  the  siege  of 
Jerusalem  by  Titus,  but  the  wreaths  of  myrtle 
and  roses  were  retained.      (Basn.,  1.  vii.,  ch.  21.) 

II  Amongst  the  Jews,  even  the  women's  apparel 
was  within  the  province  of  tradition.  "Hair- 
dressers were  called  in  to  curl  the  young  bride's 
hair,  because,  said  the  Rabbins,  Jehovah  himself 
arranged  Eve's  hair  in  curls,  when  he  gave  her 
to  Adam  in  Paradise."  (Basnage,  L  ,vii.,  ch.  21, 
p.  393.) 

^  Garlands  of  myrtle  and  roses  were  worn  by 
brides  of  the  lower  classes.  (Basnage,  1.  vii., 
ch.  21.     Misnah,  Tit.  Sotah,  c.  9,  sect.  14.) 

**  These  nuptial  veils,  embroidered  in  gold 
and  silver,  are  still  in  use  all  over  Syria. 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


127 


bride  outside  her  dwelling.*  Mary 
was  placed  under  it,  between  two 
matrons,  the  one  on  the  right  repre- 
senting her  mother;  the  other  was 
probably  that  Mary  of  Cleophas, 
supposed  by  some  authors  to  have 
been  the  elder  daughter  of  St.  Ann, 
but  who  was  only  the  sister-in-law 
of  the  Virgin.f  After  them  came 
all  the  nuptial  train,  waving  palm 
and  myrtle  branches  in  token  of  re- 
joicing.;}; The  procession  moved 
along  to  the  sound  of  cymbals,  harps 
and  flutes  playing  grave  and  simple 
airs  in  concert ;  §  these  were  prob- 
ably identical  with  the  choirs  of 
David.  Then  came  the  bridegroom, 
his  brow  adorned  with  a  fantastic 
crown,  clear  as  crystal,  and  peculiar 


^  to  his  people.  1 1  He  was  surrounded 
by  a  number  of  friends  singing  an 
epithalamium,  imitated  from  Solo- 
mon's Canticle  of  Canticles,  that 
mystic  and  sublime  marriage-song 
whose  lofty  metaphors  have  each  a 
divine  and  hidden  meaning.  They 
sang  the  beauty  of  the  young  bride, 
whose  locks  were  as  branches  of 
palm-trees,  her  form  light  and  grace- 
ful as  that  of  a  young  hart,  her  teeth 
(white)  as  a  flock  of  sheep,  which 
come  up  from  the  washing ;  her  eyes 
as  doves  upon  brooks  of  waters ; 
they  said  that  the  odor  of  her  re- 
nown was  as  sweet  as  the  perfume 
that  exhaled  from  her  garments; 
that  she  was  the  lily  of  virgins  and 
the  object  of  women's  praise.    Pass- 


*  The  order  of  this  bridal  pomp,  which  goes 
back  to  the  most  remote  ages,  is  still  found  in 
Egypt.  Niebuhr  thus  describes  an  Egyptian 
marriage.  "  The  bride,  covered  from  head  to 
foot,  walks  between  two  women  under  a  canopy 
borne  by  four  men.  Several  slaves  go  before, 
some  of  them  playing  the  tabor ;  others  carry 
fly-flaps,  ifhile  others  again  sprinkle  perfumes 
around  as  they  pass  along.  They  are  followed 
by  a  number  of  women,  and  by  musicians  seated 
on  asses.  The  ceremony  takes  place  by  night, 
and  torches  are  borne  by  the  slaves."  (Niebuhr, 
Voyage  en  Arahie,  t.  1. ) 

■{■According  to  M.  Peignot,  a  conscientious 
historian,  who  made  many  inquiries  on  the  sub- 
sect,  this  holy  woman  was  the  wife  of  Cleophas, 
brother  of  St.  Joseph,  and  consequently  a  sister-    ^ 


in-law  of  the  Blessed  Virgin.  (See  Recherches 
historiques  sur  la  personne  de  J^us  Christ  et  ceUe 
de  Marie,  p.  249.) 

I  See  Fleury,  Mceurs  des  Israelites. 

§  The  music  of  the  East  is  altogether  different 
from  ours.  It  is  grave  and  simple,  without  any 
labored  modulation.  All  the  instruments  play 
together,  unless  one  may  take  the  notion  of  keep- 
ing up  a  continued  bass,  by  repeating  incessantly 
the  same  note.     (Niebuhr,  vol.  1,  p.  136.) 

II  This  crown,  which,  according  to  the  Jewish 
doctors,  contained  a  mysterious  lesson,  was 
composed  of  salt  and  sulphur.  The  salt  was 
clear  as  crystal,  and  upon  it  were  traced  various 
characters  with  the  sulphur.  {Codex,  M.  S. 
apud  Wagenseil  in  Mismam.  Tit.  Sotah,  adult,  de 
uxore  suspect,  c.  9,  sec.  14. ) 


r 


198 


LIFE  OF  TEE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


ing  then  to  the  eulogiuin  of  the 
bridegroom,  they  praised  his  mien, 
majestic  and  imposing  as  Lebanon, 
the  mildness  of  his  voice,  the  gra- 
cious urbanity  of  his  manners,  and 
tliey  added,  that  he  was  distfnguished 
amongst  men  as  the  cedar  amongst 
trees.  Then,  proceeding  to  matters 
of  a  higher  and  more  general  nature, 
they  said  that  the  husband  ought  to 
be  to  his  wife  as  the  bunch  of  myrrh 
which  she  wears  on  her  bosom ;  that 
she  ought  to  pass  through  life  rest- 
ing on  him,  and  as  heedless  of  all 
other  men  as  though  she  were  in  a 
desert,  because  that  jealousy  is  in- 
flexible as  death,  and  its  lamps  are 
lamps  of  fire  and  flame.  They  added, 
that  conjugal  love  was  a  thing  so 
precious  that  the  richest  of  men, 
were  he  to  buy  it  at  the  expense  of 
all  he  possessed,  might  still  reckon 
that  he  had  it  for  nothing. 

Now  and  then  the  young  people, 
who  brought  up  the  rear,  formed 
dances  of  the  same  kind  as  the  relig- 


*  Dancing,  which,  in  its  origin,  was  intended 
to  imitate  the  motion  of  the  stars,  mingled 
in  all  the  religious  feasts  of  antiquity.  It 
was,  doubtless,  of  antediluvian  origin,  and 
must  even  have  preceded  the  invention  of  musi- 
cal instruments. 

t  See  Niebuhr,  hook  quoted. 


f  ious  dance,  which  was  associated,  in 
its  origin,  with  the  religious  festi- 
vals.* Again,  they  would  burst  out 
into  those  shrill  and  prolonged  cries 
of  joy  still  in  use  amongst  the 
Arabs,f  which  are  compared  by  a 
recent  traveller  in  Syria  to  the  loud 
shouts  wherewith  the  vine-dressers 
of  southern  France  accost  their 
brethren  on  an  opposite  hill.  The 
whole  procession,  as  it  passed  along, 
scattered  small  pieces  of  silver;j; 
amongst  the  poor,  who  were  loud 
in  their  blessings  and  gratulations. 
These  silver  coins  bore  either  the 
device  of  a  vine-leaf,  or  the  three 
ears  of  corn  which  were  the  emblem 
of  Judea.§  The  women  of  Israel, 
grouped  along  the  wayside,  strewed 
palm-branches  before  the  bride  and 
bridegroom,  and  now  and  then  they 
stopped  the  former  to  sprinkle  her 
garments  with  essence  of  roses.|| 
Mary,  too,  was  to  have  her  day  of 
triumph  in  Jerusalem. 

Arrived  at  the  nuptial  dwelling, 

X  Basnage,  1.  vii.,  ch.  21 

§  Some  of  these  Jewish  coins  have  been  found 
of  the  time  of  Herod  and  the  Maccabees.  They 
bear  the  effigfy  of  no  prince,  but  merely  ears  of 
corn  and  vine-leaves. 

\  This  custom,  like  many  others,  was  borrowed 
from  Egypt. 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


129 


the  friends  of  the  bride  and  bride- 
groom cried  in  chorus,  Blessed  he  he 
who  Cometh  I  Joseph  covered  with 
his  taled,  and  Mary  with  her  veil, 
sat  side  by  side  under  the  canopy ; 
Mary  taking  the  right  side — because 
the  Psalmist  said,  the  queen  (thy 
spouse)  stood  on  thy  right  hand* — 
and  turning  towards  the  south. f 
The  bridegroom  placed  a  ring  upon 
her  finger,J  saying,  "Behold,  thou 
art  my  spouse  according  to  the  law 
of  Moses  and  of  Israel."  He  took 
off  his  taled  and  threw  it  over  the 
shoulders  of  the  bride,  in  imitation 
of  what  passed  at  the  marriage  of 
Ruth,  who  said  to  Booz,  Spread  thy 
coverlet  over  thy  servant.^  One  of 
the  nearest  kinsmen  then  poured 
wine  into  a  cup,  tasted  of  it,  and 
then  presented  it  to  the  new-married 
pair,  blessing  Grod  for  having  created 
man  and  woman,  and  instituted  mar- 
riage. "Whilst  they  carried  to  their 
lips  the  sacred  marriage-cup,  the 
assistants  sang  to  the  God  of  Israel 


*  Psalm  xliv.,  10. 

f  Basnage,  1.  vii.,  ch.  21. 

\  It  is  said  that  this  ring  is  at  Perouse,  where 
it  is  carefully  preserved.  (Basnage,  lib.  vii., 
ch.  21.) 

S  See  Buxtort 


a  hymn  which  contained  six  bless- 
ings. Joseph  then  poured  out  the 
remainder  of  the  wine  in  token  of 
liberality,  and  the  assembly  scatter- 
ed handfuls  of  wheat,  as  the  symbol 
of  abundance;  then  the  cup  was 
broken  to  pieces  by  a  child.  || 

All  the  assembly,  surrounding  the 
newly-married  pair  with  torches, 
blessed  the  Lord,  and  then  passed 
on  to  the  banquet-hall,  where  they 
proceeded  (according  to  an  ancient 
bishop  of  Bresse,^  who  traces  back 
this  Hebrew  tradition  to  the  days 
of  Christ)  to  choose  the  king  of  the 
feast,  who  was  to  be  "  of  the  sacer- 
dotal race,"  and  to  preside  over  the 
meats  and  the  wines,  and  to  see 
that  the  guests  did  not  infringe  on 
the  rules  of  religion  and  propriety. 
Joseph  and  Mary  also  arose;  but, 
before  they  followed  their  guests, 
they  exchanged  a  few  secret  words 
in  face  of  the  firmament  with  all  its 
stars,  which  attest  the  glory  of  the 
Most  High.**     "  Thou  shalt  be  as  a 


II  Basnage,  1.  vii.,  ch.  21.  Instil,  de  M<me,  L 
vii.,  ch.  i.,  p.  336. 

T  Gaudent,  Serm.  9,  B.  P.,  t.  ii.,  p.  38. 

**  St.  Thomas  is  of  opinion  that  it  was 
immediately  after  the  celebration  of  their  mar^ 
riage    that  St.  Joseph    and  the   Blessed  Vir- 


130 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


mother  unto  me,"  said  the  patriarch 
to  the  holy  Virgin,  "  and  I  will  re- 
spect thee  even  as  the  altar  of  Jeho- 
vah." Thenceforward  they  were  no 
more,  in  the  eyes  of  religious  law, 
than  brother  and  sister  in  marriage, 
although  their  union  was  strictly 
maintained.* 

Those  festivals,  which  were  ac- 
companied by  the  religious  ceremo- 
ny of  sacrifice,  lasted  seven  days,  as 
in  the  time  of  the  patriarchs.  The 
week  being  ended,  Joseph  and  Mary, 
escorted  by  a  brilliant  cavalcade 
of  their  relations,  took  the  way  to 
Galilee.  The  little  caravan  set  out 
to  the  merry  sound  of  cymbals,  and 
only  broke  up  at  the  fountain  of 
Anathot,f  w^here  those  of  Jerusalem 
took  leave  of  the  newly-married  pair, 
with  tears  in  their  eyes,  blessings 


gin   made,  by  mutual    consent,  their  vow    of 
virginity. 

*  This  vow  of  chastity  in  married  life,  which 
has  given  rise  to  so  much  impious  sarcasm,  was 
not  unknown  amongst  the  Hebrews ;  but  with 
them  it  was  dictated  by  passion  and  anger,  whilst 
that  of  these  holy  spouses  was  the  result  of  piety. 
If  a  husband  said  to  his  wife,  "  Thou  art  as  my 
mother,"  he  was  never  again  allowed  to  consider 
her  in  any  other  light ;  especially  if  he  had  intro- 
duced into  his  vow  the  altar  of  Jehovah,  the  tem- 
ple, or  the  sacrifice.  "Women  sometimes  did  the 
same  thing.      And  although  these  vows  were 


*  on  their  lips,  and  hands  solemnly 
placed  on  their  heart.  The  Naza- 
renes  went  on  their  way ;  they  cross- 
ed the  mountains  of  Samaria,  where 
the  eagle  watched  them  from  his 
eyrie  on  high,  regardless  of  their 
presence.  Sichem  then  presented 
itself  to  the  eyes  of  the  travellers, 
with  its  evergreen  woods,  its  limpid 
streams,  and  its  stately  edifices 
rising  above  the  foliage.  They 
passed  the  reddish  sides  of  the 
mountain  of  Garizim,  where  stood 
the  ruins  of  the  schismatic  temple, 
the  shameless  rival  of  the  holy 
house,  which  John  Hircan  had 
destroyed  by  fire,  and  which  was 
afterwards  replaced  by  a  church 
dedicated  to  Mary  herself;  then  the 
lofty  heights  of  Mount  Hebal ;  then 
Sebastes,  where  a  new  and  stately 


scarcely  approved  of,  because  they  proceeded 
from  wrath  and  malediction,  they  were  still 
considered  binding,  and  had  to  be  religiously 
fulfilled.  (Basnage,  lib.  vii.,  chapter  19,  page 
352.  Leo  of  Modena,  Ceremon.  d  Gout,  des 
Juifs,  ch.  4.) 

f  All  the  relations  went  on  horseback  to  escort 
the  bride  home,  in  case  her  husband's  house  was 
not  far  oflf.  This  is  still  customary  amongst  the 
Arabs.  We  have  represented  the  bridal  party  as 
separating  at  Anathot,  a  small  town  about  five 
leagues  from  Jerusalem,  because  it  is  the  first 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


131 


palace  was  rising  up  under  the 
protection  of  Augustus,  and  which 
Herod  delighted  to  embellish,  as  the 
only  altar  whereon  he  might  sacri- 
fice to  the  genius  of  Rome. 

Towards  the  middle  of  the  second 
day's  journey  they  distinguished  the 
summit  of  Mount  Thabor,  raising  its 
verdant  head  towards  the  pale  and 
silvery  sky  of  Galilee,  and  beyond, 
the  towering  heights  of  Lebanon, 
hiding  their  snowy  peaks  in  the 
clouds.  From  the  woody  slopes 
of  Hermon,  where  the  goats  were 
browsing  on  the  tender  shoots  of 
the  bushes,  they  descended  into  a 
smiling  plain,  which  lay  like  an 
immense  basket  of  flowers  between 
hills  covered  with  green  oaks  and 
myrtles,  vineyards,  and  groves  of 
olives.  Fields  of  barley,  wheat  and 
clover,  in  full  verdure,  were  gently 
waving  in  the  cool  fresh  breeze  of 
opening  spring,  warmer  and  more 
rapid  there  than  in  our  Western 
regions.     The  clear,  bright  sunlight 

*The  philosophers  of  the  last  century  took 
great  pains  to  depreciate  Palestine.  The  im- 
pression which  they  gave  of  it  still  remains,  while 
the  poverty  and  depopulation  of  that  country, 
scarcely  breathing  under  the  sabre  of  the  Mus- 
sulman, has  given  them  a  show  of  reason  in  the 
eyes  of  superficial  readers.   Yet  there  is  no  doubt    ^ 


*  lay  on  that  lovely  land,  vegetation 
was  rapidly  progressing,  an^  the 
blue  waters,  soon  to  be  dried  up 
by  the  scorching  summer  sun,  were 
running  in  silvery  brightness  through 
that  new  Eden.  Thriving  villages 
were  seen  peeping  out  here  and  there 
between  rows  of  stately  palms,  and 
at  intervals,  on  the  summit  of  a  rock, 
was  seated  the  solitary  fortress  whose 
garrison,  Hebrews  as  yet,  and  charg- 
ed with  a  protecting  mission,  drew 
their  Damascus  blades  only  against 
nocturnal  marauders,  or  the  Arabs 
of  the  desert.  This  delightful  valley, 
set,  as  it  were,  in  the  midst  of  high 
and  gloomy  mountains,  was  the  vale 
of  Esdrelon,  and  at  its  farther  end 
appeared  a  small  city,  picturesquely 
seated  on  the  declivity  of  a  hill, 
and  shining  preeminent  over  all 
the  neighboring  hamlets;  that  fair 
and  smiling  town  was  Nazareth, 
the  birth-place  of  Mary,  the  cradle 
of  the  Messiah !  * 

Doubtless,   it    was    not   without 

that,  with  the  exception  of  the  environs  of  Jeru- 
salem, whose  sterility  no  one  can  deny,  we  find 
in  that  country,  and  especiallj'  that  part  of  it 
which  formerly  belonged  to  the  Canaanites,  the 
promised  land  of  Moses.  In  proof  of  this  asser- 
tion, we  wiU  give  two  descriptions  of  Galilee, 
written  eight  hundred  years  apart     "  Galilee,** 


182 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


emotion  that  Mary  once  more  be- 
held her  native  town,  the  memory 
of  which,  dimmed,  but  not  effaced, 
had  been  wont  to  haunt  her  dreams. 
She  had  quitted  it  a  child  for  the 
splendid  walls  of  the  temple;  she 
retui-ned  fair,  young,  accomplished, 
and  pure  as  when  she  left. 

The  travellers  went  into  the  house 
of  St.  Ann,  an  ancient  and  mysteri- 
ous dwelling,  pai'tly  hollowed  from 
the  rock,  like  the  prophetic  grottoes 
of  former  times,*  and  which  w^as  soon 


says  Flavius  Josephus,  "  is  divided  into  Upper 
and  Lower,  both  extremely  fertile  ;  the  soil  is  at 
once  rich  and  light,  and  abounds  in  pasturage  ; 
it  is  suitable  for  every  production,  and  filled  with 
trees  of  every  kind,  but  especially  with  large 
plantations  of  vines  and  olives.  It  is  watered  by 
the  torrents  which  fall  from  the  mountains,  and 
by  a  vast  number  of  springs  and  rivulets  which 
are  never  exhausted,  and  supply  the  want  of  the 
torrents  when  these  last  are  dried  up  during  the 
heat  of  summer.  The  fertihty  of  the  soil  is  so 
great  that  it  induces  all  men,  even  those  who  are 
least  laborious,  to  cultivate  it.  Hence  it  is  well 
tilled,  and  there  is  not  a  spot  of  waste  land  to  be 
seen.  Its  inhabitants  are  robust  and  warlike, 
the  cities  frequent,  the  villages  numerous,  and 
so  densely  peopled  that  the  smallest  can  reckon 
fifteen  thousand  souls.  (Joseph.,  de  Bello,  lib. 
ii,  cap.  ii. )  "  To  give  an  idea  of  the  aspect  of 
Gahlee,"  says  a  modern  traveller,  speaking  in  his 
turn,  "  it  is  not  in  France  that  one  can  find  a 
comparison,  but  in  I'Agro  Romano  ;  around  Naz- 
areth, as  around  Rome,  it  is  every  where  the 
same  light,  the  same  configuration  of  the  soil, 
Nature  is  there  as  su-  lime  as  the  Gospel  itsell 


*  to  become  holier  than  the  temple  at 
Jerusalem — the  very  dwelling-place 
of  Jehovah.  The  women  of  Naza- 
reth greeted  the  youthful  bride  with 
blessings  as  she  modestly  advanced, 
wrapped  up  in  her  veil  like  Rebecca 
of  old;  and  Mary,  amid  the  gratu- 
lations  of  those  who  had  seen  her 
in  her  early  infancy,  entered  once 
more  that  calm  paternal  dwelling, 
which  seemed  still  redolent  with 
the  good  odor  of  the  virtues  of  Ann 
and  Joachim. 


GaUlee  is  an  abridged  picture  of  the  Holy  Land, 
and  when  once  we  have  seen  it  under  the  differ- 
ent aspects  of  day  and  night,  we  are  able  to 
understand  what  it  must  have  been  in  the  time 
of  Christ.  For  the  artist,  Galilee  is  an  Eden ; 
nothing  is  deficient ;  neither  the  accidents  of 
the  soil  of  Judea,  nor  the  luminous  solitudes  of 
Palestine,  nor  the  verdant  fecundity  of  Samaria, 
Garizim,  and  the  Mount  of  Olives,  are  more  sub- 
lime than  Hermon  and  Thabor ;  nor  are  the 
blueish  plains  of  Ascalon  more  solemn  than  the 
fragrant  shores  of  the  lake  of  Tiberias,  where  the 
air  is  absorbed  in  light.  The  Galilean  soil  every- 
where reminds  us  of  history  and  miracles  ;  eve- 
rywhere it  presents  traces  of  heroes  and  the 
imprint  of  God  ;  and  one  feels,  in  contemplating 
the  land  from  the  heights  of  Thabor,  that  it 
was  the  country  where  dwelt  the  Man- God  ;  so 
strangely  are  religious  reminiscences  mingled 
with  the  marvels  of  earth  and  sky."  {Gorres. 
d' Orient,  t.  v.) 

*  "  There  are  still  found  in  Nazareth,"  says  the 
Baron  Geramb,  "  houses  like  that  of  St.  Joseph, 
that  is  to  say,  very  low,  and  communicating  with 
a  cave  excavated  from  the  side  of  tl^e  mountain." 


CHAPTER    YIII. 

THE     ANNUNCIATION. 


is  easy  to  imagine 
the  blessed  tran- 
quillity in  which 
Joseph  and  Mary 
passed  the  first 
months  of  their 
chaste  union.  The  peace  of  God 
was  in  and  around  their  humble 
dwelling,  and  their  time  was  divided 
between  labor  and  prayer,  which 
sanctified  and  rendered  it  less  rude. 
According  to  an  ancient  custom,  still 
in  use  amongst  the  Arabs  and  near- 
ly all  over  the  East,  Joseph  wrought 
at  his  trade,  in  a  house  apart  from 
his  dwelling.*  His  workshop,  the 
same  in  which  Jesus  himself  subse- 
quently worked,  was  a  low  room, 
ten  or  twelve  feet  in  width  by  as 
many  in  length.     Outside  the  door 


*  This  house  of  St.  Joseph  is  about  130  or  140 
paces  from  that  of  St.  Ann.  The  place  is  still 
pointed  out,  under  the  name  of  Joseph's  Work- 
shop. This  shop  had  been  transformed  into  a 
spacious  church,  a  part  of  which  was  destroyed 
by  the  Turks.  A  chapel  still  remains,  wherein 
the  Holy  Sacrifice  is  daily  offered  up.  {Pelerin- 
age  a  Jerusalem,  par  le  K.  P.  Geramb. ) 


was  a  stone  bench,  whereon  the 
passer-by  might  rest,  sheltered  from 
the  burning  rays  of  the  sun  by  an 
awning  of  palm-leaf  matting.f  There 
it  was  that  the  laborious  Avorkman 
fabricated  plows,  yokes,  and  rustic 
cars.  Sometimes  he  put  up  the 
cabins  of  the  valley,  and  at  times  his 
arm,  still  stout  and  strong,  hewed 
down  the  lofty  sycamore  and  the 
black  turpentine-tree  of  Mount  Car- 
mel.J  The  pay  which  he  received 
for  so  much  toil  was  very  trifling, 
and  even  that  he  shared  with  the 
needy. 

On  her  side,  his  gentle  and  holy 
helpmate  was  not  idle.  Gifted  with 
a  mind  enlightened,  wise,  and  pru- 
dent, without  regret  for  the  past  or 
delusive  speculations  for  the  future. 


f  These  shops  are  still  the  same  all  over  the 
Levant.    {See  Burckhardt,  Voyage  en  Arable,  t.  i. ) 

J  St.  Justin,  Martyr  {Dialog,  cum  Ti'iphone), 
mentions  that  Jesus  helped  his  adoptive  father 
to  make  yokes  and  plows.  St.  Ambrose  {in  Luc., 
lib.  iii.,  2)  asserts  that  St.  Joseph  worked  at  the 
hewing  and  felling  of  trees,  the  building  of 
houses,  and  other  works  of  that  kind. 


134 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


seeing  the  world  just  as  it  is,  and 
hei  own  position  in  its  true  light, 
Bhe  piously  conformed  herself  to  it, 
and  fulfilled  with  religious  fidelity 
its  sacred  obligations.  From  the 
moment  she  took  possession  of  her 
mother's  dwelling,  she  clothed  her- 
self with  poverty  as  with  a  garment 
sent  by  Gjd,  and  became,  what  she 
ought  to  be,  in  the  obscure  condition 
to  which  Providence  had  reduced 
her,  an  humble  and  unassuming 
maiden.  All  the  gay  and  brilliant 
works  of  elegant  life  were  suddenly 
put  aside,  and  replaced  by  the  ar- 
duous cares,  the  monotonous  occu- 


*  The  first  mills  that  were  invented  were  hand- 
mills.  In  Egypt,  in  Arabia,  in  Palestine,  and 
even  in  Greece,  it  was  the  women  who  worked 
them.  There  is  still  shown  at  Mecca,  in  a  fine 
house  which  is  said  to  have  been  that  of  Khad- 
idje,  a  cavity  wherein  Fatima,  surnamed  the  daz- 
zling, daughter  of  Mahomet,  turned  her  hand-mill. 
{See  Burckhardt,  Voyage  en  Arabie.)  The  wives 
of  the  Arab  Sheiks  have  still  to  perform  this  la- 
borious duty.  In  the  time  of  the  sons  of  Clovis, 
St  Radegonde,  queen  of  France,  ground,  in  imi- 
tation of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  all  the  grain  that 
she  used  during  Lent.  (Le  Grand  d'Aussy, 
Hid.  prisee  des  Franfais.)  The  invention  of 
water-mills  is  attributed  to  Mithridates.  It  is 
certain  that  they  have  existed  from  his  time. 
Amongst  other  proofs  of  this,  that  pretty  epi- 
gram of  Antipator  of  Thessalonica  is  quoted,  and 
we  will  here  give  a  translation  of  it.  "  Ye  women, 
who  have  hitherto  been  employed  in  grinding 


^  pations  of  a  poor  household,  whose 
mistress  has  neither  slaves  nor 
servants.  The  delicate  hands  of 
Mary,  accustomed  to  handle  silken 
tissues,  plaited,  with  date-leaves,  or 
reeds  pulled  on  the  banks  of  Jordan, 
the  mat  which  covered  the  earthen 
floor  of  her  dwelling.  Her  spindle 
was  charged  with  the  coarsest  flax. 
She  had  herself  to  grind  the  wheat 
and  barley,*  which  she  kneaded  into 
round  thin  cakes.  Wrapt  in  her 
white  veil,  an  antique  urn  on  her 
head,f  she  went  to  draw  water  from 
a  neighboring  fountain, J  like  the 
wives  of  the   old  patriarchs,  or  to 


our  grain,  sleep  in  peace,  and  let  your  arms 
rest ;  it  is  no  longer  for  you  that  the  birds  usher 
in  the  morning  by  their  songs.  Ceres  has  com- 
manded the  Naiads  to  do  your  work  ;  they  obey, 
and  swiftly  turn  a  wheel  which,  in  its  turn, 
moves  the  heavy  mill-stones."  The  Romans  did 
not  perfectly  succeed  in  making  water-mills  until 
Constantine  had  abolished  slavery. 

f  These  urns  are  enormous  earthern  pitchers 
of  immoderate  height.  The  Nazarenes  carry 
them  on  their  head  ;  and  under  such  a  weight, 
and  sometimes  with  a  child  in  their  arms,  they 
walk  with  astonishing  lightness.  (De  Geramb, 
t.  ii.,  p.  239.) 

I  This  fountain  is  called  in  that  country  Mary's 
Fountain.  Tradition  says  that  the  divine  Mother 
of  Jesus  went  habitually  thither  to  draw  what 
water  she  required  ;  and  it  is  easy  to  believe 
that  such  was  the  case,  when  we  consider  the 
^    scarcity  of  water  in  Nazareth.     The  path  which 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


135 


wash  her  blue  robes  in  the  run- 
ning stream,  like  the  princesses  of 
Homer. 

Jesus,  witnessing  the  toilsome 
avocations  of  this  strong  woman^ 
frequently  alluded  to  them  in  his 
parables,  and  these  simple  occu- 
pations of  Mary  are  preserved  in 
the  Gospel  tissue  as  a  sea-flower 
is  in  amber.  We  there  see  the 
thrifty  housewife  putting  the  leaven 
in  three  measures  of  meal,*  care- 
fully sweeping  over  her  house  in 
search  of  something  that  she  lost,f 
and  patiently  mending  an  old 
garment.  J  When  Jesus  seeks  a 
similitude  to  recommend  purity  of 
heart,  he  draws  it  from  the  remem- 
brance of  her  cleanliness  who  care- 
fully washed  the  inside  and  outside 
of  the  cup;  §  and  we  may  guess  that 
he  thought  of  Mary  when  praising 
the  offering  of  the  widow  who  giveth 
not  of  her  abundance^  hut  of  her  pov- 
erty. Hence  the  chanter  of  Ohio 
represents  Justice  under  the  likeness 

leads  to  this  fountain,  where  the  pious  mother 
of  Constantiue  constructed  fine  basins  and  res- 
ervoirs, is  bordered  with  nopals  and  fruit-trees. 
(De  Geramb,  place  quoted.) 

*  St.  Luke,  eh.  xiii.,  v.  21,  and  St.  Matthew,  ch. 
xiii.,  8,  33. 

t  lUd.,  ch.  v.,  V.  36. 


*  of  his  mother,  a  poor  humble  woman, 
carefully  weighing  the  wool  which 
she  is  going  to  spin  for  her  own 
maintenance  and  that  of  her  son, 
remaining  just  and  honest  towards 
the  rich  in  the  midst  of  all  her 
poverty. 

At  nightfall,  ||  when  the  birds  seek 
their  lofty  nests,  Mary  placed  on  a 
clean,  bright  table,  the  work  of  Jo- 
seph's hands,  the  little  cakes  of 
wheat  and  barley,  the  savory  dates, 
milk-meat,  fruits,  and  dry  vegeta- 
bles, which  composed  the  frugal 
meal  of  the  descendant  of  the  Jew- 
ish princes.  These  articles,  plainly 
cooked,  formed  the  principal  food  of 
the  ancient  Hebrews,  a  sober  race, 
who  at  need  could  well  content 
themselves  with  bread  and  water.^ 
As  to  the  Virgin,  she  lived  on  so 
little  that  ancient  authors — lovers 
of  the  marvelous — thought  she  must 
have  been  fed  by  angels. 

When  Joseph,  tired  after  the  la- 
bors of  the  day,  entered  his  humble 


I  Ibid.,  ch.  XV.,  V.  8. 
§  Ibid.,  ch.  xi.,  v.  39. 

II  In  Israel,  people  eat  after  having  worked, 
and  late  enough  too.  (Fleury,  Maeurs  des  Isra- 
elites.) The  principal  meal  of  Joseph  and  Mary 
was  taken  about  six  in  the  evening. 

*ilbid.,  p.  61. 


18^ 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


home  at  sunset,  he  found  his  young 
spouse  waiting  to  present  the  water 
which  she  had  warmed  to  bathe  his 
feet,  and  the  clear,  cold  water  from 
the  fountain,  in  a  vase  free  from 
all  unclean  touch,*  for  the  ablutions 
necessary  before  meals.  That  grave 
and  simple  man,  with  his  fine  patri- 
archal countenance,  where  the  pas- 
sions had  left  no  trace,  and  that 
angelic  maiden,  so  eager  to  serve 
him  with  the  solicitude  of  a  tender 
child,  formed  a  group  worthy  of  the 
golden  age.f 

Meanwhile  the  hour  was  come-^ 
the  hour  which  the  Eternal  had 
marked  out  in  his  divine  counsels 
for  the  Incarnation  of  his  Son.  The 
angel  Gabriel,  one  of  the  four  J  who 
stand  always  before  the  Lord,  re- 
ceived a  mysterious  mission  which 

*  Ajuongst  the  Jews  there  were  numberless 
precautions  to  be  taken  for  purifying  the  vessels 
in  which  water  was  drawn  or  food  prepared. 
They  were  not  only  careful  in  regard  to  their 
having  belonged  to  strangers,  but  they  carried 
their  scruples  much  farther  still,  for  a  thousand 
circumstances  rendered  them  unclean.  {Misnah, 
Ordo  Puriiaium.) 

f  Non  dedignabar  parare  d  ministrare  qtUB  erant 
necessaria  JoKt^h.  Such  are  the  words  put  in 
the  mouth  of  Mary  by  an  ancient  author,  and  it 
is  in  perfect  conformity  with  the  still  existing 
customs. 

X  "  There  are  four  angels  who  are  scarcely  ever 


t  withdrew  him  for  a  time  from  the 
heavenly  court.  Assuming  one  of 
those  radiant  coverings  of  thick  air 
wherewith  the  celestial  spirits  clothe 
themselves  when  they  are  to  fall 
under  the  gross  senses  of  the  chil- 
dren of  men,§  the  angel  left  behind 
him  the  golden  palaces  and  emerald 
walls  of  the  heavenly  Jerusalem, 
whose  gates  are  twelve  pearls,  ||  and 
spread  his  vast  white  wings, ^  his 
face  all  radiant  with  benignant  joy ; 
for  he  was  bearing  to  earth  a  mes- 
sage of  peace,  and  the  holy  angels 
take  as  much  pleasure  in  the  hap- 
piness of  men  as  the  wicked  spir- 
its do  in  their  sufferings  and  their 
ruin. 

Having  crossed  the  measureless 
wastes  of  heaven,  in  which  every 
star  is  an  oasis,  the  angel  w^ho  had 

seen  on  earth,"  say  the  Rabbins,  "  because  they 
stand  around  the  throne  of  God  ;  these  angels 
are  :  Michael,  who  is  on  the  right ;  Gabriel,  on 
the  left  ;  Uriel,  who  is  before  God  ;  and  Raphael, 
who  is  behind  him."  {Bibt.  Rabbin,  i.,  page 
206.) 

§St.  Thomas  Aquinas,  Question  unique  des 
creatures  spirituelles,  Art.  6. 

I  Apocalypse,  ch.  xxi.,  v.  21. 

T  The  Jews  represent  the  angels,  as  Chris- 
tians do,  with  wings.  The  Koran  gives  the  angel 
Gabriel  one  hundred  and  forty  pairs  of  wings, 
and  says  that  it  takes  him  only  an  hour  to  come 
from  heaven  to  earth.     {Legend  of  Mahomet.) 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


137 


foretold  to  Daniel  the  coming  of  the  f 
Messiah,  and  who  was  now  setting 
out  for  the  accomplishment  of  that 
great  promise  of  God,  directed  his 
course  with  the  rapidity  of  thought 
towards  a  little  planet,  which  his 
piercing  eye  descried  at  an  immense 
distance,  first,  in  the  state  of  a 
nebulous  star;  then  shining  with 
a  pale  milky  light;  then,  at  last, 
with  the  rotundity  and  tranquil 
light  of  the  moon,  whose  phases 
it  has. 

On  approaching  this  little  globe, 
which  man  has  proudly  divided  into 
zones  and  hemispheres — where  he 
toils  with  senseless  ardor  to  amass 
some  treasures  which  he  makes  his 
god — the  angel  began  to  distinguish 
ponds  of  blue,  shining  water,  sur- 
mounted by  dark  peaks  like  little 
submarine  rocks.  These  were  our 
oceans  and  our  lofty  mountains. 
The  cities  did  not  yet  appear,  nor 
men.     At  length  the  earth,  which 


*  It  is  commonly  believed  that  the  angel's 
visit  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  took  place  about  the 
close  of  the  day. 

f  The  people  of  the  East  turn  towards  a 
certain  point  of  the  heavens  when  they  pray ; 
this  is  what  they  call  the  Kehla.  The  Jews 
turn  towards  the  temple  of  Jerusalem,  the 
Mahometans  towards  Mecca,  the   Sabeans  to- 


had  first  appeared  under  a  micro- 
scopic form,  gradually  expanded 
into  vast  countries  of  many  king- 
doms, intersected  with  deserts,  and 
planted  with  forests.  Arrived  at  the 
zenith  of  Palestine,  the  angel  cast  a 
gracious  glance  on  the  pretty  town 
of  Nazareth,  and,  descending  softly 
through  the  clouds  after  the  manner 
of  a  falling  star,  he  gracefully  lower- 
ed himself  to  the  humble,  but  holy 
dwelling  of  Joseph,  the  carpenter  of 
Galilee,  whose  fathers  were  kings. 

The  sun  was  declining  towards 
the  lofty  promontory  of  Carmel,  and 
was  soon  to  set  behind  the  horizon 
of  the  Syrian  Sea,  when  the  angel 
presented  himself  in  the  simple 
oratory  of  the  Blessed  Virgin.* 
Faithful  to  the  religious  customs  of 
her  people,  Mary,  her  head  turned 
towards  the  temple,f  was  then 
engaged  in  her  evening  prayer  to 
the  God  of  Jacob. %  "Hail,  full  of 
grace,"  said  the  heavenly  messen- 


wards  the  south,  and  the  Ghebers  towards  the 
rising  sun. 

:{;The  Jews  prayed  three  times  a  day;  at 
sunrise  in  the  morning,  at  three  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  when  sacrifice  was  offered,  and 
in  the  evening  at  sunset.  According  to  the 
Eabbins,  Abraham  estabUshed  the  morning 
>.    prayer,  Isaac  that  of  the  afternoon,  and  Jacob 


188 


LIFE  OF  TEE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


ger,  bending  bis  riidiant  head ;  "  the 
Loi*d  is  with  thee ;  blessed  art  thou 
amongst  women." 

Maiy  was  alarmed  at  this  marvel- 
ous apparition.  Perhaps  she  feared, 
like  Moses,  to  see  God  and  die. 
Perhaps,  as  St.  Ambrose  thought, 
her  virginal  modesty  was  alarmed  at 
sight  of  that  son  of  heaven,  who  in- 
troduced himself,  like  a  sunbeam, 
into  that  solitary  cell,  w^here  no  man 
ever  entered.  Perhaps  it  was  the 
respectful  attitude  and  splendid  eu- 
logium  of  the  angel  that  disturbed 
her  humility.  However  it  was,  the 
Gospel  mentions  that  she  was 
troubled  within  herself,  and  tried 
in  vain  to  understand  the  object  of 
that  sui-prising  visit,  and  the  hidden 
meaning  of  that  mysterious  saluta- 
tion. 

The  angel,  perceiving  her  alarm, 
mildly  said,  "Fear  not,  Mary,  for 
thou  hast  found  grace  with  God. 
Behold,  thou  shalt  conceive  in  thy 


that  of  the  evening.     (Basnage,  lib.  viL,  chap. 
17.) 

*  Calvin,  that  haughty  heresiarch,  who  burned 
Servetus  while  preaching  toleration,  dared  to 
calumniate  the  Virgin,  taking  occasion  from  this 
text  to  accuse  her  of  incredulity.  St.  Augustine 
had  met  the  objection  long  beforehand-  "  The 
Virgin  does  not  doubt,"  said  he,  "  non  quasi  in- 


f  womb,  and  shalt  bring  forth  a  Son, 
and  thou  shalt  call  his  name  Jesus. 
He  shall  be  great,  and  shall  be  call- 
ed the  Son  of  the  Most  High:  and 
the  Lord  God  shall  give  unto  him 
the  throne  of  David  his  father :  and 
he  shall  reign  in  the  house  of  Jacob 
for  ever."  At  these  words,  which 
would  have  overwhelmed  another 
with  joy,  the  chaste  and  prudent 
Mary  thought  only  of  her  virginal 
wreath,  which  she  was  resolved 
never  to  tarnish,  and  inquired  how 
this  prediction  was  to  be  reconciled 
with  her  vow  of  perpetual  chastity.* 
Virginal  pmity  is  a  thing  so  holy 
in  the  eyes  of  the  angels  that  Ga- 
briel, in  order  to  reassure  Mary, 
feared  not  to  reveal  a  part  of  the 
chaste  mystery  of  the  Incarnation. 
"  The  power  of  the  Most  High  shall 
overshadow  thee,"  said  he,  "  and  the 
Holy  which  shall  be  born  of  thee, 
shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God."f 
Then,  according  to  the  custom  of  the 


credula  de  oraculo  ;  she  only  seeks  to  be  informed 
as  to  how  the  miracle  is  to  be  wrought."  St. 
John  Chrysostom  adds  that  this  inquiry  is  the 
effect  of  respectful  admiration,  and  not  of  vain 
curiosity. 

f  This  Gospel  record  has  been  received  by  the 
Mussulmans  themselves.   Here  is  how  the  Koran 
^    relates  the  interview  between  the  Blessed  Virgin 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


139 


heavenly  ambassadors,  he  would 
give  her  a  sign  which  should  confirm 
the  truth  of  his  words.  "And  be- 
hold, thy  cousin  Elizabeth,  she  hath 
also  conceived  a  son  in  her  old  age : 
and  this  is  the  sixth  month  with 
her  that  is  called  barren:  because 
no  word  shall  be  impossible  with 
God." 

Sarah  had  smiled  an  incredulous 
smile  when  the  angel,  seated  under 
the  oaks  which  shaded  her  tent, 
announced  that  she,  old  and  barren, 
should  bear  a  son.  Mary,  to  whom 
a.  new  prodigy  was  announced, 
a  thing  unprecedented  under  the 
sun — in  fine,  a  virginal  maternity 
— immediately  believed  the  di- 
vine promise,  and  humbling  herself 
before  Him  who  exalted  her  above 
all  women,  she  answered  submis- 
sively, "  Behold  the  handmaid  of  the 
Lord,  be  it  done  unto  me  accord- 
ing to  thy  will !  "  At  these  words 
the    angel    disappeared,    and    the 


and  the  angel.  "  The  angel  said  unto  Mary : 
'  God  announces  his  Word  to  thee  :  he  shall  be 
called  Jesus,  the  Messiah,  the  Son  of  Mary,  great 
in  this  world  and  in  the  other,  and  the  confidant 
of  the  Most  High ;  men  shall  hear  his  Word 
from  infancy  to  old  age,  and  he  shall  be  num- 
bered amongst  the  just.'  'Lord,*  answered 
Mary,  '  how  could  I  have  a  son  ?    I  know  not 


f  Word  was  made  flesh  to  dwell 
amongst  us.*  Thus  it  was  that  the 
angel  of  light  treated  of  our  salva- 
tion with  the  second  Eve,  when  the 
crime  of  the  guilty  Eve,  who  had 
conspired  om^  ruin  with  the  infernal 
angel,  was  gloriously  repaired.  Thus 
it  was  that  a  simple  mortal  was 
raised  to  the  unequalled  dignity  of 
Mother  of  God,  and  that,  virgin  and 
mother  both  together,  she  united  by 
a  new  miracle  the  two  most  oppo- 
site and  sublime  states  of  her  sex. 
"Let  us  dive  no  farther  into  this 
mystery,"  says  St.  John  Chrysostom, 
"  or  seek  to  know  how  the  Holy 
Ghost  could  work  this  prodigy  in 
the  Virgin ;  that  divine  generation 
is  an  unfathomable  abyss  which 
no  curious  glance  may  sound."f 

We  have  adopted  the  opinion  of 
the  doctors  and  theologians  who 
maintain  that  Joseph  was  legally 
the  spouse  of  Mary  at  the  time  of 
the  Incarnation.     Yet  this  opinion 


man.'  'Yet  so  shall  it  be,'  replied  the  angel; 
'  God  forms  creatures  as  he  pleases  :  if  he  wills 
that  any  thing  should  exist,  he  says.  Be  done, 
and  it  is  done.'  "     (Ko.,  ch.  iii.) 

*  The  mystery  of  the  Incarnation  took  place 
on  the  25th  of  March,  on  a  Friday  evening,  ac- 
cording to  Father  Drexelius. 

f  St.  John  Chrysostom,  Ser.  4. 


140 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


is  controverted ;  and  amongst  the 
authorities  who  pretend  that  Mary 
was  not  yet  the  spouse,  but  only 
the  betrothed  of  Joseph,  we  find  in 
the  first  rank  the  great  St.  John 
Chrysostom  himself.*  Still,  Mary 
was  living  in  the  house  of  Joseph, 
according  to  the  same  Father,  at 
the  moment  of  the  Annunciation. 
"  For,"  says  that  illustrious  doctor, 
"  in  former  times  it  was  customary 
for  betrothed  brides  to  reside  in 
the  house  of  the  intended  husband, 
which  is  still  occasionally  done. 
We  see  that  the  sons-in-law  of  Lot 
dwelt  in  the  house  of  their  future 
father-in-law,"f 

Notwithstanding  her  profound  re- 
spect for  St.  John  Chrysostom,  the 
Church  has  not  adopted  his  opinion. 
The  example  of  the  sons-in-law 
of  Lot,  which  he  brings  forward 
to  prove  his  case,  is  badly  chosen. 
Scripture  nowhere  says  that  they 
lived  with  Lot;  and  all  goes  to 
prove  the  contrary,  since  the  patri- 
arch was  obliged   to  go  out,  at  a 


t  moment  of  terror  and  consteiiiation, 
whilst  the  wicked  city  was  in  an 
uproar,  to  warn  "  his  sons-in-law 
that  were  to  have  his  daughters." 
Even  supposing  that  these  young 
men  had  formed  a  part  of  Lot's 
family,  since  the  flocks  of  that  pa- 
triarch covered  the  hills  and  valleys 
of  an  entire  province,  they  would 
have  been,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Jordan,  precisely  what  Jacob  was 
in  Mesopotamia,  active  and  vigilant 
servants,  day  and  night  parched  with 
heat,  and  with  frost.\  We  nowhere 
see  that  they  had  their  betrothed 
in  their  tents ;  they  lived  under  the 
protection  of  the  patriarch,  whose 
chief  shepherds  they  were ;  there  is 
nothing  in  this  contrary  to  the  cus- 
toms of  Asia.  The  Blessed  Virgin, 
being  an  orphan  and  alone  in  the 
world,  would  have  been  in  an  awk- 
ward position,  residing  in  the  house 
of  her  betrothed  husband.  Such  a 
supposition  could  only  be  author- 
ized by  a  general  custom  amongst 
the  Hebrews,  and  we  find  in  their 


*  Descoutures  has  erred  in  placing  St.  John 
Chrysostom  amongst  those  who  maintain  that 
Joseph  was  legally  the  husband  of  Mary  at  the 
time  of  the  Incarnation;   that  writer,  who  is    ^ 


in  general  very  judicious,  probably  quoted  him 
from  supposition. 

t  St.  John  Chrysostom,  Serm.  4 

X  Gen.  ch.  xxxi.,  v.  40. 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


141 


code  an  express  law  against  it.*  * 
St.  Chrysostom  himself  tells  us,  and 
in  this  he  fully  agrees  with  the 
ancient  theologians,  that  God  long 
covered  with  an  impenetrable  veil 
the  miraculous  maternity  of  Mary, 
in  order  to  save  her  from  a  revolt- 
ing suspicion,  which  would  have 
been  as  hurtful  to  the  divinity  of 
the  Son  as  to  the  universal  respect 
due  to  the  Mother.  Now,  marriage 
alone  could  cover  Avith  its  honored 
mantle  the  mystery  of  the  Incarna- 
tion, for  a  mere  betrothal  would  not 
have  sufficed.  And  then,  if  Joseph 
and  Mary  had  been  only  betrothed 
at  the  time  of  the  Incarnation  of 
the  Word,  they  would  have  been 
nothing  more  four  months  after, 
since  the  Gospel  mentions  that 
Mary,  after  the  Annunciation,  set 
out  with  haste  to  visit  St.  Elizabeth, 
and  that  it  was  only  on  her  return 
from  Hebron,  after  an  absence  of 
three  months,  that  she  was  found 
with  child,  a  phrase  which  indicates 
a  position  visible  to  all.  Are  we 
to  suppose  that  the  marriage  of  the 
Virgin  was  only  celebrated  when 
her  maternity  was  known  and  estab- 


*  Misnah,  t.  iii.,  de  Sponsalibus.     Selden,  Uxor 
Hehrdica. 


* 


lished  ?  What  would  the  two  fami- 
lies have  thought  ?  What  would 
the  people  of  Nazareth  have  said 
as  they  thronged  to  witness  the 
ceremony  ?  What  insulting  re- 
marks would  have  been  applied  to 
the  most  pure  Virgin,  amongst  a 
people  with  whom  female  chastity 
was  so  sacred  that  its  violation 
was  inevitably  punished  with  death! 
Would  not  the  birth  of  the  Messiah 
— that  birth  which  was  to  be  pure 
as  the  morning-dew — have  been 
tainted  and  defiled  by  this  foul 
slander  ?  Would  not  the  Jews, 
and  especially  those  of  Nazareth, 
who  were  so  much  opposed  to 
Christ,  and  who  called  him  the  car- 
penter's son — would  they  not  have 
taunted  him  with  the  irregularity 
of  his  birth  ?  But  this  they  did  not 
do,  and  the  evident  conclusion  is 
that  they  could  not  do  it. 

Here,  then,  undoubtedly,  are  the 
reasons  which  induced  many  illus- 
trious theologians  to  hold  that 
Mary  was  really  married,  notwith- 
standing the  support  which  the 
opposite  party  seem  to  find  in  the 
words  of  St.  Matthew — words  which 
would  seem  to  favor  the  other 
interpretation — but   which   are  far 


142 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


from  being  so  precise  as  to  resolve 
the  difficulty.*  Finally,  the  dispute 
has  never  turned  on  the  principal 
point  Whether  wife  or  betrothed, 
no  tine  Christian  has  ever  doubted 


*  The  verse  which  has  divided  the  doctors  is 
this  :  Christi  autem  generatio,  sic  erat :  cum  esset 
defiponsata  mater  ejus  Maria  Joseph,  antequam 
convenirent,  inveiUa  est  in  utero  habens  de  Spiritu 
Sanclo.  Those  who  dwell  on  the  meaning  of 
these  words  say  that  the  Virgin  was  only  be- 
trothed, because  the  Gi'eek  verb  which  renders 
the  Hebrew  expression  of  St.  Matthew  means 
desponden,  to  be  promised,  and  because  there 
is  another  term  signifying  to  be  married,  just 
as  there  are  amongst  the  Latins  desponderi  and 
nubere,  so  that  St.  Joseph  had  not  yet  taken 
the  Virgin  to  his  house.  This  they  prove  by 
that  part  of  the  20th  verse.  Noli  timere  accipere 
Mariam  cofijugem  tuam :  quod  enim  in  ea  natum 
est,  de  Spirilu  Sancto  est,  which  they  thus  ex- 
plain :  "  Fear  not  to  take  Mary  for  thy  wife,  for 
what  is  conceived  in  her  is  conceived  by  the 
operation  of  the  Holy  Gost."  But  in  order  to 
translate  thus,  there  must  be,  in  conjugem  tuam. 
The  opposite  party,  who  are  sustained  by 
many  of  the  Fathers,  by  respectable  commen- 
tators, and  nearly  all  the  theologians,  find 
wherewith  to  combat  their  opponents  in  the 
second  chapter  of  St.  Luke,  where,  notwith- 
standing that  the  Virgin  was  already  married  to 
Joseph,  the  Evangelist  employs  the  Greek  term 
vTTioxveiadaj,,  which  signifies  being  promised,  and 
says,    Ut  prqfiteretur  cum   Maria  desponsata  sibi 


that  the  Mother  of  God  was  the 
purest  and  holiest  of  virgins.  The 
Mussulmans  themselves  agree  that 
she  was  "the  source  and  mine  of 
purity."f 


ujcre  prcegnante :  to  the  end  that  he  might  have 
an  understanding  with  his  betrothed  wife,  who 
was  with  child.  And  in  the  19th  verse  of  the 
first  chapter  of  St.  Matthew,  St.  Joseph  is  called 
vir  ejus  (her  husband)  and  not  her  betrothed. 
Although  St.  Matthew  calls  the  Blessed  Virgin 
sponsa  (betrothed)  and  she  a  wife,  that  does  not 
prove  that  she  had  not  yet  contracted  marriage; 
it  is  merely  to  show,  as  one  of  the  Fathers 
remarks,  that  she  had  no  closer  connection  with 
her  spouse  than  if  she  was  only  his  betrothed. 

f  The  purity  of  Mary  is  fully  recognized  by 
the  Mussulmans ;  hence  we  find  that  Abou- 
Ishac,  ambassador  from  the  Caliph  to  the  court 
of  the  Greek  Emperor,  being  present  at  a  re- 
ligious conference  with  the  patriarch  and  the 
Greek  bishops,  the  latter  reproached  the  Mus- 
sulmans with  many  slanderous  stories  which 
had  been  formerly  circulated  against  Aischah, 
the  widow  of  their  prophet,  which  had  occa- 
sioned grievous  disputes  amongst  them.  Where- 
upon Abou-Ishac  replied  that  these  disputes 
were  not  to  be  wondered  at,  seeing  that, 
amongst  Christians,  there  had  been  so  much 
difference  of  opinion  regarding  the  glorious 
Mary,  mother  of  Jesus,  "  who  may  be  called," 
said  he,  "the  mine  and  source  of  all  purity," 
genab  ismet  mealo  kon  offet.  (D'Herbelot,  BiJbli^ 
oth.  Orientale,  t.  ii.,  p.  620.) 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE     VISITATION. 


gEANWHILE,  * 
Mary,  informed 
by  the  angel 
of  the  miracu- 
lous pregnancy 
of  Elizabeth, 
resolved  on  go- 
ing to  offer  her  tender  congratula- 
tions to  her  venerable  relative.  It 
was  not,  as  heretics  have  dared  to 
assert,  that  the  Yirgin  wished  to 
have  ocular  demonstration  of  the 
reality  of  that  extraordinary  event. 
She  knew  that  nothing  is  impossi- 
ble to  God,  and  could  not  suppose 
that  an  envoy  from  heaven  would 
bring  her  words  of  falsehood  and 
deceit  from  the  Most  High.  She 
set  out,  not  to  assure  herself,  but 
because  she  was  sure.  She  set  out 
with  haste,  because  charity,  says 
St.  Ambrose,  admits  neither  hesita- 
tion nor  delay;  and  because,  with 
her  wonted  kindness  and  benevo- 
lence, she  longed  to  impart  to  the 
venerable  guardians  of  her  child- 
hood a  portion  of  that  sanctifi cation,  ^ 


and  of  those  celestial  graces,  which 
sprang  from  her  soul,  as  from  a 
source  of  living  water,  ever  since 
she  bore  in  her  chaste  womb  the 
Creator  of  the  world. 

With  the  consent  of  St.  Joseph, 
whose  simple  but  lofty  soul  was  in 
perfect  unison  with  her  own,  Mary 
set  out  from  Nazareth  in  the  season 
of  roses,  and  took  her  way  towards 
the  mountains  of  Judea,  where 
Zachary,  the  Aaronite,  had  his 
dwelling.  The  Scripture,  omitting 
details,  and  barely  mentioning  facts, 
does  not  mention  whether  the  Vu-- 
gin  was  accompanied  by  any  one 
on  this  journey.  Some  authors  have 
thought  that  she  travelled  alone, 
which  is  altogether  improbable. 
In  fact,  the  distance  from  Nazareth 
to  the  city  of  Ain  *  is  five  days' 
journey.  There  was  part  of  Galilee 
to  be  traversed,  with  the  hostile 
country  of  Samaria,  and  nearly  aU 

*  Zachary  lived  at  Ain,  or  Aen,  two  leagues 
south  of  Jerusalem.  St.  Helen  had  a  beautiful 
church  erected  on  the  site  of  his  house. 


144 


LIFE  OF  TEE  BLESSED  TTROIN  MART. 


Qie  lands  of  Joda.  Then,  the  coon-  ^  ^ 
trr  is  bristling  with  mountains,  in- 
tereected  by  foaming  torrents,  and 
intersp^-sed  with  deserts.*  The 
roads,  which  the  Romans  subse- 
quently repaired,  were  at  that  time 
only  beaten  by  the  heavy  foot-fall 
of  the  camels,  and  were  covered 
with  round  stones,  so  that  the  trav- 
eller was  at  every  step  in  danger 
of  falling.  Then,  when  night  came, 
the  wayfarer  was  obliged  to  put  up 
in  some  caravanserea,  where  there 
was  nothing  to  be  found  but  a  small 
room  covered  with  a  rush-mat,f 
and  no  provisions  of  any  sort;  for 
the  primitive  hospitality  had  re- 
trograded amongst  the  Hebrews  in 
proportion  to  the  advance  of  civili- 
zation. Such  being  the  case,  is  it 
at  all  likely  that  a  man  of  years 
and  experience,  like  Joseph,  would 
have  wantonly  exposed  a  young 
woman,   feur,   delicate,   and   totally 

*  Attlko^lli  Jadnvma  then  &r  more  popoloin 
tlisa  It  now  is,  there  were  atin  some  dtstziete  so 
bamn  ttoi  fliej  could  not  be  ealthralied.  Tbe 
Goipel  ifwVii  of  deserts  not  far  irom.  flie  eitiea^ 
wliitlier  JesBS  retired  to  praj. 

f  "lliere  is  no  inn  in  anj  part  of  Sjiis  or 
PalesiiDe," sajs  IL  deYolney;  "but  the  cities 
sad  most  ci  the  Tillsgee  hsTe  each  a  large  build- 
ing called  £emss-eend,  whidi  srares  as  an 
Mjtem   ior    an   farnvdOera.     llieae  hoetdries. 


unused  to  the  ways  of  the  world, 
to  brave  alone  the  thousand  dan- 
gers of  such  a  journey?  Such  a 
supposition  is  contrary  to  all  the 
customs  of  Asia,^  and  especially 
of  the  people  of  Grod.  Xever  was 
Jewish  woman  allowed  to  under- 
take such  a  journey  without  a 
fitting  escort 

If  St  Joseph,  as  Pere  Croiset 
thinks,  could  not  accompany  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  it  is  probable  that 
she  would  join  some  of  her  pious 
relatives  who  were  going  to  the 
Holy  City,  and  that  she  thus  trav- 
elled in  safe  company.  In  fact,  we 
always  find  her  travelling  with 
some  of  her  friends,  whether  in 
going  to  Jerusalem  to  celebrate  the 
grand  festivals,  or  with  the  holy 
women,  following  Jesus  during  his 
missions,  at  a  much  later  period  of 
her  life.  "  Although  she  could  have 
had  no  better  guardian  tlian  her- 

ahrajB  pJaeed  oatside  the  walls  of  the  dtj  car 
town,  are  oonqpoeed  <tf  four  wings  sorroonding 
a  sqnare  eoort,  which  serves  as  a  padded  ;  the j 
contain  neither  fanutore  nor  pronakms." 

J|;Xo  <me  tzarek  akme  in  Sjiia;  the j  go  in 
troops  and  eaiBrans,  and  emj  one  must  wait 
until  there  are  serend  persons  boond  for  the 
same  plaeei  Ihese  {Heeantkms  are  xerj  neeea- 
saxy  in  eoontnes  open  to  the  Arabs,  sofdi  as 
Syria  and  Palestine.    (Yolner,  Vogage  en  &pie.'^ 


<f^ 


LIFE   OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


145 


self,"  says  St.  Ambrose,  "yet  she 
never  went  abroad  without  fitting 
company."* 

Arrived  at  the  sacerdotal  town 
where  the  Levite  dwelt  with  his 
blessed  wife,  Mary  went  straight  to 
their  well-known  house.  Elizabeth, 
apprised  by  a  slave  of  her  cousin's 
unexpected  visit,  came  forth  to 
meet  her  with  every  demonstration 
of  joy. 

Seeing  her  approach,  the  young 
Virgin  bowed  down,  and  laying  her 
hand  on  her  heart,  Peace  he  with 
you,  said  she,  eager  to  give  the 
first  salutation,  f  Elizabeth  drew 
back.  The  pleased  and  friendly 
expression  of  her  countenance  gave 
place  to  that  of  profound  respect. 
Her  features  kindled  by  degrees. 
It  was  plain  that  something  strange 
and  unusual  was  passing  within 
her.  The  simple  formula  of  polite- 
ness which  the  Virgin  had  pro- 
nounced in  her  low  sweet  voice 
destroyed  Elizabeth's  familiarity. 
Suddenly  the  prophetic  spirit  de- 
scended upon  her,  and  she  exclaim- 


'^  ed,  "  Blessed  art  thou  amongst  women^ 
and  blessed  is  the  fruit  of  thy  womb. 
And  whence  is  this  to  me,"  she 
added,  "  that  the  Mother  of  my  Lord 
should  come  to  me?  For  behold, 
as  soon  as  the  voice  of  thy  saluta- 
tion sounded  in  my  ears,  the  infant 
in  my  womb  leaped  for  joy.  And 
blessed  art  thou  that  hast  believed, 
because  those  things  shall  be  ac- 
complished that  were  spoken  to 
thee  by  the  Lord." 

Mary's  answer  was  the  sublime 
Magnificat,  the  first  canticle  of  the 
New  Testament,  and  the  most  beau- 
tiful in  all  the  Scriptures. 

"  My  soul  doth  magnify  the  Lord :  and  my 
spirit  hath  rejoiced  in  God  my  Saviour  : 

"Because  he  hath  regarded  the  humiUty  of  his 
handmaid :  for,  behold,  from  henceforth  all  gen- 
erations shall  call  me  blessed. 

"For  he  that  is  mighty  hath  done  great  things 
to  me  :  and  holy  is  his  name. 

"  And  his  mercy  is  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion, to  them  that  fear  him. 

"  He  hath  showed  might  in  his  arm  :  he  hath 
scattered  the  proud  in  the  conceit  of  their  heart. 

"  He  hath  put  down  the  mighty  from  their 
seat,  and  hath  exalted  the  humble. 

"  He  hath  filled  the  hungry  with  good  things 
and  the  rich  he  hath  sent  away  empty. 


*  St.  Ambr.  de  Virginibus,  1.  iL  be   with   you "    {salem  alaicom),  they  lay  their 

f  This  salutation,  so  often  used  by  Christ,  is  hand  on  their  heart.     This   salutation  was   in 

still  common  throughout  the  East.     When  two  use  in  the  days  of  Abraham.     {S&7Bjrj,  Note  on 

persons  meet,  after  the  usual  greeting,  "Peace  ^    ^^  H'^  ^^*  ^  ^  Koran."^ 


14S 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


"He  hath  reoeiyed  Israel  his  servant,  being 
mindfal  of  his  mercy. 

**A8  he  spoke  to  oar  fathers,  to  Abraham  and 
to  his  seed  for  eTer." 

It  was  thus  that  the  Virgin  sud- 
denly saw,  by  a  supernatural  light, 
those  ancient  prophecies  and  their 
perfect  fultillment — herself  a  thou- 
sand times  more  enlightened  and 
more  privileged  than  all  the  proph- 
ets put  together.  "In  that  cele- 
brated interview,"  says  St.  Ambrose, 
"Mary  and  Elizabeth  both  prophe- 
sied by  the  Holy  Ghost,  with  whom 
they  were  tilled,  and  by  the  merit 
of  their  children." 

The  Virgin  remained  three  months 
in  the  country  of  the  Hethites,  with- 
in a  short  distance  of  the  city  of 
Ain,  in  the  depth  of  a  shady  and 
fertile  vale,  where  Zachary  had  his 
country-house.*  It  was  then  that 
the  daughter  of  David — herself, 
too,  a  prophetess,  and  gifted  with  a 
genius  equal  to  that  of  the  illustri- 
ous founder  of  her  race — could  con- 
template at  her  leisure  the  starry 
firmament,  the  stately  forests,  and 


f  the  vast  ocean  as  it  stretched  in 
ever-changing  majesty  along  the 
blueish  coasts  of  Syria.  The  Bless- 
ed Virgin  never  looked  without 
emotion  on  those  magnificent  scenes 
of  the  creation.  All  the  works  of 
nature  spoke  to  her  heart  of  their 
great  Author,  and  gently  animated 
her  soul  while  charming  her  eyes. 
The  plain,  which  spread  far  and 
away  towards  the  mountains  of 
Arabia,  the  blue  dome  of  heaven, 
rising  like  a  tent  over  the  habita- 
tions of  men,  gave  her  an  idea  of 
the  immensity  of  the  creating  God ; 
the  rich  yellow  of  the  crops,  the 
delicious  fruitage,  and  the  fresh 
mountain-spring  to  her  announced 
his  providence ;  the  voice  of  the 
tempest,  his  power ;  the  order  of  the 
heavenly  bodies,  his  wisdom;  and 
his  care  over  the  birds  of  the  air 
and  the  insects  of  the  earth,  his 
supreme  goodness. 

In  these  rural  excursions,  she 
sometimes  rested  on  the  verge  of 
a  gushing  spring,  whose  sparkling 
spray  she  loved  to  watch  and  to 


*  This  country-house  was  within  a  short  dis- 
tance of  Ain,  in  the  depth  of  a  pleasant  and  fer- 
tile valley  which  now  serves  as  a  garden  for  the    jf   but  it  is  now  nothing  more  than  a  heap  of  ruins, 


village  of  St.  John.    There  was  formerly  a  church 
erected  in  this  place  in  memory  of  the  Visitation, 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


147 


listen  to  the  gurgling  of  its  water. 
This  spring,  called  Kephtoa  in  the 
time  of  Joshua,  now  bears  the  name 
of  Mary.^ 

To  the  rear  of  the  Hebrew  pon- 
tiff's villa  lay  one  of  those  gardens, 
called  by  the  Persians  Paradise^ 
the  arrangement  of  which  had  been 
borrowed  by  the  Jewish  captives 
from  the  people  of  Cyrus  and  of 
Semiramis.  In  it  were  seen  the 
most  beautiful  trees  of  Palestine; 
and  the  tufts  of  flowers  thrown  care- 
lessly here  and  there  through  the 
glades,  the  sweet  perfume  of  the 
orange -trees,  the  rivulet  gliding 
along  beneath  the  drooping  branch- 
es of  the  willows,  gave  a  thousand 
charms  to  the  shade.  There  it  was 
that  Mary's  mild  persuasions  made 
Elizabeth  forget  her  fears  for  the 
issue  of  an  event  whose  anticipa- 
tion filled  her  with  hope  and  joy, 
but  which  was  full  of  danger  to  a 
woman  of  her  advanced  age.  How 
pure,  how  lofty  must  have  been  the 
discourse  of  these  two  holy  women ! 

*  This  fountain  has  so  great  an  abundance  of 
water  that  it  irrigates  and  fertiUzes  the  whole 
valley.  Tradition  says  that  Mary  sometimes 
"went  thither.  It  was  called  Nephtoa  in  the 
days  of  Joshua  ;  it  now  bears  the  name  of  the 
Virgin's  Fountain.  ^ 


*  the  one  young,  artless,  and  ignorant 
of  evil,  like  Eve  when  she  came 
from  her  Creator's  hand;  the  other 
full  of  days,  and  enriched  with  a 
long  experience  of  the  things  of 
life ;  both  profoundly  pious,  and 
both  well-pleasing  to  Jehovah:  the 
one  bearing  in  her  womb — so  long 
barren — a  son  who  was  to  be  a 
prophet,  yea,  more  than  a  prophet; 
the  other,  the  blessed  germ  of  the 
Most  High,  the  Chief  and  Liberator 
of  Israel. 

In  the  fine  evenings  of  summer, 
when  the  silvery  radiance  of  the 
moon  brightened  the  foliage,  the 
elegant  meal  of  the  family  was 
spread  beneath  a  large  fig-tree,  or 
under  the  green  leaves  of  a  spread- 
ing vine.f  There  was  lamb,  fed  on 
the  aromatic  slopes  of  the  moun- 
tains; fish,  taken  by  the  Sidonian 
fishermen  ;  the  wild  honeycomb, 
from  the  hollow  of  some  ancient 
oak;  then,  in  green  baskets,  skill- 
fully made  of  palm-leaves,  were  the 
dates    of    Jericho,J  which    figured 


f  The  Hebrews  made  it  a  practice  to  eat 
in  gardens,  under  trees  and  arbors ;  it  is 
so  natural,  in  warm  countries,  to  seek  the 
fresh  air,  (Fleury,  Moeurs  des  Israelites,  p. 
101.) 

X  The  dates  of  Syria  and  Judea  are  yellow 


148 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


even  on  the  table  of  Caesar;  the  f 
apricots  of  Ai-menia,  the  pistachio- 
nuts  of  Aleppo,  and  the  water- 
melons of  Egypt :  finally,  the  golden 
wine  of  Lebanon,  the  fragrant  juice 
of  vineyai'ds  in  the  far-oflf  islands 
of  the  Cyprian  Sea,  and  wine  from 
the  hills  of  Engaddi,  preserved  in 
stone  jai'S,*  was  sparkling  in  costly 
cups.  Maiy,  temperate  as  ever  in 
the  midst  of  this  profusion,  content- 
ed herself  with  some  fruit  and  a 
cup  of  water.  Frugality  was  not 
in  her  a  forced  virtue,  it  was  one 
of  choice.f 

Some,  with  a  view  to  enhance 
the  humility  of  the  Virgin,  which 
requires  no  such  aid,  have  pre- 
tended that  she  acted  as  a  servant 


and  black,  round  like  apples,  and  very  sweet. 
Pliny  reckons  forty-nine  sorts  of  dates. 

*  The  Jews  who  are  settled  in  Yemen  still  make 
use  of  these  jars.   (5feeNiebuhr,  Voyage  en  Arable.) 

f  With  her,  abstinence  seemed  no  longer  a 
privation  ;  it  was  rather  her  custom  not  to 
make  use  of  meat,  if  we  may  so  speak.  (P. 
Valverde,  Vie  de  Jesms  Christ,  t.  i.,  p.  6.) 

X  Zachary  was  descended  from  Abdia,  father 
of  the  eighth  sacerdotal  family.  These  ancient 
families  were  rare,  several  of  them  having  re- 
mained in  Persia  after  the  captivity.  Elizabeth 
was  descended  from  Aaron  and  from  David. 
The  Jews  place  John  the  Baptist  far  above 
Jesus,  because  he  passed  his  life  in  the  desert 
and  was  the  son  of  a  pontiff.      Jesus,  on   the 


and  almost  as  a  slave  towards  St 
Elizabeth. 

This  is  mere  folly.  Elizabeth 
would  never  have  permitted  a  wo- 
man whom  she  had  herself  pro- 
claimed as  the  mother  of  her  Lord, 
and  whom  she  had  loudly  extolled 
beyond  all  the  daughters  of  Sion, 
thus  to  humble  herself  before  her. 
The  holy  spouse  of  ZacharyJ  had  no 
want  of  either  servants  or  slaves. 
Christians  and  Jews  all  agree  that 
this  family  was  of  distinguished 
rank,  and  the  illustrious  birth  of 
St.  John  the  Baptist  seemed  even 
to  throw  some  discredit  on  that  of 
Jesus  Christ,  whose  reputed  parents 
were  much  more  obscure,  and  lived 
the  life  of  the  common  people. 


contrary,  was  born  of  a  poor  woman,  and  seem- 
ed to  them  only  an  ordinary  man.  (St.  J.  Chry- 
sos.  in  Matt,  Serm.  12.)  The  Mussulmans  have 
retained  a  great  idea  of  St.  John  the  Baptist, 
whom  they  call  Jahia  ben  Zacaria »( John  son  of 
Zachary).  Saadi,  in  his  GtUistan,  makes  men- 
tion of  the  sepulchre  of  St.  John  the  Baptist, 
venerated  in  the  mosque  of  Damascus.  He 
himself  had  prayed  there,  and  he  mentions  an 
Arabian  king  who  had  come  there  on  a  pilgrim- 
age. "  The  Caliph  Abdalmalek  would  fain  buy 
that  church  from  the  Christians,"  says  d'Herbe- 
lot,  "and  when  they  refused  to  take  four  thou- 
sand pistoles,  which  he  had  offered  them  for  it, 
he  took  it  from  them  by  force."  {Bibliotheque 
Orienlale,  t.  ii.) 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


149 


The  attentions  which  the  mild  t 
and  amiable  Virgin  lavished  on 
Elizabeth  had  in  them  nothing  of 
servility ;  they  were  just  such  atten- 
tions as  she  would  have  bestowed 
on  her  mother  had  heaven  spared 
her  to  her;  and  we  may,  indeed, 
suppose  that  she  was  often  remind- 
ed of  her  own  parents  by  the  sight 
of  that  loving,  devoted,  and  venera- 
ble pair,  who  loved  her  so  paternally, 
and. who,  after  that  first  interview 
wherein  her  greatness  was  so  mar- 
velously  revealed,  never  failed  to 
treat  her  with  a  profound  respect 
which  Mary's  humility  would  fain 
avert,  but  could  never  wholly  de- 
stroy. 

It  is  easy  to  imagine,  say  the 
Fathers,  how  many  blessings  were 
drawn  down  on  this  excellent  fam- 
ily by  the  visit  of  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin. If  the  Lord  blessed  Obededom 
and  all  that  was  his — even  so  as 
to  excite  the  >envy  of  the  holy  king 
David — for  having  had  the  ark  of 
the  covenant  three  months  in  his 
house,  what  blessings  must  not 
Zachary  and  his  household  have 
received  from  the  three  months'  so- 
journ of  Her  of  whom  the  ark  of  old 
was  but  the  figure,  so  holy  and  so 


venerable  was  she?  "The  purity 
in  which  St.  John  passed  his  whole 
life,"  says  St.  Ambrose,  "was  the 
effect  of  that  unction  and  that  grace 
infused  into  his  soul  by  the  presence 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin." 

It  is  not  precisely  known  whether 
the  Mother  of  God  assisted  at  the 
delivery  of  Elizabeth.  Origen,  St. 
Ambrose,  and  other  grave  authors, 
both  ancient  and  modern,  pronounce 
in  the  affirmative,  and  their  opinion 
is  highly  probable.  It  would,  in- 
deed, have  been  very  strange  if, 
after  so  long  a  visit  to  her  cousin, 
Mary  had  suddenly  left  her  at  the 
critical  time,  and  without  any  rea- 
sonable motive  for  such  a  hasty  and 
untimely  departure.  Custom  re- 
quired that  all  the  matrons  of  the 
family  should  be  with  the  new 
mother  to  share  in  her  happiness. 
"We  see  by  the  Gospel  that  Elizabeth 
was  surrounded  by  her  friends  on 
that  solemn  occasion,  and  that  the 
birth  of  St.  John  the  Baptist  drew 
to  his  father's  house  a  great  number 
of  friends  and  kinsfolk.  It  is  ob- 
jected that  virgins  were  not  usually 
present  at  such  times,  and  the  objec- 
tion is  very  proper ;  but  Mary  was 
married,   and    therefore    bound   by 


150 


UFS  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


certain  rules  of  decorum,  which  she  f 
could  not  violate  without  going  in 
expi-ess  contradiction  to  customs 
which  had  been  handed  down  from 
the  patriarchal  times.  The  retir- 
ing habits  of  the  Virgin  are  also 
brought  forward  to  prove  that  the 
very  rumor  of  the  festivals  which 
were  to  celebrate  the  birth  of  the 
Precursor  would  have  driven  her 
away  like  a  frightened  dove.  But 
Mary  could  easily  reconcile  her  dis- 
taste for  the  world  with  that  exqui- 
site sense  of  propriety  attributed  to 
her  by  the  Fathers,  and  her  tender 
solicitude  for  her  mother's  niece.     It 


*  Some  theologians,  embracing  an  opinion 
contrary  to  that  of  Origan  and  St.  Ambrose, 
maintain  their  position  by  quoting  that  passage 
of  St.  Luke  which  only  mentions  the  delivery  of 
Elizabeth  after  having  brought  the  Virgin  back 
to  Galilee.  It  seems  to  us  that  the  subject  de- 
manded more  reflection  than  these  writers  seem 
to  have  bestowed  upon  it.  For  ourselves,  we 
have  carefully  examined  the  Gospel  of  St.  Luke, 
and  that  minute  investigation  has  convinced  us 
that  the  proof  brought  forward  is  anything  but 
conclusive  ;  for  it  is  the  manner  of  St.  Luke  to 
make  just  such  transpositions,  as  we  can  show 
by  two  instances  of  a  similar  kind.  For  instance, 
after  having  followed  the  preaching  of  St.  John 
the  Baptist,  and  announced  his  imprisonment, 
St  Luke  speaks,  in  the  following  verse,  of  the 
baptism  of  Jesus  Christ,  which  is  well  known  to 
have  taken  place  long  before  the  Precursor  was 


is,  then,  most  probable  that  she 
remained  in  the  house  of  the  pontiff 
until  Elizabeth  was  out  of  danger ; 
when,  withdrawing  herself  fi'om  the 
admiration  which  she  never  failed 
to  excite,  she  quitted  the  mountains 
of  Judea,  after  having  embraced 
and  blessed  the  new  Elias.* 

A  religious  author  observes  that 
the  blessed  daughter  of  Joachim 
went  with  haste  to  visit  her  cousin, 
but  that  she  slowly  and  reluctantly 
departed  from  those  fresh  valleys 
whose  oaks  had  sheltered  angels.f 
Perhaps,  like  the  sea-bird,  she  had  a 
presentiment  of  the  coming  storm. 


cast  into  prison.  In  recounting  the  adoration 
of  the  shepherds,  St.  Luke  enlarges  on  their 
marvelous  accounts  of  their  visit  to  the  grotto 
of  Bethlehem,  and  the  astonishment  wherewith 
they  were  heard  ;  then,  returning  all  at  once  to 
the  scene  of  the  adoration,  he  speaks  of  their  de- 
parture from  the  stable.  This,  then,  is  our  reason 
for  adopting  the  opinion  of  St.  Ambrose,  which, 
of  itself,  is  altogether  the  most  probable.  Father 
Valverde,  who  has  closely  studied  the  Holy 
Fathers,  is  also  of  opinion  that  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin did  not  leave  her  friends  till  she  had  seen 
and  blessed  the  young  Precursor  of  the  Messiah, 
f  In  the  vale  of  Mambre,  which  is  but  six 
stadas  from  Hebron,  there  was  still  to  be  seen, 
in  St.  Jerome's  time,  a  tree  of  enormous  thick- 
ness, said  to  be  the  identical  tree  under  which 
Abraham  received  the  visit  of  the  three  angels, 
who  came  to  announce  to  him  the  birth  of  Isaac. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  RETURN  FROM  HEBRON. 


'iN  her  return  to 
Nazareth,  Mary 
cheerfully  re- 
sumed her  ple- 
beian life,  and 
the  toilsome  oc- 
cupations which  she  had  to  suspend 
during  her  long  visit.  She  became 
again  the  active  and  diligent  young 
housewife,  who  finds  time  for  work, 
time  for  prayer,  time  for  pious  read- 
ing ;  whose  whole  conversation  was 
in  heaven,  and  who  seemed  to  have 
applied  to  herself  those  wise  and 
beautiful  words  of  the  Psalmist, 
"  All  the  glory  of  the  king's  daughter 
is  within."  Meantime  she  was  ad- 
vancing in  her  virginal  pregnancy, 
and  Joseph  began  to  wax  jealous. 

The  high  and  upright  mind  of  the 
patriarch  was  tortured  with  doubt 
and  grievous  perplexity.  At  first 
he  could  not  believe  his  eyes,  and 
thought  it  more  just  to  distrust  the 
evidence  of  his  senses  than  the  vir- 
tue of  a  woman  who  had  always 
appeared  to  him  a  prodigy  of  holi- 


f  ness  and  purity.     But  Mary's  con- 
dition became  daily  more  evident 
"She  was  found  with  child,"  says 
the  Gospel;  which  means  that  all 
JS"azareth  knew  the  fact,  and  that 
Joseph's  friends,  in  the  simplicity 
of  their  heart,  came  to  offer  their 
cruel  congratulations,  which  he  had 
to  receive  with  a  show  of  composure, 
while  they  gave  a  crushing  certainty 
to  what  he  had  himself  suspected. 
According  to  the  Proto-gospel  of  St. 
James,  he  prostrated  himself  before 
God,  bathed  in  tears,  in  the  first 
paroxysm  of  his  grief,  and  cried  out, 
"  Who  has  betrayed  me  ?  who  has 
brought  evil  into  my  house  ?"    Then, 
yielding  to  his  tenderness   for  the 
young  orphan,  whom  he  had  always 
regarded  as  the  pearl  and  glory  of 
her  sex,  he  bitterly  accused  himself 
for  not  having  taken  more  care  of 
her.      "Alas!"   said   he  to  himself, 
"  my  history  is  that  of  Adam ;  when 
he  rested  most  securely  in  his  glory 
and  happiness,  Satan  suddenly  be- 
guiled Eve  by  deceitful  words  and 


162 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


Bcduced  her."*      When  his  mind  t 
became  calm  enough  to  reflect,  he 
found    himself   in  a  most  painful 
pi*edicament 

Accoi*ding  to  the  Jewish  law, 
adultery  was  punished  with  death. 
When  there  were  no  witnesses  (even 
one  would  have  sufficed),  and  that 
the  woman  denied  the  crime  laid  to 
her  charge,  she  was  conducted,  by 
order  of  the  Sanhedrim,  to  the  east- 
ern gate  of  the  temple,  and  there,  in 
presence  of  all,  her  veil  was  torn  off, 
a  cord  from  Egypt  was  put  around 
her  neck  to  remind  her  of  the  mira- 
cles which  God  had  wrought  in  that 
country,  her  long  hair  was  spread 
over  her  shoulders — because  it  was 
a  disgrace  for  a  Jewish  woman  to 
be  seen  with  her  hair  disheveled  — 
a  priest  pronounced  a  formal  male- 
diction, to  which  she  had  to  answer 
Amen,  and  then  presented  to  her  the 
famous  cup  of  the  waters  of  jealousy, 
which  was  also  called  the  hitter 
waters,  because  they  had  the  taste 
of  wormwood.f  That  accursed  cup 
was  sure  to  kill  the  guilty  wife,  un- 

*  Proto-gospel  of  St.  James,  in  the  Apocryph 
of  Fabric,  t,  L,  p.  97. 
f  Basnage,  1.  vii.,  ch.  22. 
J  Wagenseil,  in  Sotah,  p.  244 


less  the  husband  himself  had  been 
unfaithful.  In  that  case,  the  miracle 
did  not  take  place,  "  seeing,"  said 
the  doctors  of  Israel,  "  that  it  would 
have  been  unjust  if  one  criminal 
were  absolved,  whilst  God  himself 
punished  the  other."J  A  hasty,  pas- 
sionate husband  would  not  have 
failed  to  drag  Mary  before  the  priests 
of  the  Lord,  ho  as  to  have  her  go 
through  the  ordeal  oUhe  bitter  waters; 
but  Joseph,  the  most  moderate  as 
well  as  the  most  just  of  men,  never 
so  much  as  thought  of  taking  such  a 
step.  Being  unable  to  keep  Mary 
under  his  roof,  since  the  law  of 
honor  and  the  law  of  Moses  both  for- 
bade it,  he  would,  at  least,  take  all 
possible  precautions  to  prevent  the 
separation  from  injuring  her  charac- 
ter, for  he  was  a  Ju^t  man,  and  un- 
willing piiblicly  to  expose  her,  "  I 
will  divorce  her,"  said  Joseph  sadly 
within  himself,  "  but  before  God,  and 
not  before  the  judges  who  would 
condemn  her  to  death  and  me  to 
throw  the  first  stone. §  I  will  save 
her  from  the  reproaches  of  her  fami- 

§  It  was  decreed  by  the  Jewish  law  that  the 
accuser  should  cast  the  first  stone  at  the  person 
who  was  condemned  on  his  accusation.  (See 
Indit.  de  Mdise,  t.  ii.,  p.  65.) 


LIFE  OF   THE  BLESSED   VIRGIN  MART. 


153 


ly  and  the  contempt  of  the  world. 
But  how  am  I  to  get  out  of  this 
labyrinth  where  death  and  dishonor 
stare  me  in  the  face  at  every  turn?" 
And  the  son  of  David  was  over- 
Avhelmed  with  affliction. 

Mary  could  not  but  see  the  gloomy 
dejection  of  the  just  man  to  whom 
God  had  confided  her,  and  certainly 
it  must  have  cost  her  much  to  con- 
ceal from  him  the  glorious  embassy 
of  the  angel.  But  how  was  she  to 
communicate  an  event  so  strange,  so 
miraculous,  as  that  of  her  divine 
maternity,  and  without  other  proof 
than  her  own  assertion?  Justly 
persuaded  that  the  mystery  of  the 
Incarnation  of  the  Word  must  be 
revealed  by  supernatural  means  in 
order  to  be  believed,  and  leaving  to 
Him  who  had  wrought  such  great 
things  in  her  the  care  of  convincing 
Joseph  of  her  innocence,  "  the  daugh- 
ter of  David,"  says  the  great  bishop 
of  Meaux,  "  at  the  risk  of  seeing  her- 
self not  only  suspected  and  aban- 
doned, but  also  lost  and  dishonored. 


*  "  Undoubtedly,"  says  Bossuet  (Elev.  sur 
les  MysL),  "God  could  have  abridged  these 
suflferings  of  Joseph  by  sooner  revealing  to 
him  the  mystery  of  Mary's  pregnancy ;  but 
his  virtue  would  not  then   have  been   put  to 


*  left    all   to   God   and   remained   in 
peace." 

The  Eternal,  from  the  height  of 
his  starry  throne,  cast  a  look  of  com- 
passion on  the  just  man  whom  he 
had  made  to  undergo  so  hard  a  trial,* 
before  raising  him  to  the  supreme 
honor  of  being  his  representative 
on  earth;  and  the  angels,  with  their 
eyes  fixed  on  the  holy  house  of 
Nazareth,  anxiously  awaited  the 
result  of  that  secret  struggle  where- 
in humanity,  duty,  and  the  noblest 
feelings  of  the  soul  were  engaged. 
At  length,  the  patriarch  conceived 
an  idea  so  generous,  so  heroic,  as 
almost  to  place  him  on  a  level  with 
the  Queen  of  Angels.  He  resolved 
to  sacrifice  his  honor,  the  respect 
which  he  had  gained  by  his  spotless 
life,  the  means  of  existence  which 
furnished  his  daily  bread,  and  the 
air  of  his  native  land,  so  necessary 
to  the  aged,  in  order  to  save  the 
reputation  of  a  wife  who  did  not 
even  seek  to  justify  herself  and  who 
was  so  cruelly  condemned  by  ap- 


the  proof.  We  should  not  have  seen  Joseph 
ti'iumph  over  the  most  indomitable  of  all  pas- 
sions, and  the  most  rational  jealousy  that  ever 
was  would  not  have  been  cast  down  at  the  feet 
of  virtue." 


r 


151 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


peariinces.  There  was  but  one  way 
to  leave  Mary  without  ruining  her, 
for  her  family  would  have  provoked 
explanations  which  must  have  ended 
fatally.  It  was,  to  expatriate  him- 
self, to  go  leave  his  bones  in  a  for- 
eign land,  and  to  take  upon  himself 
all  the  odium  of  such  a  desertion. 
There  is  a  species  of  resignation 
which  is  in  itself  a  glorious  triumpli, 
and  there  are  sorrows  which,  if  pa- 
tiently endured,  Heaven  repays  as 
mmiiticently  as  martyrdom  itself. 
Of  this  class  was  the  unknown  sac- 
ritice  of  the  Virgin's  spouse.  In 
order  to  reconcile  his  duty  and  his 
humanity,  he  accepted  beforehand 
the  ignominious  character  of  a  heart- 
h  ss  husband,  an  unfeeling  father,  a 
man  without  conscience  and  without 
faith.  He  accepted  the  contempt  of 
his  neighbors,  the  mortal  hatred  of 
Mary's  friends,  and  resolved  to  give 
up  his  good  name  for  the  sake  of  her 
whose  mysterious  and  unaccountable 
position  filled  his  heart  with  sorrow, 
and  made  his  life  miserable. 

St.  John  Chrysostom  delights  to 
dwell  on  the  admirable  conduct  of 
St.  Joseph.  "It  was  expedient," 
says  that  great  saint,  "  that  coming 
on  to  the  time  of  our  Saviom*  there 


^  should  appear  many  marks  of  greater 
perfection  than  the  world  had  yet 
dreamed  of.  Thus,  when  the  sun  is 
about  to  rise,  the  East  assumes  a 
brilliant  coloring  long  before  the  first 
streak  of  day  has  reached  the  hori- 
zon; so  did  Jesus  Christ,  about  to 
emerge  from  the  womb  of  the  Virgin, 
already  shed  light  on  the  world. 
Hence  it  was  that,  even  before  that 
divine  birth,  prophets  leaped  for 
joy  in  their  mother's  womb,  women 
prophesied,  and  Joseph  manifested 
a  superhuman  degree  of  virtue." 

We  have  here  adopted  the  opinion 
of  St.  John  Chrysostom  in  preference 
to  that  of  St.  Bernard,  who  supposes 
that  Joseph  penetrated  of  himself 
the  mystery  of  the  birth  of  Christ, 
and  that,  seeing  Mary  pregnant,  he 
doubted  not — in  his  profound  vener- 
ation for  her — that  she  must  be  the 
miraculous  Virgin  of  Isaiah.  "He 
believed  it,"  says  the  Apostle  of  the 
Crusades,  "  and  it  was  only  from  a 
sentiment  of  humility  and  respect 
like  unto  that  which  made  St.  Peter 
afterwards  say,  *  Depart  from  me,  0 
Lord,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man,'  that  St. 
Joseph,  not  less  humble  than  St. 
Peter,  thought  of  leaving  the  Vir- 

^  gin,    not    doubting    but    that    she 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


155 


was    pregnant  of    the    Saviour   of   * 
mankind." 

This  interpretation — a  very  pious 
one,  indeed,  and  worthy  of  him  who 
was  honored  with  the  title  of  devout 
chaplain  of  Mary — is  yet  more  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  ascetic  notions  of 
the  middle  ages  than  with  the  cus- 
toms of  the  ancient  Hebrews,  and 
will  not  stand  a  close  investigation. 
In  fact,  the  words  of  the  Evangelist 
are  so  clear,  that  it  takes  no  small 
industry  to  make  them  obscure.  It 
is  not  at  all  that  instinctive  feeling 
of  religious  awe,  which  makes  us 
shrink  from  a  religious  object,  that 
suggests  to  Joseph  the  idea  of  leav- 
ing Mary;  it  is  the  prompting  of 
conscience  and  of  duty.  "He  was 
just,"  says  Bossuet,  "  and  his  justice 
would  not  permit  him  to  remain  in 
the  company  of  a  woman  whom  he 
could  no  longer  believe  innocent. 
As  for  his  suspecting  what  had 
happened  by  the  operation  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  it  was  a  miracle  as 
yet  unexampled,  and  could  by  no 
means  present  itself  to  the  human 
mind." 

The  words  of  the  angel  would  no 
longer  have  a  meaning,  and  would 
savor  of  falsehood — which  could  not 


be  the  case — if  St.  Bernard's  hypoth- 
esis were  carried  out.  "  Fear  not," 
said  the  ambassador  of  God,  "  to 
take  unto  thee  Mary  thy  wife :  for 
that  which  is  conceived  in  her  is  of 
the  Holy  Ghost."  Does  Joseph  pro- 
claim his  unworthiness  at  the  mo- 
ment when  he  is  made  certain  that 
Mary  bears  in  her  womb  the  very 
Author  of  nature  ?  Does  he  reveal 
to  the  angel  those  scruples  which 
must  now  be  more  urgent  than  ever  ? 
Does  he  beg  that  the  cup  of  honor, 
presented  to  him  by  the  celestial 
messenger,  may  pass  to  some  wor- 
thier mortal  ?  He  does  nothing  of 
the  kind.  The  storm  of  his  soul  is 
suddenly  hushed,  and  he  falls  into 
that  profound  calm  which  follows 
great  moral  tempests. 

Some  will  have  it  that  the  proph- 
ecies relating  to  the  Messiah  were 
familiar  to  Joseph,  as  to  all  the 
Hebrews ;  that  he  must  have  been 
aware  that  the  time  of  the  Messiah 
was  at  hand,  and  that  he  must  have 
known  at  first  sight,  considering  the 
sanctity  of  Mary,  that  she  bore  in 
her  womb  the  Saviour  of  the  world. 
But  the  understanding  of  those 
prophecies  was  then  far  from  being 
as  easy  as  may  now  be  imagined 


156 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


Whether  it  was  that  Isaiah's  alle- 
gorical descriptions  of  the  glorious 
reign  of  Emanuel  had  led  the 
synagogue  into  error,  or  that  the 
carnal  mind  of  the  Jews  could  not 
raise  itself  above  the  earth  and 
earthly  things,  it  is  certain  that  the 
Hebrew  people — that  hard-headed 
people — had  taken  a  wrong  view  of 
the  subject,  and  did  not  choose  to 
be  set  right.  The  ambassador  of 
God,  the  desired  of  the  nations,  was 
to  be  a  legislator,  a  great  captain,  a 
monarch  magnificent  and  powerful 
as  Solomon.  The  Apostles  them- 
selves were  long  mistaken  as  to  the 
humble  and  pacific  mission  of  the 
poor  King,  who  passed  silently  along. 
They  were  seen  to  flatter  themselves 
with  gilded  visions  and  kingdoms 
in  perspective,  even  in  sight  of  that 
deicide  city  where  their  Master  was 
to  be  put  to  death.  It  was  not 
without  an  effort  that  our  Lord 
brought  them  back  to  spirituality, 
and  rectified  their  ideas,  ever  ready 
to  return  within  the  narrow  channel 
of  material  and  palpable  goods, 
whither  they  were  directed  by  the 

*  Bossuet,  Elev.  siir  les  Mysferes,  t.  ii.,  p.  135. 
t  Whence  comes  he   (the  Messiah)?      From 
the  royal  city,  Bethlfcliem  of  Juda.     Where  are    ^    salem.) 


ambitious  dreams   of   doctors  and 
traditionary  Pharisees.* 

If  even  the  Apostles,  then,  had  so 
much  trouble  in  divesting  themselves 
of  their  childish  prejudices — they 
who  lived  amid  the  miracles  of  the 
Messiah,  and  in  constant  intercourse 
with  him — how  could  Joseph  have 
done  it  of  himself,  without  assist- 
ance from  on  high?  The  coarse 
garments  of  the  workman  had  little 
resemblance  to  the  purple  of  the 
kings  of  Juda ;  and  of  all  things,  it 
was  least  expected  that  the  Messiah 
should  spring  from  the  people.  Gal- 
ilee was,  besides,  the  last  country 
that  would  have  been  thought  of. 
"  Search  the  Scriptures,"  said  the 
doctors  of  the  law  to  the  disciples 
of  Christ,  "  and  see  that  out  of  Gali- 
lee a  prophet  riseth  not."  In  fact, 
the  prophets  had  specially  mention- 
ed Bethlehem  of  Juda — Bethlehem, 
the  house  of  bread — as  the  birth- 
place of  the  Messiah ;  and  the  Jew- 
ish commentators,  outstripping  the 
prophets,  pretended  to  point  out  the 
quarter  of  the  city  in  which  he  was 
to  be  born.f     Joseph  was  too  hum- 

his   parents?     In  the  quarter  Biral  Harba  of 
Bethlehem    of   Juda.       (See    Talmud    de    Jeru- 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


157 


ble  to  think  that  his  lowly  roof  was  ^ 
to  shelter  so  much  greatness,  and 
Mary's  silence  left  him  nothing   to 
guess. 

As  for  the  project  of  sending  back 
the  Virgin  to  her  own  family,  through 
pure  respect,  as  some  learned  theolo- 
gians of  the  Bernardino  school  will 
have  it,  it  would  have  been  utterly 
impracticable  in  a  nation  so  jealous 
of  all  that  concerned  female  honor. 
Mary  was  an  orphan,  and  therefore 
under  the  care  of  her  relations,  all 
of  whom  were  not  of  a  pacific  dis- 
position, while  it  is  probable  that 
some  of  them  were  far  from  being 
pleased  by  the  marriage  of  their 
young  kinswoman  with  the  obscure 
Nazarene.  It  is  very  improbable 
that  they  would  have  taken  Joseph's 
word,  and  admitted,  without  further 
information,  that  the  Virgin  was 
pregnant  of  the  King-Messiah.  It  is 
much  more  likely  that  they  would 
have  brought  the  husband  before 
the  tribunal  of  the  ancients,  there  to 
give  an  account  of  his  conduct ;  for 
the  question  was  no  longer  of  a  sim- 
ple divorce,  but  of  the  state  of  the 
child  borne  by  Mary,  a  young  woman 
of  illustrious  birth  and  unsuitably 
married,    according    to   the    eleven 


who,  St.  Jerome  says,  had  been 
themselves  on  the  list  of  candidates 
for  the  hand  of  the  young  and  lovely 
heiress  of  Joachim.  . 

Thence  there  would  have  resulted 
two  grave  facts.  Either  Joseph 
would  have  kept  silent,  and  then  he 
would  have  been  obliged  to  take 
back  his  wife  and  forbidden  ever  to 
put  her  away ;  *  or  he  would  have 
solemnly  sworn  that  the  child  which 
Mary  bore  was  not  his,  in  which 
case  that  child  became  incapacitated 
for  any  employment.  His  birth,  de- 
filed in  its  source,  would  have  de- 
barred him  from  the  national  assem- 
blies, public  schools,  and  entrance 
to  the  temple  or  the  synagogues. 
His  posterity,  inheritors  of  disgrace, 
would  not  be  admitted  to  the  privi- 
leges of  the  Hebrews  till  the  tenth 
generation.  He  became  a  fugitive, 
without  rights,  without  country,  and 
the  warrant  which  condemned  his 
mother  to  be  stoned  would  have 
stamped  his  brow  and  that  of  his 
children  with  the  accursed  mark  of 
Cain.  But  such  could  never  have 
been  the  case.  Rather  than  suffer 
such  a  stain  to  be  imprinted  on  their 


*  InstU.  de  Mdise,  t.  ii.,  1.  vii. 


168 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


royal  genealogy,  the  proud  descend- 
ants of  David  would  have  killed  the 
Vii-gin  with  their  own  hands.  Such 
examples  ai'e  not  rare,  and  are  of 
frequent  occui-rence  even  now,  in 
Judea  as  well  as  in  Arabia.* 

Joseph  was  too  wise  and  too  hii- 
mane  to  place  himself  in  either  pre- 
dicament, and  he  found,  as  is  always 
the  case,  that  the  most  generous 
part  was  the  best.  He  resolved, 
then,  to  quit  his  native  city  and  his  "^ 
dear,  though  suspected  wife,  who 
had  made  him  so  supremely  happy 
ever  since  their  chaste  marriage. 
WTiilst  he  was  preparing  for  this  sad 
separation,  as  he  slept  one  night  on 
his  solitary  couch,  the  angel  of  the 
Lord  appeared  to  him  in  a  dream. 


*  Niebuhr  relates  that,  "  in  a  cofifee-house  of 
Yemen,  an  Arab  having  asked  another  who  was 
present  if  he  were  not  the  father  of  a  young  and 
beautiful  woman  newly  married  in  his  tribe,  the 
father  suspecting  an  ironical  meaning  in  the 
question,  and  thinking  the  honor  of  his  family 
compromised,  coolly  arose,  ran  to  his  daughter's 
house,  and,  without  saying  a  word,  plunged  his 
weapon  into  her  bosom."  Father  Geramb  gives 
an  anecdote  of  the  same  kind.  "  The  widow  of 
a  Bethlehemite  Cathohc,"  says  he,  "  became  an 
object  of  suspicion  ;  not  knowing  where  to  con- 
ceal herself  from  the  vengeance  of  her  family, 
she  took  refuge  in  the  convent  of  the  Fathers  of 
the  Holy  Land,  and  put  herself  under  the  sacred 
protection  of  the  altar.     Her  asylum  was  disco v- 


1 


"Joseph,  son  of  David,"  said  the 
celestial  envoy,  "fear  not  to  take 
unto  thee  Mary  thy  wife;  for  that 
which  is  conceived  in  her  is  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  And  she  shall  bring 
forth  a  son,  and  thou  shalt  call  his 
name  Jesus ;  for  he  shall  save  bis 
people  from  their  sins." 

After  this  dream  and  the  words 
of  the  angel,  Joseph  found  himself 
completely  changed.  His  humility 
was  not  in  the  least  disturbed  by 
the  honor  which  God  conferred  up- 
on him,  in  transferring  to  him  the 
guidance  of  his  only  Son ;  but  he 
had  become  a  father  and  a  spouse 
in  aflfection,  and  he  thought  of  noth- 
ing more  but  the  care  of  Mary  and 
her  divine  Infant. 


ered,  the  doors  of  the  monastery  forced,  and  the 
young  woman  dragged  out,  her  hair  all  dishev- 
eled, to  the  public  place,  amid  the  shouts  of  the 
populace,  and  the  supplications  of  the  monks, 
who  demanded,  in  the  name  of  the  crucified  God, 
pardon  and  mercy  for  that  unjiappy  creature, 
who  lotidly  asserted  her  innocence.  She  called, 
in  despair,  on  her  father  and  brothers  beseech- 
ing them,  in  the  most  touching  manner,  to  save 
her  from  a  cruel  death.  They  advanced  in 
gloomy  silence,  each  grasping  a  poignard  :  the 
unfortunate  woman  shuddered  ;  a  moment  after, 
the  three  poignards  were  plunged  into  her 
heart,  and  the  murderers,  washing  their  hr.nds  in 
the  blood  of  their  daughter  and  sister,  exulted  in 
having  washed  away  the  disgrace  of  their  family." 


V/^'j!^. 


'^l^ 


LIFE  OF  THE  B  LESSEE)  VIE  GIN  MARY. 


159 


St  John  Chrysostom  inquired  why 
the  angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  in  a 
dream  to  Joseph,  and  not  manifestly, 
as  to  the  shepherds,  to  Zachary,  and 
the  Virgin.  '•  It  is,"  says  he,  an- 
swering his  own  question,  "  because 
Joseph  had  great  faith,  and  required 
no  clearer  revelation.  As  for  the 
Virgin,  since  there  were  things  to 
be  told  to  her  greater  and  more  in- 
credible than  all  that  was  told  to 
Zachary,  it  was  necessary  that  they 
should  be  revealed  to  her  before 
they  were  put  into  execution,  and 
that  by  a  manifest  revelation.  The 
shepherds,  also,  as  more  rude  and 


*  simple,  had  need  of  a  clear  vision. 
But  Joseph  having  already  seen  the 
pregnancy  of  Mary,  having  conceived 
iniurious  suspicions  of  her,*  and  being 
ready  to  change  his  sorrow  for  joy, 
if  he  only  had  the  opportunity,  re- 
ceived with  all  his  heart  the  revela- 
tion made  by  the  angel  ....  This 
conduct  of  Providence  was  infinitely 
wise,  since  it  served  to  prove  the 
excellence  of  Joseph's  virtue,  and 
to  render  the  Gospel  history  more 
credible,  showing  him  actuated  by 
the  same  motives  that  would  have 
influenced  any  man  on  such  an  oc- 
casion." * 


CHAPTER  XI 


THE     BIRTH     OF     THE     MESSIAH. 


impious  empire-f 
had  planted  its 
eagles  even  on 
the  farthest 
shores.  The  Ro- 
mans had  caught  the  Eastern  world 
as   in   a   net. 


EANWHILE,  the  *  before  them   in   the   depths   of  its 

deserts,  and  the  most  distant  ti-ibes 
of  Asia,  the  peaceable  Chinese,  sent 
a  solemn  embassy  to  Cassar  to 
seek  his  powerful  alliance.     Egypt 


*  St.  John  Chrysostom,  Serm.  4. 
f  The  Jews  designated  the  Roman  Empire  by 
Sarmatia    trembled    *    the  name  of  the  impious  empire. 


IGO 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


and  Syria  were  nothing  more  than 
Roman  provinces.  Judea,  herself, 
was  tributary  ;  and  the  Jewish 
king,  paying  dear  for  a  capricious 
protection,  was  no  more  than  a 
crowned  slave.  The  time  was  come 
— the  Messianic  oracles  were  to  be 
accomplished.  The  power  of  Rome 
was  at  its  height,  as  Balaam  had  pre- 
dicted ;  and,  according  to  the  famous 
prophecy  of  Jacob,  the  sceptre  had 
departed  from  Juda:  for  the  phantom 
of  royalty,  which  still  hovered  over 
the  Holy  City,  was  not  even  a  nation- 
al phantom.  Just  then,  there  was 
published  in  Judea  an  edict  of  Caesar 
Augustus,  ordering  all  the  people  to 
be  enrolled.  This  census,  much  more 
complete  than  that  which  took  place 
under  the  sixth  consulate  of  the 
nephew  of  Julius  Caesar,*  comprised 

*  Augustus  had  three  diflferent  enrollments 
made  throughout  the  empire  :  the  first,  during 
his  sixth  consulate  with  Agrippa,  in  the  year  28 
before  the  Christian  era  ;  the  second,  under  the 
consulate  of  Caius  Marius  Censorinus,  and  of  C. 
Asinins  Qallus,  eight  years  before  the  same  era  ; 
the  third,  and  last,  under  the  consulate  of  Sextus 
Pompeius  Nepos  and  Sextus  Apuleius  Nepos,  in 
the  fourteenth  year  of  the  Christian  era.  It  is 
of  the  second  census  that  St.  Luke  speaks.  The 
decree  which  ordained  it  was  issued  in  the  eighth 
year  before  the  Christian  era.  (Sueton.,  in  Octa, 
V.  27.) 

t  Augustus  had  a  work  prepared,  just  then. 


^  not  only  persons,  but  property,  and 
also  the  various  qualities  of  the 
lands.  It  was  the  basis  on  which 
the  tribute  was  to  be  levied.f 

The  Roman  governors  were  charg- 
ed with  the  execution  of  this  edict, 
each  in  his  own  department.^  Sex- 
tius  Saturninus,  governor  of  Syria, 
began  fi.rst  with  Phoenicia  and  Celo- 
Syria,  rich  and  populous  cantons, 
which  required  long  and  patient  toil. 
In  fact,  there  is  nothing  like  it  on 
record,  except  the  famous  registry 
taken  by  William  the  Conqueror  a 
thousand  years  later,  and  so  well 
known  in  England  as  the  Domesday- 
book.  Having  executed  the  orders 
of  Caesar  in  the  Roman  provinces, 
with  the  kingdoms  and  principalities 
belonging  to  it,  at  the  end  of  three 
years  from  the  date  of  the  decree,  § 

containing  the  description  of  the  Roman  empire, 
and  the  countries  subject  to  him.  Tacitus,  Sue- 
tonius, and  Dion  Cassius  refer  to  this  book,  and 
its  particular  description  of  the  provinces.  From 
the  way  in  which  they  speak,  it  must  have  been 
a  most  elaborate  work. 

%  TertuUian  states  that  such  was  the  case  with 
Sextius  Saturninus,  who  was  governor  of  Syria, 

§The  three  years  which  were  employed  in 
making  this  census  can  make  no  difficulty, 
for  it  certainly  took  that  length  of  time  to 
enregister  the  whole  of  Syria,  Celo- Syria, 
Phoenicia,  and  Judea.  Joab  took  nearly  ten 
months  to  number  the  fighting-men  of  the  ten 


LIFE   OF   THE  BLESSED   VIRGIN  MART. 


161 


they  at  length  reached  Bethlehem, 
precisely  at  the  memorable  period 
of  our  Saviour's  birth.  Cassar  and 
his  agents  thought  they  were  per- 
forming only  an  administrative  oper- 
ation, by  ascertaining  the  population 
and  resources  of  the  empire;  but 
God  had  other  designs,  which  they 
were  made  instrumental  in  execut- 
ing, though  they^  knew  it  not.  His 
Son  was  to  be  born  in  Bethlehem 
of  Juda,  the  humble  birth-place  of 
King  David.  He  had  foretold  it,  by 
his  prophet,  more  than  seven  hun- 
dred years  before,  and  all  the  world 
was  put  in  motion  to  accomplish 
that  prophecy. 

It  appe-ars  that,  faithful  to  an  an- 
cient custom,  the  Jews  still  had 
themselves  enrolled  by  families  and 
by  tribes.  David  was  born  at  Beth- 
lehem ;  his  descendants,  therefore, 
regarded  that  small  city  as  their  na- 
tive place,  and  the  cradle  of  their 


tribes ;  and  the  census  of  Augustus,  at  the  time 
of  the  birth  of  Christ,  consisted  of  many  other 
details,  since  it  embraced  not  only  the  individ- 
uals, but  the  various  qualities  of  their  lands.  It 
took  William  the  Conqueror  six  whole  years  to 
make  his  register,  although  the  Domesday-book 
contained  neither  Ireland,  Scotland,  Wales,  nor 
the  Channel  Islands,  but  merely  England  itself. 
♦Never  has  date   been  more  disputed  than 


^  house.  There  it  was,  then,  that  they 
assembled  to  give  in  their  names 
and  the  state  of  their  property,  con- 
formably to  the  edict  of  Caesar. 

The  autumn  was  near  its  close, 
the  torrents  were  rushing  wildly 
down  into  the  valleys,  the  north 
wind  whistled  through  the  tall  tur- 
pentine trees,  and  a  gray  cloudy  sky 
announced  the  approach  of  the 
winter's  snow.  On  a  dark,  gloomy 
morning,  in  the  year  of  Rome  748,* 
a  Nazarene  was  seen  busily  engaged 
in  preparing  for  a  journey,  which 
could  not  be  one  of  choice,  for  the 
time  was  unseasonable,  and  the 
woman  who  accompanied  him,  and 
whom  he  seated  so  carefully  on  the 
mild  and  patient  animal  which  the 
daughters  of  the  East  prefer,  was 
very  young,  and  far  advanced  in  her 
pregnancy.  To  the  saddle  of  the 
beautiful  animal  f  on  which  the 
young  Galilean  rode  was  attached  a 


that  of  the  birth  of  Christ.  We  adopt  that  of 
the  authors  of  VArt  de  verifier  les  dates  (the  Ait 
of  verifying  dates),  which  seems  to  us  the  most, 
correct,  and  which  places  the  birth  of  the  Savi  nu- 
on  the  25th  of  December,  in  the  year  of  Eonie 
748.  According  to  Baronius,  our  Saviour  was 
born  on  a  Friday. 

f  The  asses  in  Palestine  are  remarkably  beau- 
tiful 


162 


LIFE  OF   THE   BLESSED   VIRGIN  MARY. 


palm-leaf  basket,  containing  provi- 
sions for  the  journey;  dates,  figs,  and 
dried  grapes,  ?onie  barley-cakes,  and 
an  earthen  pitcher  for  taking  water 
from  the  spi'ing  or  the  cistern.  A 
leathern  flask,  of  Egyptian  manufac- 
ture, hung  on  the  opposite  side. 
The  traveller  flung  over  his  shoulder 
a  bag  containing  some  clothes,  gird- 
ed his  loins,  wrapped  himself  up  in 
his  goat-skin  cloak,  and  holding  in 
one  hand  his  crooked  stick,  with  the 
other  tie  seized  the  bridle  of  the  ass 
which  bore  his  young  wife.  Thus 
they  quitted  their  humble  abode, 
and  descended  the  narrow  streets  of 
Nazareth,  amid  the  good  wishes  of 
their  friends  and  neighbors,  who 
cried  on  every  side,  "  Go  in  peace !  " 
These  travellers,  who  thus  set  out  on 
that  cloudy  morning,  were  the  hum- 
ble descendants  of  the  great  kings 
of  Juda,  Joseph  and  Mary,  who  were 
going,  on  the  order  of  a  pagan  and 
a  stranger,  to  inscribe  their  obscure 
names  beside  the  most  illustrious 
names  in  the  kingdom. 

This  journey,  undertaken  at  such 
an  inclement  season,  and  in  a  coun- 
try like  Palestine,  must  have  been 


*  Mich.,  ch.  v.,  ver.  2. 


*  extremely  painful  to  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  in  the  position  in  which  she 
was;  but  yet  she  did  not  murmur. 
That  delicate  and  fragile  creature 
had  a  soul  both  firm  and  courage- 
ous ;  a  lofty  soul,  which  greatness 
did  not  dazzle  nor  joy  agitate,  and 
which  bore  misfortune  silently  and 
calmly.  Joseph,  advancing  by  her 
side,  was  meditating  on  the  ancient 
prophecies  which  promised,  four 
thousand  years  before,  a  Liberator 
to  his  people.  As  he  journeyed 
towards  Bethlehem,  at  the  bidding 
of  a  Roman,  he  reflected  on  the 
words  of  the  prophet  Micheas,  "  And 
THOU,  BethlehexM  Ephrata,  art  a  little 
one  among  the  thousands  of  Juda ; 
out  of  thee  shall  He  come  forth  unto 
me,  that  is  to  be  the  Ruler  in  Isra- 
el."* Glancing,  then,  at  his  humble 
equipage  and  his  modest  sj^ouse,  in 
her  plain,  unpretending  apparel,  he 
revolved  in  his  mind  the  great  proph- 
ecies of  Isaiah,  "  He  shall  grow  up 
as  a  tender  plant  before  him,  and  as 
a  root  out  of  a  thirsty  ground  ;  there 
is  no  beauty  in  him,  nor  comeliness: 
....  despised  and  the  most  abject 
of  men."  f   And  the  patriarch  began 

•|"  Isaiah,  ch.  liii.,  ver.  2. 


LIFE  OF   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


163 


to  comprehend  the  designs  of  God 
on  his  Christ. 

After  five  days  of  a  toilsome  jour- 
ney, the  travellers  caught  a  distant 
view  of  Bethlehem,  the  city  of  kings, 
seated  on  a  rising  ground,  amid 
smiling  hills  planted  with  vines, 
olives,  and  groves  of  verdant  oaks. 
Camels,  laden  with  women  wrapped 
up  in  purple  cloaks,  and  covered 
with  white  veils ;  Arab  nakas,  dash- 
ing along  at  full  speed,  bearing  gay 
and  brilliant  cavaliers ;  groups  of 
old  men,  mounted  on  white  asses, 
and  chatting  gravely  together,  like 
the  ancient  judges  of  Israel,*  were 
all  going  up  to  the  city  of  David, 
already  crowded  with  Hebrews,  who 
had  arrived  on  the  previous  days. 
Outside  the  city,  but  a  short  distance 
from  its  walls,  arose  a  large  square 
building,  whose  white  walls  stood 
out  in  strong  relief  from  the  pale 
green  of  the  olive-trees  which  cover- 
ed the  hill.  It  looked  like  one  of 
the  Persian  caravansaries.    Through 

*  The  horse  was  used,  amongst  the  Jews, 
for  military  men  ;  hence  it  was  taken  as  the 
emblem  of  fight.  Judges,  on  the  contrary, 
rode  on  asses  of  perfect  beauty  ;  hence  the 
scriptural  words,  "  Speak,  you  that  ride  upon 
fair  asses,  and  you  that  sit  in  judgment." — 
(Judges,  V.  10.) 


its  open  door  were  seen  a  crowd  of 
slaves  and  servants  coming  and 
going  in  its  vast  yard.  This  was 
the  inn.  Joseph,  hurrying  the  pace 
of  the  animal  on  which  the  Virgin 
rode,  hastened  thither  in  hopes  of 
arriving  in  time  to  obtain  one  of 
those  narrow  cells,  which  belonged 
of  right  to  the  first  comer,  and  was 
never  refused  to  any  one  ;f  but  mer- 
chants and  ti^avellers  were  already 
issuing  in  crowds  from  the  cara- 
vansary. It  could  accommodate  no 
more.  Gold  might,  doubtless,  have 
procured  admission,  but  Joseph  had 
no  gold. 

The  patriarch  returned  with  this 
saddening  intelligence  to  Mary,  who 
heard  it  with  a  smile  of  resignation, 
and  taking  hold  of  the  bridle  to  con- 
duct the  poor  animal,  which  was 
already  sinking  with  fatigue,  he 
wandered  about  through  the  streets 
of  the  little  city,  hoping,  but  in  vain, 
that  some  charitable  Bethlehemite 
might  offer  them  a  lodging  for  God's 

f  There  is  nothing  found  in  these  cells  but 
four  walls,  an  abundance  of  dust,  and  sometimes 
scorpions.  The  keeper  is  only  bound  to  give  the 
key  and  a  mat.  The  traveller  has  to  provide  the 
rest ;  hence  he  has  to  carry  with  him  his  bed, 
his  cooking  apparatus,  and  even  his  provisions. 
(Volney,  Voyage  en  Syrie.) 


164 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


sake.  No  one  offered  them  any- 
thing. The  evening  wind  fell  cold 
and  piercing  on  the  young  Virgin, 
who  breathed  not  a  word  of  com- 
plaint, though  her  face  grew  paler 
every  moment,  for  she  was  scarcely 
able  to  support  herself.  Joseph,  in 
despair,  continued  his  fruitless  at- 
tempts ;  and  more  than  once,  alas ! 
he  saw  some  wealthier  stranger 
admitted  where  he  had  been  rudely 
lepulsed.  Surely  interest,  that  rul- 
ing passion  of  the  Jews,  must  have 
petrified  every  soul,  when  Mary's 
situation  excited  no  pity.  The  night 
closed  in.  The  lonely  travellers, 
seeing  themselves  rejected  by  all  the 
world,  and  despairing  of  obtaining 
a  shelter  in  the  city  of  their  fathers, 
quitted  Bethlehem,  without  knowing 
which  way  to  turn,  and  advanced 
at  random  through  the  fields,  still 
partially  lighted  by  the  fading  twi- 
light, while  the  jackals  made  the 
air  resound  with  their  shrill  cries. 


♦Justin  quotes  the  prophecy  of  Isaiah  (xxxiii. 
16),  as  applying  to  our  Saviour's  birth  in  a  cave, 
"  The  for  I  locations  of  rocks  shall  he  his  highness." 

f"It  is  an  incontestable  fact,"  says  Dupuis, 
"  and  independent  of  all  the  consequences  which 
I  will  draw  from  it,  that  precisely  at  the  hour  of 
midnight,  on  the  25th  December,  in  those  ages 
when  Christianity  fiiv-it   appeared,  the  celestial 


f  as  they  roamed  in  search  of  their 
prey. 

Southward,  within  a  short  dis- 
tance of  the  inhospitable  city,  there 
appeared  a  gloomy  cavern,  hollowed 
in  the  rock.  The  entrance  was  to- 
wards the  north,  and  the  cave  be- 
came narrower  towards  its  farther 
end.  It  served  as  a  common  stable 
for  the  Bethlehemites,  and  sometimes 
as  a  shelter  for  the  shepherds  on 
stormy  nights.  The  pious  couple 
blessed  Heaven  for  having  guided 
their  steps  towards  this  rude  asylum ; 
and  Mary,  with  the  help  of  Joseph's 
arm,  made  her  way  to  a  bare  rock, 
which  formed  a  sort  of  seat,  though 
narrow  and  uncomfortable,  in  a  hol- 
low of  the  rock. 

It  was  there,  "  in  the  fortifications  - 
of  rocks,"  as  Isaiah  had  predicted,* 
just  as  the  rising  of  the  mysterious 
constellation  Virgo  announced  mid- 
night,! that  the  ahna\  of  the  great 
Messianic  prophecy,  amidst  the  sol- 


sign  which  appeared  on  the  horizon,  and  ushered 
in  the  opening  of  the  new  solar  revolution,  was 
the  Virgin  of  the  constellations. 

\  The  word  alma,  employed  by  Isaiah,  signifies, 
in  Hebi'ew,  a  virgin  in  all  her  innocence.  We 
have  already  said,  in  note  fifty-five  of  the  first 
chapter,  that  this  word  has  given  rise  to  many 
controversies  between  Jews  and  Christians. 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


165 


emn  stillness  of  nature,  concealed  by  * 
a  luminous  cloud,*  brought  forth 
Him  whom  God  himself  had  produced 
before  the  hiUs,-f  and  who  was  begotten 
from  all  eternity.  He  suddenly  ap- 
peared, like  a  sunbeam  emerging 
from  a  cloud,  before  the  eyes  of  his 
young,  astonished  mother,  and  came 
to  take  possession  of  the  throne  of 
his  poverty,  whilst  the  angels  of 
God,  prostrate  around,  adored  him 
under  his  human  form. J  That  vir- 
ginal childbirth  was  exempt  from 
cries  as  from  pains,  and  no  groan 
disturbed  the  sacred  silence  of  that 
night  of  wonders.  Miraculously  con- 
ceived, Jesus  was  born  more  mirac- 
ulously still. 

God  was  preparing  for  the  world 
a  new  and  grand  sight,  in  the  birth 
of  a  poor  King.  The  palace  which 
he  destined  for  him  was  a  deserted 
stable,  a  fitting  asylum  for  him  who, 
in  the  course  of  his  life,  was  to  say, 

*  Proto-gospel,  St.  James,  ch.  17. 

f  According  to  the  opinion  of  the  Kabbins, 
the  Messiah  was  in  the  terrestrial  paradise  with 
our  first  parents.  (Sohar  Chadaseh,  f.  82,  4.) 
He  existed  even  before  the  world.  (Nezach  Is- 
rael, ch.  35.)  And  before  becoming  man  he  was 
in  glory  with  God.  (Phil.,  ch.  ii.,  v.  6.)  Thus, 
immediately  before  the  time  of  Christ,  the  idea 
of  the  Messiah's  pre-existence  found  its  way  into 
the  higher  theology  of  the  Jews. 


"  The  fox  has  his  den,  the  birds  of 
the  air  have  their  nests,  but  the  Son 
of  man  has  not  where  to  lay.  his 
head."  Moses,  proscribed  at  his 
birth,  had,  at  least,  a  cradle  of  bul- 
rushes, when  his  sister,  the  young 
Mary,  exposed  him  amid  the  reeds 
and  the  sacred  lotus  which  at  night- 
fall dip  their  leaves  in  the  Nile ;  § 
but  Jesus,  the  divine  outcast,  who 
came  amongst  us  to  suffer  and  to 
die,  had  not  even  that.  He  was  laid 
in  a  manger,  on  a  handful  of  damp 
straw,  providentially  forgotten  by 
some  camel-driver  from  Egypt  or 
Syria,  hastening  away  before  the 
dawn.  God  had  provided  a  couch 
for  his  only  Son,  as  he  provides 
nests  for  the  birds  of  the  air. 

But  this  new  Adam  was  to  be 
covered  from  the  inclemency  of  the 
weather,  and  also  because  modesty 
required  it.  Mary  tore  her  veil  into 
bands,  wherewith  she  wrapped  up 


1  Hebrews,  i.  6.     Psalm  xlvii.  7. 

§The  lotus,  which  was  consecrated  to  the 
sun,  is  an  aquatic  plant,  the  leaves  of  which 
dip  into  the  Nile  when  the  sun  sets,  and  spring 
up  again  when  he  rises.  This  plant  has  a 
narcotic  quaUty.  It  was  said  of  those  who 
made  long  voyages,  that  they  had  eaten  of 
the  lotus;  that  is  to  say,  that  they  had  for- 
gotten their  country.  (Basnage,  1.  ix.,  ch.  15, 
p.  450.) 


1G6 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


his  delicate  limbs;  then  the  infant 
God  was  adored,  by  her  and  her 
lioly  spouse,  as  Joseph  of  old,  the 
tinest  type  of  Jesus  Christ,  was  by 
his  father  and  mother. 

St.  Basil,  entering  into  the  myste- 
ries of  fervor  and  of  rapture  which 
passed  through  the  soul  of  the  Vir- 
gin, shows  her  divided  between 
maternal  love  and  holy  adoration. 
•What  am  I  to  call  thee?"  said  she, 

addressing   her   infant   God 

"  A  mortal  ?  .  .  .  not  so,  for  I  con- 
reived  thee  by  divine  operation. 
....  A  God  ?  but  thou  hast  a  hu- 
man body.  Am  I  to  approach  thee 
with  incense,  or  to  offer  thee  my 
milk  ?  Am  I  to  cherish  thee  as  a 
tender  mother,  or  to  serve  thee  pros- 
trate iff* the  dust?  A  marvelous 
contrast!  Heaven  is  thy  dwelling- 
place,  yet  I  rock  thee  on  my  knee ! 
Thou  art  on  earth,  and  yet  retainest 
thy  place  in  heaven !  The  heavens 
are  witl^ thee!" 


*  The  village  of  the  shepherds  is  situated  on  a 
very  pleasant  plain,  about  a  quarter  of  a  league 
to  the  north  of  Bethlehem,  and  in  the  depth  of 
the  valley  is  the  celebrated  field,  where  these 
shepherds  were  grazing  their  flocks  on  Christ- 
mas night.  According  to  grave  authors,  both 
sacred  and  profane,  the  appearance  of  the  angels 
to  the  shepherds  was  not  the  only  prodigy  that 


Thus  were  accomplished  the  great 
prophecies  of  Isaiah  and  Micheas. 
"And  there  were  in  the  same  coun- 
try shepherds  watching,  and  keep- 
ing the  night-watches  over  their 
flock.  And  behold,  an  angel  of  the 
Lord  stood  by  them,  and  the  bright- 
ness of  God  shone  round  about 
them :  and  they  feared  with  a  great 
fear.  And  the  angel  said  to  them : 
Fear  not:  for  behold,  I  bring  you 
good  tidings  of  great  joy,  that  shall 
be  to  all  the  people :  for  this  day  is 
born  to  you  a  Saviour,  who  is  Christ 
the  Lord,  in  the  city  of  David.  And 
.  this  shall  be  a  sign  unto  you :  you 
shall  find  the  infant  wrapped  in 
swaddling-clothes,  and  laid  in  a 
manger.  And  suddenly  there  was 
with  the  angel  a  multitude  of  the 
heavenly  host,  praising  God  and 
saying :  Glory  to  God  in  the  moH- 

EST  ;  AND  ON  EARTH  PEACE  TO  MEN  OF 
GOOD  WILL."* 

The  marvelous  vision  had  disap- 


signalized  the  birth  of  the  infant  God.  They 
relate  that,  dtiring  that  holy  night,  the  vines 
of  Engaddi  blossomed ;  that,  at  Comus,  the 
Temple  of  Peace  suddenly  fell,  and  the  ora- 
cles of  the  demons  were  silenced  for  ever. 
The  mere  birth  of  our  Lord  was  a  sentence 
of  banishment  for  those  heathen  deities,  who 
had  hitherto  been  permitted  to  deliver  oi-acles. 


"R.TJudens:nx 


THE-NAnviTY  OF  CHRi:.! 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


167 


peared,  the  heavenly  music  had 
ceased,  and  the  shepherds,  leaning 
on  their  crooks,  still  listened  for  a 
renewal  of  those  ravishing  sounds. 
When  they  could  hear  nothing  more 
save  the  night-breeze  murmuring 
through  the  valley,  and  could  no 
longer  discover  in  the  deep  blue  sky 
a  single  radiant  point  which  fancy 
could  convert  into  an  angel,  the 
shepherds  took  counsel  together, 
and  said  one  to  another,  "  Let  us  go 
to  Betlilehem,  and  see  this  word  that 
is  come  to  pass."  Then,  taking 
baskets,  w^ith  such  simple  presents 
as  their  cabins  could  afford,  they  left 
their  flocks  to  their  own  guidance 
for  a  while,  and  set  out  by  the 
glimmering  light  of  the  stars  for 
the  little  city  of  David.  At  sight 
of  the  poor  stable,  they  felt  their 
hearts  burn  within  them,  like  the 
disciples  of  Emmaiis,  and  they  said 
to  each  other,  ''Perhaps  this  is  the 
place."  For  they  knew  that  the  di- 
vine child  who  was  born  to  them 
had  not  seen  the  light  under  gilded 
ceilings,  nor  was  laid  in  a  royally- 

Milton,  with  true  poetic  inspiration,  thus  de- 
scribes, in  one  of  his  earher  compositions,  the 
flight  of  these  pretended  divinities  on  Christmas 
Eve. 


f  adorned  cradle.  The  angel  had 
made  no  such  announcement.  They 
advanced,  then,  with  faith,  hope, 
and  love,  towards  that  deserted 
stable,  where  they  well  deserved  to 
find  the  promised  Saviour,  since  they 
came  to  seek  him  with  pure  hearts 
and  single  minds. 

Looking  into  the  cave,  in  order  to 
assure  themselves  that  they  had  real- 
ly reached  the  term  of  their  noctur- 
nal pilgrimage,  these  "  men  of  good 
will"  discovered  Him  who  came  to 
preach  the  Gospel  to  the  poor,  and 
abolish  the  curse  of  slavery,  under 
the  humble  form  of  a  little  babe 
peacefully  slumbering  in  his  crib. 

The  Virgin,  bent  over  her  new- 
born infant,  was  regarding  him  with 
touching  humility  and  profound  ten- 
derness. Joseph  stood  close  by,  his 
venerable  head  bowed  down  before 
that  adopted  son,  who  was  truly 
God.  A  ray  of  moonlight  shone  on 
the  divine  group,  and  on  the  reddish 
wall  of  rock ;  without,  the  earth  was 
calmly  reposing  in  the  bright,  sil- 
very light.* 


* 


*"The  Persians  call  Christmas  night  sch^b 
jaldai,  the  clear  and  luminous  night,  because  of 
the  descent  of  the  angels."  (D'Herbelot,  BilL 
Orient,  i,  ii.  p.  294.) 


168 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


"  This  is  the  place,"  said  the  shep- 
hei-ds  to  themselves;  and  prostrat- 
ing themselves,  respectfully,  before 
the  manger  of  the  King  of  kings, 
they  offered  to  the  infant  God  "  the 
mite  "  and  the  homage  of  the  poor. 

There  they  related  the  apparition 
of  the  angels,  their  ravishing  hymns, 
and  their  joyful  words.  Joseph  ad- 
mired this  divine  manifestation,  and 
Mary,  who  heard  the  simple  tale  in 
silence,  treasured  up  every  word 
within  her  heart.  This  duty  fulfilled, 
and  their  mission  ended,  the  Judean 
shepherds  retired  praising  God,  and 
published  in  the  mountains  the  mar- 
vels of  that  holy  night.  Those  who 
heard  them  were  seized  with  aston- 
ishment, and  said  to  themselves, 
"  Can  it  be  possible  ?  Are  we,  then, 
gone  back  to  the  days  of  Abraham, 
when  angels  visited  shepherds?" 

Perchance  it  was  these  tales,  told 


*  "  El  Azraki  quotes  the  ocular  testimony  of 
many  respectable  persons,"  says  Burckhardt,  "in 
proof  of  a  remarkable  fact  which  has  not  hitherto 
been  noticed,  as  far  as  I  am  aware.  It  is,  that  the 
figure  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  with  the  young  Asia 
{Jesus)  on  her  knee,  was  carved  as  a  divinity  on 
one  of  the  pillars  of  the  Caaba  "  (Burckhardt, 
Voyage  en  Arable,  t.  i.,  p.  221.) 

f  This  fact,  which  confirms  the  account  of 
the  Arab  historian,  is  mentioned  in  the  Toldos, 
a  very  ancient  Jewish  book,  written  with  the 


t  at  evening  in  the  skirt  of  the  woods 
01*  in  the  deep  ravine,  whilst  the 
camels  drank  together  at  the  lonely 
spring,  that  induced  one  of  the  Arab 
tribes  to  deify  Mary  and  the  child. 
The  sweet  image  of  the  Virgin,  with 
her  Son  on  her  knee,  was  painted  on 
one  of  the  pillars  of  the  Caaba,  and 
solemnly  placed  amongst  the  three 
hundred  and  sixty  deities  of  the 
three  Arabias.  In  the  time  of  Ma- 
homet they  were  still  seen  there,* 
as  we  find  from  grave  Arab  writers. 
After  the  massacre  of  the  Holy  In- 
nocents, that  valiant  tribe  rose  in  a 
body,  gave  a  long,  loud  cry  of  re- 
venge, and,  heedless  of  the  enemy's 
superior  numbers,  attacked  Herod's 
son,  protected  as  he  was  by  the 
Roraans.f 

This  authentic  anecdote,  so  curi- 
ous and  so  little  known,  serves  tfi 
confirm  the  supernatural  fact  related 

most  violent  hatred  of  Christians.  We  there 
see  that  Herod  the  Great  and  his  son  had  to 
maintain  a  war  against  one  of  the  tribes  of  the 
desert,  who  adored  the  image  of  Jesus,  and  Mary, 
his  mother.  This  tribe  sought  the  alliance  of 
several  cities  of  Palestine,  and  especially  that  of 
Hai.  But,  since  the  Jews  themselves  place  this 
event  in  the  lifetime  of  Herod,  it  must  have  been 
because  of  the  massacre  of  the  Innocents,  as  the 
old  king  lived  only  one  year  after  the  birth  of 
our  Saviour. 


LIFE   OF   THE  BLESSED   VIRGIN  MARY. 


169 


by  St.  Luke ;  a  fact  which  the  scoff- 
ing philosophers  of  the  Yoltairian 
school,  and  the,  if  possible,  still 
more  pagan  professors  of  panthe- 
ism, have  not  failed  to  set  down  as 
a  fable.  The  fantastic  devotion  of 
these  Arabs,  who  commit  idolatry 
with  the  true  God  before  the  preach- 
ing of  the  Gospel,  can  only  be  ac- 
counted for  by  the  miracles  of  the 
holy  night  of  Christmas. 

On  the  eighth  day  after  his  birth 
the  Son  of  God  was  circumcised, 
and  named  Jesus,  according  to  the 
command  of  his  heavenly  Father. 
He  must  have  had  a  godfather,  like 
all  the  Israelites,  but  there  is  no 
record  of  the  name  of  that  favored 
man.  As  to  the  ceremony  of  the 
circumcision,  which  was  always  per- 
formed under  the  patronage  of  Elias 


*  (who,  according  to  the  Hebrews, 
never  failed  to  assist  invisibly),*  it 
took  place,  St.  Epiphanius  says,  in 
the  very  cavern  where  Jesus  was 
born;  and  St.  Bernard  presumes, 
with  much  probability,  that  St.  Jo- 
seph was  the  minister  on  that  occa- 
sion. 

Some  men  of  the  lower  classes, 
docile  to  the  call  of  the  angels,  came 
to  adore  the  infant  God  in  his 
manger,  and  to  share  with  him  their 
black  bread  and  goat's  milk.  A 
miracle  of  a  higher  order,  and  of 
greater  renown,  brought  soon  after, 
to  the  same  crib,  the  first  fruits  of 
converted  gentilism.  The  shepherds 
of  Juda  had  led  the  way,  it  was  for 
kings  and  sages  to  follow. 


* 


*  See  Basnage,  1.  vii.,  ch.  10. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

THE     ADORATION     OF     THE     MAGI. 


jN  the  course  of  the  * 
autumn  which 
preceded  the 
birth  of  Christ, 
certain  of  the 
Chaldean  Ma- 
gi, skillful  in 
the  science  of  tho  heavenly  bodies, 
discerned  a  star  of  the  first  magni- 
tude, which  they  recognized,  by  its 
extraordinary  motions  and  other 
unequivocal  signs,  as  that  star  of 
Jacob,  foretold  by  Balaam  so  long 
before— that  star  which  was  to  rise 
on  their  horizon  at  the  coming  of 
the  Messiah.  According  to  the  an- 
cient traditions  of  Iran,  collected  by 
Abulfarages,  Zoroaster,  the  restorer 
of  the  Magian   religion,  a  man  of 

*  Some  have  made  Zoroaster  a  disciple  of 
Jeremiah,  but  the  times  do  not  agree.  It  is 
much  more  probable  that  he  was  a  pupil  of 
DanieL 

f  The  learned  are  not  agreed  as  to  the  country 
of  the  Magi.  Some  make  them  come  from  the 
depth  of  Arabia  Felix,  others  from  the  Indies, 
which  is  by  no  means  probable.  The  best  au- 
thorities point  out  Persia  as  their  country,  and 
that  opinion   seems   the   most   correct.       The 


science,  a  great  astronomer,  and 
well  Tersed,  moreover,  in  the  He- 
brew theology,*  announced,  under 
the  immediate  successors  of  Cyrus, 
and  soon  after  the  re-establi?hment 
of  the  Temple,  that  a  divine  child, 
destined  to  change  the  aspect  of  the 
world,  should  be  born  of  a  pure  and 
immaculate  Virgin  in  the  extreme 
west  of  Asia.  He  added,  that  a 
star  unknown  in  their  hemisphere 
should  signalize  that  remarkable 
event,  and  that,  on  its  appearance, 
the  Magi  were  to  set  out  with  pres- 
ents to  the  infant  King.  Faithful 
and  religious  executors  of  Zoroas- 
ter's will,  three  of  the  most  illus- 
trious sages  of  Babylonia,!  had  no 
sooner  remarked  the  star  than  they 

names  Gaspar,  Melchior,  and  Balthazar,  gener- 
ally given  to  the  Magi,  are  Babylonian.  In  fact, 
Babylon,  and  after  it,  Seleucia,  situated  at  a 
short  distance,  were  the  seats  of  the  most 
famous  astronomers  of  antiquity.  Finally,  those 
cities  are  to  the  east  of  Jerusalem,  and  it  is  only 
twenty  days'  journey  from  the  banks  of  the 
Euphrates  to  Bethlehem.  Origen,  who  was 
judicious  and  well-informed,  states  that  the 
Magi   were   addicted  to  astrology.      Drexelius, 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIBGIN  MABY. 


171 


gave  the  signal  for  departure. 
Leaving  behind  them  the  city  of 
Seleucides,  with  its  stately  palm- 
wood  buildings,*  and  Babylon,  where 
the  mournful  desert -wind  seemed 
whispering  to  the  silent  ruins  the 
fatal  prophecy  of  the  son  of  Amos, 
they  quitted  the  land  of  dates  and 
took  the  sandy  road  to  Palestine. 
Before  them,  like  the  luminous  pil- 
lar which  guided  the  flying  cohorts 
of  Israel  towards  the  desert  strand 
of  the  Red  Sea,  moved  the  star  of 
the  Messiah.  That  new  star,  inde- 
pendent of  the  laws  which  govern 
the  heavenly  bodies,  had  no  regular 
motion  peculiar  to  itself.  Now  it 
advanced  at  the  head  of  the  cara- 
van, moving  in  a  straight  line  to- 
wards the  west;  now  it  remained 
stationary  over  the  tents  erected  for 
the  night,  seeming  to  balance  itself 
gently  in  the  clouds  like  a  sleeping 

thereupon,  takes  upon  him  to  scoff  at  Origen, 
which  proves  that  he  was  but  httle  versed  in  the 
ancient  history  of  the  East,  where  every  astron- 
omer was  an  astrologer.        • 

*  Strabo,  b.  xvii. 

f  St.  John  Chrysostom,  Serm.  6  in  Matth. 
Chalcidius,  a  pagan  philosopher,  who  lived 
about  the  end  of  the  third  century,  makes  men- 
tion of  this  star,  and  the  Eastern  sages  whom  it 
guided  to  the  birth-place  of  Christ.  St.  Augus- 
tine, the  doctor  of  doctors,  says  on  this  subject. 


^  albatross.  At  the  dawn  of  day  it 
gave  the  signal  for  departure,  as  it 
had  done  at  night  for  halting.f 

At  length  the  lofty  towers  ol 
Jerusalem  were  visible  in  the  dis- 
tance, amid  the  bare,  bleak  summits 
of  its  mountains.  The  camels  were 
quenching  their  thirst  at  a  wayside 
cistern,  when  the  Magi  gave  a  cry 
of  surprise  and  alarm.  The  star 
had  disappeared  in  the  far  depths 
of  heaven,  like  a  rational  creature 
who  perceives  impending  danger.  J 

Thus  puzzled,  like  the  mariners 
of  ancient  times  when  dark  clouds 
concealed  the  polar  star,  the  Magi 
consulted  a  moment.  What  meant 
the  sudden  disappearance  of  their 
brilliant  guide  ?  Were  they,  then, 
at  the  term  of  their  long  journey? 
It  was  very  possible,  and  even 
probable,  that  the  infant  King 
whom  they  came    from  the  banks 

"  A  new  star  appeared  at  the  birth  of  Him 
whose  death  was  to  obscure  the  ancient  sun." 
What,  then,  was  that  star  which  never  ap- 
peared before  or  since  in  the  firmament?  Was 
it  not  the  magnificent  language  of  Heaven,  pro- 
claiming the  glory  of  God  and  a  virgin's  child- 
bearing  ? 

X  This  cistern,  or  well,  on  the  highway  near 
Jerusalem,  is  still  known  as  the  Cistern  of  the 
Three  Kings,  or  of  the  Star,  in  memory  of  this 
event. 


172 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


of  the  Tigris  to  adore,  might  be  f 
found  in  Jerusalem.  "The  God  of 
heaven,"  thought  they,  "does  not 
idly  prolong  his  miracles;  they 
cease  when  human  agents  are  suffi- 
cient. That  is  the  usual  order  of 
things.  Wliat  matter  though  the 
star  has  left  us?  We  may  easily, 
without  its  assistance,  find  this  new 
king  in  the  capital  of  his  states. 
To  find  out  the  young  Messiah,  we 
have  only  to  enter  the  first  street 
which  we  shall  find  strewed  with 
green  branches,  perfumed  with  es- 
sence of  roses,  and  tapestried  with 
cloth  of  gold.  The  sound  of  the 
Hebrew  harps,  their  dancing  cho- 
ruses, and  shouts  of  joy,  will  speed- 
ily show  us  which  way  we  are  to 
go."  Then,  quickening  their  pace, 
they  passed  the  boundary  gate,  and 
penetrated  into  the  ancient  Zion 
between  two  tiles  of  barbarian  sol- 
diers. 

The  aspect  of  Jerusalem  was 
cheerless.  Its  populace,  busy,  yet 
silent,  had  no  appearance  of  either 
joy  or  festival.  Groups  gathered 
together,  here  and  there,  to  stare  at 
the  strangers,  whom  they  recognized 
by  their  long  white  robes,  girt  with 
magnificent  Eastern  zones,  by  their  ^ 


bazuhends*  enriched  with  precious 
stones,  and,  especially,  by  the  manly 
beauty  of  their  features,  as  satraps 
of  the  great  king.  The  Eastern 
cavaliers,  as  they  passed  along,  bent 
over  the  neck  of  their  dromedaries 
to  ask  some  of  the  numerous  spec- 
tators where  they  were  to  find  the 
new-born  Bang  of  the  Jews,  whose 
star  they  had  seen  in  the  East. 
The  people  of  Jerusalem,  regarding 
each  other  in  surprise,  knew  not 
what  to  answer.  ...  A  king  of 
the  Jews !  .  .  .  What  king  ?  They 
knew  none  but  Herod,  whom  they 
abhorred,  and  he  had  no  infant  son. 
Astonished,  in  their  turn,  that  all 
whom  they  interrogated  declared 
their  ignorance,  and,  moreover,  see- 
ing no  mark  of  festivity  anywhere 
around,  the  Magi,  in  great  conster- 
nation, ascended  the  populous  street 
which  led  to  the  ancient  palace  oi 
David,  and  erected  their  tents  amid 
its  ruinous,  but  shady  courts. 

Meanw^hile,  the  appearance  of 
these  Persian^  nobles,  w^ho  seldom 
visited    the    mountains    of    Judea, 

*  Bazubends,  ancient  bracelets  adorned  with 
diamonds,  turquoises,  and  pearls,  which  the 
satraps  wore  above  the  elbow.  The  king  of 
Persia  and  his  sons  still  wear  the  bazubend. 
{See  Morier,  Voyage  en  Perse  et  en  Armenie.) 


LIFE   OF   THE  BLESSED   VIRGIN  MARY. 


173 


their  startling  questions,  which  both 
amazed   and   intimidated  a  people 
who  were  kept  in  constant  trepida- 
tion  by   the    system   of  espionage 
organized  by  Herod,*  soon  excited 
a  general  tumult  in  that  seditious 
city,  the   most  restless   in   all   the 
East.     The   name   of  the  Messiah- 
king,  pronounced  by  the  Pharisees 
— ever  careful  to  excite  the  fears  of 
the  aged  monarch,  as  to  the  pros- 
pects  of  his  house   and  the  dura- 
tion of  his   own  power — ^fell  amid 
the  listening   groups   like  a  spark 
amongst   stubble.     The   King-Mes- 
siah !     There  was  freedom  in  that 
sound.     There  was  conquest — there 
was  glory !     It  spoke  of  the  banner 
of  Juda,  waving  in  triumph  over  a 
conquered   world.     The   satraps   of 
Persia  were  considered  the  first  as- 
trologers in  the  world.f     They  had, 
doubtless,  read  the  birth  of  the  He- 
brew GoelX  in  the  stars.     The  heir 
of  the   kings    of  Juda   was   about 

*  See  Josephus,  Ant.  Jud.,  c.  xv.,  ch.  13. 

f  All  the  East  then  believed  in  Astrology  ; 
and  Philo  tells  us  that  the  satraps  of  Persia 
were  esteemed  as  the  first  astrologers  in  the 
world. 

X  Go'il  (Saviour),  one  of  the  names  by  which 
the  Hebrews  designated  the  Messiah. 

§  Herod  had  strictly  forbidden  the  Jews  to 
speak   of   state   affairs.      They  could  not  even    ^ 


to  ascend  the  great  throne  of  his 
fathers,  and  to  banish  the  race  of 
the  Herods,  those  half  Jews,  who 
were  the  slaves  of  Rome !  A  sullen 
murmur,  like  that  which  precedes 
the  ocean -storm,  quickly  spread 
from  street  to  street,  from  house  to 
house.  Never  had  the  people  of 
Jerusalem  felt  less  disposed  to  obey 
the  royal  edict  which  forbade  them 
''to  meddle  with  any  thing  but 
their  own  afi'airs."  §  Vainly  did  the 
fierce  soldiers  of  Herod  fringe  the 
ramparts  of  the  towers.  The  peo- 
ple were  roused :  they  were  no 
longer  afraid  to  talk  together  in  the 
open  street.  "All  Jerusalem  was 
troubled,"  says  the  Gospel,  and  it 
was  soon  the  tyrant's  turn  to  be 
troubled  himself. 

Herod  then  dwelt  in  his  palace 
in  Jerusalem ;  but  its  flowery  gar- 
dens, peopled  as  they  were  with 
rare  birds,  and  intersected  by  lim- 
pid sti'eams,  II  could  not  divert  his 

assemble  to  hold  those  great  family-festivals 
hitherto  so  common  amongst  them.  His  spies, 
spread  over  the  whole  city,  and  even  along 
the  highways,  instantly  arrested  those  who  in- 
fringed on  the  royal  edict.  They  were  thrown 
secretl}^  and  sometimes  even  openly,  into  the 
fortresses,  where  they  were  severely  puuished. 
( Joseph.,  Ant.  Jud.,  c.  xv.,  ch.  13.) 
11  Josephus,  de  Bello,  b.  v.,  ch.  13. 


174 


LTFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


mind  from  tlie  gloomy  recollections 
and  dark  forebodings  which  ren- 
dered life  a  burden  to  him.  Ap- 
prised by  his  chief  spy  of  the  arri- 
val of  the  Magi,  and  their  strange 
discom'se,  his  massive  brow,  wrin- 
kled with  harassing  thought,  grew 
dark  as  a  stormy  sky,  and  his 
anxiety  was  visible  to  all. 

The  apprehensions  of  the  Jewish 
king  are  easily  understood,  and  are 
explained  by  his  peculiar  position. 
Herod  was  neither  the  anointed  of 
the  Lord  nor  yet  the  chosen  of  the 
people ;  a  branch  of  laurel,  gathered 
within  the  pagan  precincts  of  the 
capitol,  formed  his  tributary  crown 
— a  crown  of  slavery,  intertwined 
with  thorns,  every  leaf  of  which  had 
been  purchased  by  heaps  of  gold 
levied  from  the  savings  of  the  rich 
and  the  indigence  of  the  poor. 
Hated  by  the  nobles,  whose  heads 
he  struck  off  at  the  first  suspicion ; 
dreaded  by  his  relatives,  whose 
lives  he  sacrificed  without  remorse, 
on  the  slightest  pretext ;  detested 
by  the  priests,  whose  privileges  he 
trampled  under  foot ;  abhorred  by 
the  people,  for  his  speculative  re-, 
ligion  and  his  foreign  extraction,  he 
had  nothing  to  depjend  on  but  his 


courtiers,  his  assassins,  his  artists, 
and  the  wealthy,  but  by  no  means 
numerous  sect  of  the  Herodians, 
who  were  infatuated  by  his  mag- 
nificence. Often  was  the  friend  of 
Caesar  openly  braved  by  his  obsti- 
nate subjects.  The  Pharisees,  an 
artful  and  powerful  sect,  had  mock- 
ingly and  insultingly  refused  to  take 
the  oath  of  fidelity.  The  Essoeans, 
who  were  formidable  from  their 
martial  courage,  had  followed  the 
example  of  the  Pharisees ;  while 
the  young  and  impetuous  disciples 
of  the  doctors  of  the  law  had  re- 
cently cut  down,  in  broad  daylight, 
the  golden  eagle  which,  in  compli- 
ment to  the  Romans,  he  had  placed 
over  the  gate  of  the  Temple. 

Conspiracies  were  going  on  in 
every  quarter  against  his  life,  hatch- 
ed and  fomented  by  his  nearest  and 
dearest,  so  that  he  might  fall  at  any 
moment  under  the  dagger  of  some 
young  enthusiast,  who  would  deem 
it  a  virtuous  and  patriotic  act  to  rid 
the  earth  of  a  prince  *  who  reigned 

*  The  people  were  so  fai*  from  applauding  the 
discovery  of  this  plot,  or  rejoicing  in  the  king's 
escape,  that  they  laid  hold  of  the  informer  by 
whom  it  was  revealed,  tore  him  in  pieces,  and 
threw  his  flesh  to  the  dogs.  (Joseph.,  Ant.  Jud. 
b.  XV.,  eh.  11.) 


LIFE   OF   THE  BLESSED   VIRGIN  MARY. 


175 


like  a  madman.  Ascribing  this  un- 
accountable boldness  to  the  con- 
tempt inspired  by  his  great  age,  he 
exhausted  all  the  secrets  of  art  to 
make  himself  young  again.*  He 
would  fain  have  persuaded  both 
himself  and  others  that  he  was  still 
that  young  and  brilliant  Herod  who 
surpassed  most  of  the  Hebrews  in 
all  gymnastic  exercises  ;  Herod,  the 
bold  cavalier,  the  skillful  huntsman, 
the  proud  and  handsome  prince, 
who  had  despised  the  love  of  that 
famous  Egyptian  queen  for  whom 
Antony  had  lost  the  empire  of  the 
world.  But,  alas  !  the  silvery  hairs 
which  began  to  appear  amid  the 
dark  locks  of  his  sons,  their  impa- 
tience to  reign,  the  spirit  of  revolt 
and  sedition  gliding  in  amongst  the 
people,  and  the  insolence  of  the 
brigands,  who  were  again  begin- 
ning their  depredations  in  Galilee, 
all  gave  him  but  too  clearly  to  un- 
derstand that  his  reign — hi§  dread 
reign  —  was  drawing  to  a  close. 
Harassed  with  suspicion,  and  dis- 
trusting  even   his   spies,  he  some- 


*  Herod  painted  his  face,  and  had  his  hair 
and  beard  dyed  black,  in  order  to  appear  young. 
(Joseph.,  Ant.  Jud.,  b.  xvi.,  ch.  11.) 

f  He  often  went  out  at  night  amongst  the 


times  wandered  at  night  through 
the  streets  and  squares  of  his  me- 
tropolis,! and  heard  with  his  own 
ears  the  deep  imprecations,  the  bit- 
ter reproaches,  the  biting  sarcasms 
heaped  on  the  upstart^  the  Ascalonite, 
the  wild  beast,  who  had  killed  his 
innocent  wife — that  gem  of  beauty 
and  pattei'u  of  chastity — and  who 
had  afterwards  caused  the  two  sons 
whom  he  had  by  her  to  be  put  to 
death — those  two  princes,  so  sad,  so 
beautiful,  so  stately,  and  so  dear  to 
the  people  because  of  the  Asmonean 
heroes,  their  ancestors,  and  their 
fair,  but  hapless  mother.  The  day 
following  these  nocturnal  rounds 
was  sure  to  be  one  of  mourning  and 
death.  None  were  spared.  From 
the  highest  to  the  lowest,  eveiy 
offender  was  cut  off.  Hence,  on 
every  side,  there  were  heard  vows 
of  vengeance ;  and  as  (5ften  as  the 
delusive  report  of  Herod's  death 
was  spread,  whether  by  accident  or 
design,  through  the  distant  prov- 
inces, the  people,  greedily  snatching 
at  the  deceitful  bait,  so  gratifying 

people,  under  some  disguise,  in  order  to  find 
out  the  opinion  entertained  of  him,  and  woe 
betide  those  whom  he  heard  censure  himself  or 
his  doings.    (Joseph.,  b.  xv.,  ch.  13.) 


176 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


to  their  hatred,  hastened  everywhere 
to  kindle  bonfires,  which  Herod 
quenched  in  blood. 

In  the  midst  of  these  elements  of 
civil  discord,  when  the  army  is  in 
a  state  of  all  but  open  revolt,  and 
the  whole  nation  seemed  merely 
awaiting  the  signal  for  a  general 
insm-rection,  there  arrives  in  Jeru- 
salem certain  foreigners  of  lofty 
mien,  who  inquire,  without  either 
mystery  or  concealment,  for  a  new- 
born king  of  the  Jews,  whose  star 
they  have  perceived.  Herod  is 
astounded.  He  anxiously  questions 
his  memory.  The  fatal  predictions 
concerning  his  dynasty,  which  the 
Pharisees  carefully  kept  afloat,  the 
oracles  of  the  ancient  seers,  to  which 
he  has  hitherto  paid  but  little  atten- 
tion, now  recur  to  his  mind.  That 
warrior  Messiah,  that  prophet-son 
of  David,  who  was  to  overrun  the 
world  from  east  to  west,  begins  now 
to  give  him  some  vague  uneasiness. 

*  Some  are  surprised  at  the  fears  wherewith 
Herod  regarded  a  branch  of  the  family  of  Da- 
vid; nevertheless,  Herod  was  not  the  only  one 
who  persecuted  that  noble  house,  because  of  its 
ancient  rights  and  its  glorious  hopes.  Eusebius 
relates,  from  Hegesipus,  that  after  the  conquest 
of  Jerusalem,  Vespasian  gave  orders  to  seek  and 
destroy  all  the  posterity  of  David.  Under  Tra- 
jan, the  persecution  btill  continued.      Finally, 


'  It  is  not  God  who  suggests  these 
thoughts  to  the  old  king's  mind; 
but  the  wily  prince,  the  more  he 
thinks  of  it,  the  more  he  is  con- 
vinced that  that  mysterious  event 
is  connected  with  a  vast  conspiracy, 
tending  to  raise  an  occult  and  rival 
power  on  the  ruins  of  his.  What! 
he  had  shed  like  water  the  illustri- 
ous blood  of  the  Maccabees,  nor 
spared  even  his  own  wife  and  sons. 
He  had  crushed  beneath  the  iron 
wheel  of  his  despotism  all  that 
offered  any  sort  of  resistance.  He 
had  lost  his  soul,  his  honor,  his 
peace  of  mind,  his  rest  by  night, 
w^hen  his  bleeding  victims  haunted 

his   dreams And    why   all 

that?  to  prepare  the  way  for  the 
race  of  David  !*....  That  scep- 
tre, so  dearly  bought — that  sceptre, 
still  reeking  with  the  blood  of  his 
own  kindred — was  it,  then,  but  a 
dry  and  accursed  rod,  to  be  broken 
over  his  tomb  ?     Was  he  himself  to 

Domitian  had  two  members  of  this  illustrious 
family  brought  to  Rome,  who  were  the  lineal 
descendants  of  the  Apostle  St.  Jude.  The  em- 
peror, having  questioned  them,  found  that  they 
possessed  only  thirty-nine  acres  of  land,  which 
they  tilled  with  their  own  hands.  He  8ei\t  them 
back  to  their  home,  being  satisfied,  on  account 
of  their  poverty,  that  there  was  no  danger  from 
^    their  ambition. 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


177 


pass,  like  the  meteor-glare  of  a  tern-  ^ 
pestuous  evening,  over  that  earth 
whose  former  glory  would  break  out 
anew  after  his  death  ?  And  that 
nation,  which  hated  him  with  a  ha- 
tred so  strong,  so  deadly,  so  infuri- 
ate, which  his  very  favors  could  not 
propitiate — how  it  would  love  and 
cherish  the  descendant  of  its  an- 
cient kings !  This  last  thought  fell, 
bitter  as  wormwood,  on  the  dark, 
desolate  heart  of  the  aged  monarch; 
for,  amid  all  his  deeds  of  cruelty, 
he  felt  the  desire  of  being  loved — a 
strange  desire,  truly,  but  yet  a  real 
one,  in  that  most  extraordinary 
nature,  which  seemed  made  up  of 
contrasts,  and  w^hich  had  devoted 
some  of  the  very  noblest  qualities 
to  the  service  of  the  most  absorbing 
and  the  most  cruel  passion  which 
can  ravage  the  human  soul — ambi- 
tion. 

"  Let  this  child  be  earthly  prince 
or  heaven-sent  prophet,"  said  Her- 
od, after  a  pause,  ''  he  must  die ; 
.  .  .  yea,  and  he  shall  die,  w^ere  I 
sure  of  extinguishing,  with  that  fee- 
ble breath,  all  the  glories  which  our 
seers  behold  in  the  future.  Athalia, 
that  strong  woman,  who  knew  so 
well  how  to  reign,  forgot  only  one  ^- 


infant  in  the  massacre  of  the  royal 

family  of  Juda That   child 

lived  to  deprive  her  of  her  throne 
and  life.  .  .  .  For  me,  I  shall  try 
to  forget  nothing.  But  where  are 
they  hiding  this  'new-born'  king 
of  the  Jews,  whose  birth  the  stars 
proclaim,  and  whom  these  insolent 
satraps  come  to  seek  at  the  very 
gates  of  my  palace  ?  ....  Can  it, 
indeed,  be  that  Schilo  foretold  by 
Jacob  ?  .  ,  .  .  These  are,  perchance, 
only  the  idle  dreams  of  astrologers. 
....  No  matter,  ....  we  must 
make  all  sure."  A  few  hours  after, 
the  doctors  of  the  law  and  the  chief 
priests  were  assembled  in  council, 
with  Herod  presiding,  and  were 
asked  that  question  which  seemed 
strange  to  them  in  the  mouth  of 
such  a  prince,  "In  what  place  is 
the  Messiah  to  be  born  ?" 

The  answer  was  prompt  and 
unanimous, ''  In  Bethlehem  of  Juda." 
And  the  ancients  of  Israel,  quite 
willing  to  annoy  the  friend  of  the 
Romans,  failed  not  to  add  that,  as 
the  last  week  of  Daniel  was  nearly 
at  an  end,  the  coming  of  the  Mes- 
siah must  be  at  hand.  This  infor- 
mation, by  no  means  satisfactory, 
would  not  do  for  Herod,  who  must 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


ascertain  wliere  the  blow  was  to  be 
struck.  He  resolved  to  interrogate 
I  lie  Magi,  and  to  find  out,  if  possi- 
ble, the  precise  period  of  the  child's 
birth,  computing  by  the  appearance 
of  the  star.  Too  cunning  to  grant 
the  Persian  sages  a  public  audience, 
which  would  have  given  notoriety 
to  a  rumor  that  it  was  most  impor- 
tant to  stifle,  the  king  had  them 
brought  before  him,  and  examined 
them  closely  as  to  the  time  of  the 
star's  appearance.  "He  inquires 
minutely,  not  after  the  child,  but 
the  star,"  says  St.  John  Chrysostom, 
"in  order  to  observe  all  possible 
circumspection  in  laying  his  snare." 
Having  learned  all  that  he  wished 
to  know,  the  man  of  blood  dismissed 
the  strangers  in  an  affable  and  gra- 
cious manner.  "Go,"  said  he,  "and 
diligently  inquire  after  the  young 
child :  and  when  you  have  found 
him,  bring  me  word  again,  that  I 
also  may  come  and  adore  him." 


*  The  kings  of  Persia  administered  justice  in 
quite  a  patriarchal  manner.  They  had  above 
their  heads  a  golden  bell,  and  to  the  bell  was 
fastened  a  chain,  the  end 'of  which  hung  with- 
out the  palace.  Every  time  that  the  bell  rang, 
the  oflBcers  of  the  prince  went  forth  from  his 
apartments,  and  introduced  before  the  great 
king  the  supphants,  who  demanded  justice  of 


Now,  the  Magi,  like  all  lofty- 
minded  men — sons  of  science  and 
contemplation  —  were  simple,  sin- 
cere, and  but  little  disposed  to  sus- 
pect evil.  They  understood  despot- 
ism and  cruelty  in  a  prince,  but 
they  did  not  understand  falsehood, 
for  the  first  thing  that  the  kings  of 
Persia  learn  in  their  infancy  is  to 
speak  the  truth.  They,  therefore, 
gave  implicit  credence  to  the  false 
words  of  the  Idumean,  and  passing 
again  under  the  stately  porticos  of 
the  palace,  which  vied  in  magnifi- 
cence with  that  of  the  great  king, 
but  w^hich  had  not,  with  all  its 
bronzes  and  arcades,  the  golden  bell 
of  the  suj)pluints,'^  they  quitted  the 
Betzetha,f  had  their  tents  taken  up, 
and  once  more  traversed  the  Holy 
City  to  repair  to  the  supposed  birth- 
place of  the  Messiah.  As  they 
wound  along  the  walls,  enriched  by 
trophies  from  the  new  amphitheatre, 
whose  unusual  style   of  decoration 


the  prince  himself,  who  instantly  examined  their 
case,  and  gave  his  decision  with  equity.  (Antar. 
Translated  from  the  Arabic  by  Terrick  Hamilton.) 
f  The  quarter  named  Betzetha,  or  the  new 
city,  which  Herod  had  joined  to  Jerusalem,  was 
situated  to  the  north  of  the  Temple  ;  it  con- 
tained the  lower  pond,  the  pond  of  probation, 
and  Herod's  palace. 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


179 


was  an  inexhaustible  subject  of  rid- 
icule for  the  Pharisees,  they  met 
King  Herod,  surrounded  by  a  forest 
of  Thracian  and  German  spears, 
going  in  the  direction  of  Jericho.* 

The  Persians  quitted  Jerusalem 
by  the  Damascus  gate ;  then,  turn- 
ing to  the  left,  they  made  their  way 
through  some  hollow  ravines,  inter- 
sected with  steep  hillocks  which 
they  had  to  climb.  They  were 
nearly  an  hour's  journey  from  the 
capital  of  Judea,  and  had  permitted 
their  camels  to  stop  at  a  cistern  to 
drink,  when  a  brilliant  point  ap- 
peared in  the  heavens,  and  rapidly 
descended  towards  them  like  a  fall- 
ing star.  "The  star!  our  star!" 
cried  the  slaves,  in  a  transport  of 
joy.  "The  star!"  repeated  their 
masters,  equally  delighted  ;  for  they 
were  now  sure  of  being  in  the  right 
way,  and  resumed  their  march  with 
increased  ardor. 

They  were  preparing  to  enter  the 
city  of  David,  when  the  star,  inclin- 

*  We  have  followed  the  authors  who  state 
that  Herod  set  out  for  Jericho,  where  he  was 
some  time  sick,  just  when  the  Magi  went  to 
Bethlehem  :  this  is  quite  conformable  to  the 
Gospel  narrative  ;  for  if  Herod  had  been  in 
Jerusalem  when  the  Persians  returned  thither, 
they  would  probably  have  seen  him  j^rior  to  the    ^i 


ing  towards  the  south,  suddenly 
stopped  over  a  deserted  cave,  which 
had  the  appearance  of  a  rustic 
stable,  and  down,  down  it  went  till 
it  seemed  to  rest,  almost,  on  the 
head  of  the  infant  God.  The  sicrht 
of  that  motionless  star,  its  soft 
rays  falling  brightly  on  that  dreary 
grotto,  filled  the  Magi  with  a  lively 
faith,  and  a  lively  faith  it  did  re- 
quire to  discover  the  King-Messiah 
in  a  poor,  unnoticed  cliild,  born  in 
such  a  place,  laid  in  a  manger,  and 
whose  mother,  though  fair  and  full 
of  grace,  was  evidently  of  very  ob- 
scure condition. 

God,  who  would  make  the  Jews 
ashamed  of  their  obduracy  by  con- 
trasting it  with  the  pious  haste  and 
the  docile  faith  of  infidels,  allotted 
it  so  that  the  strange  humiliation 
of  the  holy  family  should  not  shake 
the  firm  belief  of  the  Magi. 

The  worshippers  of  the  sun — the 
Gentiles — who  were  to  be  saved  by 
the  Cross  as  well  as  the  children  of 


angel's  warning,  which  was  not  given  until  the 
night.  The  illness  of  Herod,  by  diverting  his 
attention  from  the  Magi  and  the  child,  left  the 
former  at  Hberty  to  return  in  peace  to  their 
own  country,  and  gave  the  Holy  Family  time  to 
set  out  for  Nazareth. 


180 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


tlie  covenant,  penetrated  into  the  t 
lowly  abode  of  Christ  with  as  much 
venemtion  as  though  it  were  one 
of  their  own  temples,  built  over 
subterraneous  fires,  wherein  starry 
spheres  kept  ever  turning.*  Fol- 
lowing the  custom  of  theii*  people, 
they  prostrated  themselves  as  they 
crossed  the  threshold,  and  having 
taken  off  their  rich  sandals,  they 
adored  the  new-born  infant  as  all 
the  Eastern  nations  then  adored 
their  gods  and  their  masters.  Then, 
opening  their  caskets  of  perfumed 
wood,  wherein  were  the  offerings 
intended  for  the  Messiah,  they  took 
out  some  of  the  finest  gold,  gathered 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Nineveh 
the  Great,  and  perfumes,  purchased 
with  fruits  and  pearls  from  the 
Ai-abs  of  Yemen.  These  mysterious 
gifts  were  not  carnal,  like  the  offer- 
ings of  the  Jews.  The  cradle  of 
Him  who  w^as  come  to  abolish  the 
sacrifices  of  the  synagogue  was  not 
to  be  sprinkled  with  blood;  hence, 
the  Magi  did  not  sacrifice  to  him 


!  *  These  spheres,  composed  of  golden  circles, 

I       hollowed  like    our    armillary    spheres,   turned 

with  a  loud  noise  at  sunrise.  They  are  still  to 
I       be  seen  at  Oulam,  where  the  Ghebers  have  a 

temple.     {Rabbi  Benjamin.) 


either  spotless  lambs  or  white  heif- 
ers. They  ofiered  him  gold,  as  an 
earthly  prince — myrrh  and  incense, 
as  a  God.f  Then,  bowing  down  to 
the  ground  before  Mary,  whom  they 
found  "fair  as  the  nuxm  and  modest 
as  the  pale  water-lily,"  they  invoked 
the  blessing  of  God  upon  her,  and 
prayed  that  "  the  hand  of  misfc^rtune 
might  never  reach  her." 

This  w^as  the  hist  scene  of  splen- 
dor in  w^hich  the  Virgin  figured. 
The  first  period  of  her  life,  like  a 
sw^eet  dream  of  Ginnestan,  had 
rolled  away  under  roofs  of  cedar 
and  of  gold,  amid  sacred  perfumes 
and  the  sound  of  harp  and  lyre ;  the 
second,  full  of  mysteries  and  w^on- 
ders,  had  brought  her  in  connec- 
tion w^ith  the  inhabitants  of  heaven 
and  the  princes  of  Asia ;  the  third 
w^as  about  to  open  under  other  aus- 
pices :  it  was  now  her  turn  for  per- 
secution, anguish  and  unutterable 
sorrow. 

Meanwhile,  the  Magi  prepared 
to  leave  Bethlehem,  having  nothing 


f  Much  praise  has  justly  been  given  to  these 
verses  of  Juvencus — the  most  ancient  Christian 
poet  whose  works  have  come  down  to  us — on 
the  gifts  of  the  Magi  kings  : 

Aurum,  thus,  myrrham,  regique,  Deoque,  Iiominique 
Dona  fernnt .... 


LIFE  OF   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


181 


more  to  do  in  Jiidea.  They  pro-  f 
posed,  according  to  their  promise, 
to  seek  the  king  in  his  palace  at 
Jericho,  to  let  him  know  where  the 
Messiah  was;  but  the  angel  of  the 
Lord  apprised  them  in  a  dream  of 
the  dark  designs  of  that  perfidious 
prince,  and  commanded  them  to  go 
home  by  another  way. 

The  sons  of  Ormuzd  returned 
thanks  to  the  "Master  of  the  sun 
and  of  the  morning  star,"  attributed 
this  nocturnal  revelation  to  their 
good  genius,*  and  merited  by  their 


*  Ormuzd,  en  zend  ahurb-mezdeo  (the  most 
learned  king),  and  Ahrimen,  en  zend  ahyro- 
maingus  (the  wicked  intelligence),  according  to 
the  Persian  mythology,  sprang  from  good  and 
bad  genii,  to  whom  ai'e  ascribed  divers  functions 
in  the  universe,  whether  for  the  diffusion  of 
good  or  the  propagation  of  evil.  One  of  the 
good  genii,  named  Serosch,  went  seven  times 
every  night  around  all  the  earth,  to  watch  over 
the  safety  of  the  servants  of  Ormuzd.  (See  the 
Amschaspand- Named,  and  the  -Book  of  Kings  of 
Firdousi. 

t  Very  ancient  authors  affirm  that  the  Magi 
received  baptism  from  St.  Thomas ;  it  is  be- 
lieyed  that  they  suffered  martyrdom  in  India, 
where  they  preached  the  G-ospel. 

I  "The  date  trees  of  Babylon,"  says  Diodorus 
of  Sicily,  "  bear  exquisite  fruit  ;  they  are  six 
inches  long,  some  yellow,  others  red,  and  others 
of  a  purple  color,  so  that  they  are  just  as  pleas- 
ing to  the  sight  as  to  the  taste.  The  trunk  of 
the  tree  is  of  a  surprising  height,  and  is  per-    ^ 


perfect  docility  the  gift  of  faith, 
which  they  afterwards  received.f 
Instead  of  journeying  by  the  barren 
and  dangerous  shores  of  that  ac- 
cursed lake  whose  dark,  stagnant 
waters  cover  the  reprobate  cities  of 
the  plain,  they  turned  their  camels' 
heads  towards  the  coast  of  the  Great 
Sea,  where  they  could  almost  fancy 
themselves  in  the  valleys  of  dates 
and  roses  J  watered  by  the  Euphrates 
and  the  Bend-Emyr,  as  they  wound 
their  way  across  the  lovely  strand 
of  Syria. 


fectly  straight  and  even,  but  the  head,  or  tuft, 
is  not  the  same  in  all.  Some  date  trees  extend 
their  branches  in  a  round  form,  and  the  fruit 
of  some  grows  out  in  clusters  from  the  bark, 
about  the  middle  ;  others  have  all  their  branches 
on  one  side,  and  their  own  weight  bending 
them  down  towards  the  ground,  gives  them  the 
form  of  a  hanging  lamp  ;  others,  again,  divide 
their  branches  into  two  parts,  and  they  then 
fall  to  the  right  and  left  in  perfect  symmetry." 
{Diod.  b.  ii.)  Here  is  a  description  of  the 
banks  of  the  Euphrates,  by  an  Arabian  poet, 
anterior  to  Mahomet : — "  They  saw  populous 
towns,  plains  abounding  in  flowing  streams, 
date  trees,  and  warbling  birds  and  sweet-smell- 
ing flowers ;  and  the  country  appeared  like  a 
blessing  to  enliven  the  sorrowing  heart ;  and 
the  camels  were  grazing  and  straying  about  the 
land ;  and  they  were  of  various  colors,  like  the 
flowers  of  a  garden."  (Antar.  D-analated from 
the  Arabic  by  Terrick  Hamilton. )  As  to  the  fields 
and  gardens  of  roses  so  common  in  ancient 
Persia,  see  Firdousi's  Book  of  Kings. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 


THE     PURIFICATION. 


^-ORTY  days  after 
the  Saviour's 
birth,  the  Yir- 
gin  prepared 
to  return  to 
Jerusalera  for 
the  fiillillment  of  the  Levitical  pre- 
cept, which  prescribed  the  purifica- 
tion of  mothers  and  the  redemption 
of  the  first-born.  Undoubtedly,  this 
law  did  not  apply  to  Mary ;  for 
though  she  was  the  mother  of  the 
Redeemer,  she  was  still  a  pure  vir- 
gin, and  that  immaculate  concep- 
tion had  been  followed  by  a  spotless 
maternity ;  "  but  she  willingly  sub- 
mitted, for  example's  sake,  to  a  law 
which  was  no  way  binding  on  her," 
says  Bossuet,  "  because  the  secret 
of  her  virginal  maternity  was  not 
known." 

Meanly  attired  and  undistinguish- 
ed from  the  crowd,  in  their  first 
appearance   on   the   dusty  road  of 

*  This  tree,  under  which  Mary  stopped  to 
nurse  Jesus,  was  destroyed  in  the  17th  century, 
but  the  place  where  it  stood  is  still  pointed  out. 


*  Ephrata,  Joseph  and  Mary,  having 
attracted  no  observation,  left  behind 
them  •  no  remembrance  to  become 
traditionary.  It  was  far  different, 
however,  on  their  return  to  Jerusa- 
lem— thanks,  we  may  suppose,  to 
the  wondrous  tale  of  the  shei)herds, 
and  the  brilliant  visit  of  the  Magi. 
At  some  distance  from  Bethlehem, 
Mary  stopped  under  a  spreading 
tree  to  nurse  her  divine  Infant ;  and 
that  tree,  according  to  the  common 
belief,  had  ever  after  a  secret  virtue, 
which  for  sixteen  centuries  effected 
many  marvellous  things, — so  it  is 
said,  at  least,  by  the  Christians  of 
Asia,  and  also  by  the  Turks,  for 
whom  that  tree  was,  not  more  than 
two  hundred-  years  ago,  an  object 
of  veneration  and  the  term  of  a 
pilgrimage.* 

After  this  memorable  halt,  the 
holy  couple  journeyed  on  to  the 
tomb  of  Rachel,  f  where  every  He- 

f  According  to  the  Jewish  doctors,  Jacob  only 
buried  his  beloved  wife  on  the  highway  of  Beth- 
lehem because  his  prophetic  knowledge  enabled 


LIFE   OF  THE  BLESSED   VIRGIN  MARY. 


183 


brew  was  to  pray  in  passing.     This 
primitive    monument    consisted    of 
twelve  large  stones,  overgrown  with 
moss,    on   each  of  which   was   en- 
graved the  name  of  a  tribe,  and  its 
only   epitaph    was   a  white   Syrian 
rose— frail,   sweet   emblem  of  that 
lovely  woman  who  withered  away 
ere  yet  her  beauty  had  reached  its 
prime,  like  the  flower  mentioned  by 
Job.     While  they  stopped  to  say  a 
prayer  for  the  dead  over  the  revered 
dust  of  one  of  the  saints  of  their 
people,  the  Virgin  and  Joseph  little 
thought  that  the  wailing  of  the  dove, 
ascribed  by   Scripture  to  that  fair 
Assyrian,  was  so  soon  to  have  its 
application,  or  that  the  mother  of 
Joseph   and  of  Benjamin  was   the 
desolate  type  of  the  mothers  who, 
some  days  after,  in  the  mountains 
of  Judea,  were  to  mourn  for  their 


him  to  foresee  that  a  number  of  his  descendants 
should  pass  that  way  as  captives  of  the  Assyr- 
ians, and  that  he  would  have  Eachel  intercede 
for  them  with  Jehovah,  according  as  they  passed 
her  tomb.  Protestants  have  loudly  exclaimed 
against  this  passage  of  the  Talmud,  as  being  too 
favorable  to  the  intercession  of  the  Virgin  and 
the  saints.  This  tomb  of  Rachel  was  so  highly 
venerated,  that  every  Jew  who  passed  by  made 
it  a  sacred  duty  to  engrave  his  name  on  one  of 
the  stones;  these  enormous  stones  were  twelve 
in  number.     ( Talm.  of  Jet. )     It  is  well  known 


children  massacred  in  place  of  Je- 
sus Christ. 

Going  forth  from  the  vale  of  Re- 
phai'm,  whose  ancient  oaks  shaded 
the  graves  of  the  gigantic  race  of 
Enac,  the  Yirgin  observed  a  tree 
whose  sinister  aspect  saddened  and 
depressed  her  heart.  It  was  a  bar- 
ren olive-tree,  whose  pale  leaves 
rustled  in  the  evening  breeze  with 
a  mournful  sound  that  seemed  like 
the  wail  of  human  sorrow.  As  she 
passed  under  its  gloomy  foliage, 
uncheered  by  the  song  of  any  bird, 
Mary  felt  that  sensation  of  blighting 
cold  which  belongs  to  the  fatal 
shade  of  the  manchineel-tree.  That 
tree,  if  local  tradition  be  not  mis- 
taken, was  the  infamous  wood  to 
which  Christ  was  nailed.* 

At  the  moment  when  Joseph  and 
Mary  made  their  way  into  the  sacred 


that  the  tears  of  Rachel,  mentioned  by  Jere- 
miah, vs^ere  but  the  figure  of  the  tears  shed  by 
the  Jewish  women  after  the  Massacre  of  the 
Innocents.     (S.  Mat.  ch.  ii.,  v.  17,  18.) 

*  About  half  a  league  from  Jerusalem  stands 
the  monastery  of  the  Holy  Cross.  Inside  its 
chapel  is  shown  the  spot  which  was  occupied  by 
the  barren  olive  tree  of  which  the  Cross  was 
made.  The  place  where  the  trunk  stood  is  now 
filled  up  by  a  block  of  marble  in  a  niche  under 
the  high  altar,  where  there  is  a  lamp  continually 
burning. 


184 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


inclosiire,  with  the  shekels  of  silver  f 
for  the  ransom,  and  the  two  doves 
for  the  sacrifice,  a  holy  old  man 
named  Simeon,*  to  whom  it  had 
been  divinely  revealed  that  he 
slionld  not  die  until  he  had  seen 
the  Christ  of  the  Lord,  entered  the 
Temple  by  an  impulse  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  At  sight  of  the  Holy  Fam- 
ily, the  eye  of  the  just  man  became 
inspired.  Discovering  the  King- 
Messiah  under  the  poor  swaddling- 
clothes  of  a  common  child,  he  took 
him  in  his  arms,  drew  him  close  to 
him,  arid  gazed  upon  him  with  de- 
light, whilst  the  tears  of  joy  rolled 
down  his  venerable  cheeks.  "  Now," 
cried  the  pious  old  man — "now 
thou  dost  dismiss  thy  servant,  0 
Lord,  according  to  thy  word,  in 
peace;  because  my  eyes  have  seen 
thy  salvation,  which  thou  hast  pre- 
pared before  the  face  of  all  people 
— a  light  to  the  revelation  of  the 
Gentiles,  and  the  glory  of  thy  peo- 
ple Israel."     Having  uttered  these 

words,  Simeon  solemnly  blessed  the 

— ^ ^ — 

*  The  Arabs  give  Simeon  the  title  of  Siddik 
(he  who  verifies),  because  he  bore  testimony  to 
the  coming  of  the  true  Messiah,  in  the  person 
"^of  Jesus,  son  of  Mary,  whom  every  Mussulman 
is  obliged  to  receive  as  such,  (D'Herbelot, 
BMioth.  Orient.,  t.  iii.,  p.  266.) 


mother  and  her  spouse;  and  then, 
addressing  himself  to  Mary,  after  a 
moment's  mournful  silence,  he  added 
that  this  child  was  born  for  the  fall 
and  for  the  resurrection  of  many  in 
Israel,  and  for  a  sign  which  should 
be  contradicted,  and  that  grief,  like 
a  sharp  sword,  should  pierce  his 
mother's  soul. 

By  this  unexpected  light,  which 
partially  disclosed  the  high  destiny 
of  Christ,  the  ignominies,  the  suffer- 
ings, and  the  agony  of  the  Cross 
were  suddenly  revealed  to  the  bless- 
ed Virgin.  The  ominous  words  of 
Simeon,  like  a  stormy  wind,  made 
her  bend  her  head,  and  her  heart 
throbbed  with  anguish.f  But  Mary 
knew  how  to  accept,  without  mur- 
mur or  complaint,  whatever  came 
from  God.  Her  pale  lips  touched 
that  cup  of  wormwood  and  gall,  she 
drained  it  to  the  dregs,  and  then, 
restraining  her  teai's,  she  meekly 
said,  "  Thy  will,  0  Lord,  be  done ! " 
At  that  moment,  the  daughter  of 
Abraham  rose  superior  to  the  chief 

f  "  Mary,  my  sovereign,"  says  St.  Anselm, 
speaking  on  this  subject,  "  I  cannot  believe 
that  you  could  ha"ve  lived  a  single  moment 
with  such  a  sorrow  at  your  heart,  had  not 
God,  the  giver  of  life,  given  you  strength  to 
bear  it." 


LIFE   OF   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


'185 


and  father  of  her  people.  She,  too, 
sacrificed  her  son  on  the  altar  of  the 
Lord  ;  but  she  had  the  sad  certainty 
that  her  sacrifice  would  be  accepted, 
and  she  ivas  a  mother  ! 

Slie  was  still  revolving  in  her 
mind  these  lofty  thoughts,  when 
there  came  in  a  prophetess  named 
Anna,  wife  of  Phanuel,  of  the  tribe 
of  Aser,  who  was  far  advanced  in 
years.  This  holy  widow  remained 
continually  in  the  Temple,  serving 
God  night  and  day  in  prayer  and 
fasting.  Seeing  the  divine  child, 
she  began  to  praise  the  Lord  aloud, 
and  to  speak  of  him  to  all  those 
who  expected  the  redemption  of 
Israel. 

"Not  only,"  says  St.  Ambrose, 
"did  angels,  prophets,  and  shep- 
herds proclaim  the  birth  of  the 
Saviour,  but  also  the  just,  and  the 
ancients  of  Isi-ael.  A  Virgin  con- 
ceives, a  barren  woman  brings  forth, 
a  dumb  man  speaks,  Elizabeth  pro- 
phesies, the  Magi  adore,  the  child 
in  his  mother's  womb  leaps  for  joy, 
a  widow  confesses  that  wondrous 
event,  and  all  the  just  expect  it." 


*  Prideaux,  Hidoire  des  Juifs. 
f  There  was  then,  and  still  is,  amongst  the 
Jewish    doctors,   a  horrifying    doctrine:    they 


As  women  might  not  enter  the 
inner  court  of  the  Temple,  where 
the  child  was  to  be  offered  to  the 
Lord,  because  of  his  sex,  Joseph 
himself  carried  him  into  the  hall  of 
the  first-born,  asking  himself  whether 
the  scenes  which  had  marked  the 
entrance  of  Jesus  into  the  holy 
house  were  to  be  renewed  before 
the  Hebrew  pontiffs.  But  nothing 
revealed  the  Infant -God  in  that 
privileged  part  of  the  Temple ;  all 
there  remained  dull  and  cold,  not- 
withstanding the  radiant  presence 
of  the  young  Sun  of  Justice.  A 
priest  who  was  unknown  to  Joseph 
carelessly  received  from  the  hard 
hands  of  the  man  of  labor,  whom  he 
regarded  as  the  scum  of  the  workl,"^ 
the  timid  birds  prescribed  by  the 
law,  and  did  not  even  deign  to 
honor  Christ  with  a  look.  The  love 
of  gold  —  that  shameful  idolatry, 
which  conceals  its  unholy  worship 
when  it  has  still  the  grace  to  be 
ashamed  of  itr— had  totally  petrified 
the  narrow,  selfish,  vindictivef  heart 
of  the  princes  of  the  synagogue. 
Leaving  a  monopoly  of  the  toils 
■ ^  ~^  ~k^ 

hold   that   he    who   nourishes   not   his   hatred, 
and  takes  not  revenge,  is  unworthy  the  title  of 
i    Kabbi.     (Basnage,  1.  vi.,  ch.  17.) 


ise 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


jiiul  j)i'iviitions  to  the  simple  Le-  * 
vites,  whom  they  reduced  to  live  on 
herbs  and  dry  figs,*  they  passed  by 
the  poor  man  lying  on  their  marble 
threshold,  the  wounded  traveller 
stretched  on  the  mountain  -  path, 
coldly  averting  their  head.  At  bot- 
tom, they  loved  neither  God  nor 
man.  And  hence  it  was  that  our 
Lord,  who  Himself  instituted  a 
priesthood  of  charity,  bitterly  re- 
proached them  with  this  in  the  par- 
able ol  "^he  good  Samaritan.  Thus, 
as  Malachy  had  foretold,  God  cursed 
their  blessings,  and  turned  away  from 
his  Temple,  which  he  was  soon  after 
to  deliver  to  the  fire  and  sword  of 
the  Romans. 

The  presence  of  the  Messiah, 
which  inflamed  the  heart  of  the  dis- 
ciples of  Emmaus  even  before  they 
had  recognized  him  in  the  breaking 
of  bread,  passed  over  the  soul  of  the 
Aaronites  as  the  first  ray  of  spring 
passes  over  the  eternal  snows  of 
Ararat.  Tliat  solemn  moment,  which 
suspended  the  angelic  concerts,  and 
fixed  the  attention  of  the  heavenly 

*  The  luxury  and  avarice  of  the  chief  priests 
of  Jerusalem  were  incredible.  They  sent  out 
and  collected  the  tithes  through  the  country, 
taking  all  to  themselves,  and  leaving  the  inferior 
priests  wholly  destitute.     At  the  first  remon- 


hosts  on  a  single  point  of  the  uni- 
verse— that  moment,  foretold  by  Ag- 
geus,  when  the  gloiy  of  the  second 
Temple  effViced  that  of  the  first — 
that  moment  passed  unnoticed  be- 
fore the  darkened  vision  of  the 
priests  and  doctors.  There  was 
none  to  recognize  the  clean  offering 
mentioned  by  Malachy.  The  De- 
sired of  all  nations — Him  whose 
way  the  angels  had  prepared — the 
great  Redeemer,  so  long  promised 
and  so  long  expected,  w^as  there, 
bodily,  in  his  holy  house,  and  no 
one  thouGclit  of  welcomino*  him  with 
palms,  crying  out  on  the  watch- 
towers  of  the  Temple  and  the  house- 
tops of  Jerusalem,  "  Hosanna  to  the 
Son  of  David!"  They  knew  well, 
as  the  Gospel  says,  how  to  predict 
the  approach  of  rain  by  the  clouds 
that  rose  from  the  west ;  they  could 
foretell  heat  by  the  blowing  of  the 
south  wind:  but  these  men,  so 
clever  in  drawing  presages  from 
the  different  aspects  of  the  heavens, 
saw  not  that  the  fig-tree  of  Solomon 
was  about  to  put  forth  its  fruit,  and 

strance,  the  unhappy  Levites,  accused  of  revolt 
and  sedition,  were  given  over  to  the  Romans ; 
and  Governor  Felix  alone  threw  forty  of  them 
into  prison,  in  order  to  propitiate  the  doctors 
and  princes  of  the  synagogue.     (Joseph.,  Vita.) 


LIFE  OF   THE  BLESSED   VIRGIN  MARY. 


187 


they  could  not  discover  the  God  in 
that  humble  child.  Oh,  poverty  I 
what  a  disguise  thou  art,  even  for 
the  divine  nature !  The  real  Christ 
was  in  the  midst  of  his  own,  but  he 
was  poor,  and  his  own  received  him 
not;  hence  they  remained  without 
a  Saviour,  for  no  Melech-Hmnaschiak 
ever  came  to  justify  their  incredu- 
lous contempt  for  the  divine  Son  of 
the  Virgin,  and  they  are  reduced  to 
cry,  with  cold,  yet  despairing  malice, 
"Perish  those  who  compute  the  time 
of  the  Messiah!"* 

Meanwhile,  the  Infant- God,  who 
had  recognized,  along  the  streets  of 
Jerusalem,  the  difterent  stages  of 
the  passion,  silently  distinguished 
his  futm-e  executioners  amid  that 
grave  and  glittering  crowd  ;  among 
the  choirs  who  sang  on  the  harp 
hymns  of  praise  to  the  Eternal, 
Christ  distinguished  the  loud,  dis- 
cordant voices  that  were  one  day  ere 

*  Basnage,  1.  vi.,  ch.  26.     Talmud,  349. 

f  We  have  followed  the  opinion  of  St.  Luke, 
St.  John  Chrysostom,  and  some  other  authori- 
ties, in  making  the  Holy  Family  set  out  for 
Nazareth  immediately  after  the  Purification.  It 
is  the  only  way  to  reconcile  St.  Matthew — who 
says  nothing  of  the  marvellous  events  of  the 
Presentation — ^with  St;  Luke,  who  is  silent  as 
to  the  Massacre  of  the  Innocents  and  the  flight    ^ 


many  years  to  cry,  "Crucify  liiin ! 
crucify  him!" 

Race  of  Aaron,  where  art  thou 
now?  The  vengeful  bre;;th  of  the 
Crucified  has  scattered  thee,  like 
chaff,  over  all  the  earth ;  swallowed 
up  in  those  masses  which  thou  didst 
so  despise,  thy  companions  in  exile 
know  thee  no  more!  But  caring 
little,  at  that  time,  for  the  clouds 
which  darkened  above  their  heads, 
the  Hebrew  priests  offered  to  that 
God  who  spurned  their  gifts  the 
chosen  victims  of  both  high  and 
low.  One  of  them  took  Joseph's 
doves,  ascended  the  gentle  slope  of 
the  altar  of  holocausts,  and  offered 
to  the  Lord  that  simple  and  humble 
sacrifice. 

"After"  Joseph  and  Mary  "had 
performed  all  things  according  to 
the  law  of  the  Lord,"  says  St.  Luke, 
"  they  returned  into  Galilee,  to  their 
city  Nazareth." f 

into  Egypt.  "What  shall  we  say  to  reconcile 
these  two  evangelists,"  says  St.  John  Chrysos- 
tom, "  except  that  the  return  to  Nazareth  pre- 
ceded the  flight  into  Egypt  ?  For  God  did  not 
command  Joseph  and  Mary  to  go  into  Egypt 
before  the  Purification,  lest  the  law  might  be 
left  unfulfilled.  But,  that  duty  accomplished, 
they  returned  of  themselves  to  Nazareth,  where 
they  received  the  order  to  fly  into  Egypt." 


CHAPTER   Xiy. 


THE     FLIGHT     INTO     EGYPT. 


.CARCELY  were 
they  returned  in- 
to Lower  Galilee, 
when  Joseph  and 
Mary  had  to  set 
out  again  on  a 
long  and  perilous  journey,  ending 
in  the  land  of  exile.  One  night, 
the  angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  to 
Joseph,  during  his  sleep.  "Arise," 
said  he,  '"take  the  child  and  his 
mother,  and  fly  into  Egypt,  and  be 
there  until  I  shall  tell  thee.  For  it 
will  come  to  pass  that  Herod  will 
seek  the  child  to  destroy  him."  At 
these  words,  Joseph  rose  affrighted, 
adored  the  Lord,  and  ran  to  awake 
Mary,  who  was  sweetly  sleeping  be- 
side her  child.  The  young  mother 
quickly  understood  the  necessity  of 
this  abrupt  and  secret  departure. 
She  casts  a  look  of  anguish  on 
her  son,  and  hastily  collects  a  few 
clothes  and  some  provisions  for  the 
journey ;  then,  preceded  by  Joseph, 
and  carrying  Jesus  in  her  arms,  she  ^ 


quits  her   native    city   reposing   in 
the  calm  star-light. 

The  prophecies  of  Simeon  were 
speedily  accom})lislied.  Scarcely 
was  Jesus  born,  when  a  tyrant's 
persecution  sought  him  in  his  cra- 
dle, and  his  mother,  so  young,  so 
holy,  was  forced  to  fly  by  night  like 
a  guilty  creature,  accompanied  only 
by  an  aged  man  who  could  only 
oppose  prayer  and  patience  to  the 
Arab  spears  which,  perchance,  lay 
in  ambush  in  the  mountain  ravine, 
or  the  murderous  attack  of  Herod's 
soldiers.  It  would  seem  as  though 
God  himself  abandoned  that  holy 
family  to  its  fate,  for,  when  giving 
the  order  for  Joseph  to  set  out,  his 
messenger  had  not  promised,  as 
Raphael  did  of  old  to  the  young 
Tobias,  to  guard  them  on  the  way. 
But  the  Virgin's  spouse  understood 
that  the  solemn  moment  of  Christ's 
manifestation  not  being  yet  come, 
God  would  save  them  from  the  de- 
vices of  Herod  by  means  of  mere 


■.*i*' 


^.^JHIhi^i^ 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


189 


human  prudence.  To  Joseph,  then, 
belonged  all  the  care,  and  all  the 
honor,  of  that  arduous  enterprise ; 
it  was  for  him — a  poor,  obscure  old 
man — to  thwart  the  plans,  to  defeat 
the  schemes,  to  elude  the  jealous 
watchfulness  of  a  gloomy,  politic 
tyrant,  who  was  served  by  his  myr- 
midons like  an  Eastern  despot. 
What  was  to  happen,  and  what  was 
to  be  done,  if  any  danger  presented 
itself  on  the  Jerusalem  road  ?  The 
sudden  departure  of  the  Magi  had 
aroused  the  suspicions  of  Herod, 
and  those  suspicions  were  strength- 
ened by  the  words  of  Anna  and 
Simeon ;  secret  inquiries,  dark  in- 
vestigations were  already  on  foot, 
and  none  might  say  where  that  san- 
guinary prince  would  stop,  he  who 
hlled  with  gold  the  red  hand  of  the 
assassin.  The  more  Joseph  pon- 
dered, the  more  clearly  he  fore- 
saw some  horrible  tragedy,  the  very 
thouorht  of  which  made  the  blood 
curdle  in  his  veins.  Mary,  on  her 
side,  pale  and  silent  as  death,  kept 
looking  forward  into  the  depth  of 

*  About  the  middle  of  February,  when  it  is 
still  very  cold  in  the  mountains  of  the  interior, 
where  the  temperature,  according  to  M.  Volney, 
is  nearly  like  ours  ;  on  the  plains  of  Syria,  on 


the  valley,  the  shade  of  the  woods, 
or  along  the  windings  of  the  I'ocky 
path  which  Joseph  had  chosen  as 
the  safest,  and  the  most  remote 
from  the  dwellings  of  men.  The 
soft  moonlight  illumined  the  earth, 
and  guided  the  silent  march  of  the 
holy  travellers. 

"The  weather  was  still  cold,"* 
says  St.  Bonaventure,  "  and,  while 
crossing  Palestine,  the  Holy  Family 
had  to  choose  the  wildest  and  least 
frequented  roads.  Where  are  they 
to  lodge  during  the  night  ?  Wliere 
can  they  venture  to  rest  a  little 
during  the  day?  Where  are  they 
to  take  the  frugal  meal  necessary 
to  sustain  their  strength?"! 

Tradition  is  silent  on  most  of  the 
details  of  this  touching  and  perilous 
pilgrimage.  Doubtless,  the  holy 
travellers  made  long  and  painful 
marches  through  the  mountains, 
availing  themselves  of  the  lirst 
hours  of  day,  and  often,  too,  await- 
ing the  rising  of  the  moon  to  re- 
sume their  ■  journey.  Whilst  their 
way  lay  through  Galilee,  they  found 

the  contrary,  it  was  already  the  heat  of  summer 
{See  note  3  of  ch.  vi.) 

■f  St.  Bonaventure,  De  Vita  Ghridi. 


190 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


places  of  rest  and  shelter  in  its  deep  * 
ca\es,  with  their  secret  branches 
winding  no  one  knew  whither ;  but 
uMMi  these  had  their  dangers,  for 
they  were  often  chosen  as  a  secure 
hiding-place  by  some  of  those  jiu- 
merous  bands  of  robbers  who  had 
long  bid  defiance  to  all  the  forces 
of  the  kingdom,  and  who  were  now 
emboldened  by  the  illness  of  Herod.* 
The  fear  of  happening  unawares 
into  one  of  these  murderous  dens, 
must  have  made  Joseph  hesitate 
many  a  time  at  the  mouth  of  a  cave 
that  would  seem  to  ofl'er  a  secure 
asylum. 

At  length,  after  a  thousand  dan- 
gers, and  a  thousand  trials  of  vari- 
ous kinds,  the  Holy  Family  reached 
the  environs  of  Jerusalem.  Here 
caution  and  anxiety  were  increased 
in  proportion  to  the  imminence  of 
the  danger.  The  fugitives  dared  no 
longer  approach  cities,  nor  even 
populous  villages,  where  a  troop  of 
spies  and  informers  had  their  eye 

*  These  armed  bands,  ofteu  two  or  three 
thousand  strong,  were  commanded  by  expe- 
rienced chiefs,  who  gave  both  Herod  and  the 
Romans  enough  to  do.  Some  of  these  had  a 
political  object  in  view,  and  made  a  guerilla 
war  ;  others  were  simply  a  band  of  assassins, 
who   carried   long    daggers   under   their   robe,    ^ 


on  every  stranger. j-  They  folh^wed 
the  bed  of  the  torrents,  plunged 
into  by-ways,  or  through  the  damp 
foliage  of  the  woods,  not  daring  to 
turn  aside  for  a  fresh  stock  of  pro- 
visions, and  suffering  at  once  from 
fear,  cold,  and  hunger.  They  had 
passed  Anathot,  and  were  making 
for  Ramla,  to  descend  into  the  low 
country ;  anxious  to  escape  from  a 
dangerous  vicinity,  they  had  bor- 
rowed some  hours  from  the  night, 
when  they  saw  winding  fi'om  a 
gloomy  ravine  just  before  them  a 
number  of  armed  men,  who  blocked 
up  the  way.  He  w^ho  appeared  the 
leader  of  this  troop  of  brigands 
stepped  forward  in  front  of  his  men 
to  take  a  view  of  the  travellers. 
Joseph  and  Mary  stood  still,  look- 
ing on  each  other  in  terror  and 
alarm ;  Jesus  was  sleeping.  The 
bandit,  who  was  on  the  look-out  for 
blood  and  gold,  cast  an  astonished 
glance  on  the  defenceless  old  man, 
with  his  simple,  patriarchal  air,  and 


and  murdered  all  obnoxious  persons  who  fell 
in  their  way,  even  in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem. 
{De  Bello,  b.  ii.,  ch.  5.) 

f  Herod,  who  pez'fected  the  spy  system  in 
the  East,  had  his  spies  scattered  along  all  the 
highways  of  Judea.  (Joseph.,  Ant.  Jud.,  b.  xv., 
ch.  13.) 


LIFE   OF   THE  BLESSED   VIRGIN  MARY. 


191 


then  on  the  young  veiled  woman,  - 
with  her  infant  clasped  convulsively 
to  her  heart.  "  They  are  poor,"  said 
the  robber  to  himself,  "  and,  as  they 
travel  by  night,  they  must  be  fugi- 
tives!" Perhaps  he,  too,  had  an 
infant  son  ;  or  perhaps  the  atmos- 
phei-e  of  mildness  and  mercy  which 
surrounded  Jesus  and  Mary  had  its 
effect  on  that  ferocious  soul ;  how- 
ever it  was,  he  lowered  the  point  of 
his  lance,  and,  extending  a  friendly 
hand  to  Joseph,  offered  him  a  lodg- 
ing for  the  night  in  his  rock-built 
fortress  hard  by.  This  frank  offer 
was  accepted  with  a  holy  confi- 
dence, and  the  brigand's  roof  was 
as  hospitable,  on  that  occasion,  as 
the  Arab  tent.*  On  the  following 
day,  about  noon,  the  Holy  Family 
stopped  in  the  shade  of  a  vast  forest 
of  palms,  nopals,  and  wild  fig-trees, 
which  is  situated  at  a  short  distance 


*  The  site  where  local  tradition  places  this 
scene,  and  where  the  ruins  of  the  brigand's  for- 
tress are  still  seen,  bears  even  now  a  bad  char- 
acter. During  the  Cr-usades,  the  Franks,  to 
whom  this  tradition  was  familiar,  converted  the 
bandit  chief  into  a  feudal  lord;  "it  is,  never- 
theless, a  rare  thing,"  says  Father  Nau,  with 
amusing  coolness,  "for  a  great  lord  to  turn 
highway  robber."  The  Crusaders  knew  what 
they  were  about  better  than  Father  Nau.  There 
has  been  added  to  this  legend — which  appears 


from  Ramla;f  a  bed  of  amaranths, 
narcissuses,  and  anemones,  received 
the  Loi'd  of  heaven  and  earth ;  the 
heat  of  summer  was  abroad  on  the 
plain,  and  the  warbling  of  birds, 
the  odor  of  plants,  the  thick  shade 
of  the  fig-trees,  and  the  distant  mur- 
mur of  a  rivulet,  lulled  the  divine 
Infant  to  sleep.  After  a  short  and 
anxious  halt,  the  travellers  resumed 
their  journey.  There  is  no  knowing 
why  it  was  that  they  directed  their 
com'se  towards  Betlilehem;  tradi- 
tion has  preserved  the  memory  of 
their  visit,  and  Christians  have 
erected  an  altar  in  the  cave  where 
Mary  hid  with  her  child  J  whilst 
Joseph  went  up  to  the  city,  either 
to  inquire  a,bout  the  departure  of 
a  caravan,  or  to  exchange  Mary's 
gentle,  but  slow  palfry,  for  a  camel. 
Whatever  motive  it  might  have 
been  that  drew  Joseph  and  Mary 


authentic — an  embellishment  for  which  we  do 
not  vouch,  viz.,  that  the  hospitable  brigand  was 
no  other  than  the  good  thief  in  person. 

f  It  is  a  charming  spot  which  tradition  points 
out  as  one  of  the  resting  places  of  the  Holy 
Family  ;  the  ruins  of  a  monastery  are  now  seen 
there. 

I  This  cave  is  called  "  The  Grotto  of  the  Vir- 
gin's Milk,"  because  it  is  thought  that  some 
di-ops  of  Mary's  milk  fell  on  the  rock  while  she 
^    nursed  her  divine  Infant. 


192 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


into  the  crater  of  tlie  volcano,  it  is  f 
certain  that  they  stayed  but  a  few 
hours,  and  that  they  thence  hast- 
ened to  gain  a  maritime  town  of 
the  Philistines,  there  to  join  the  first 
caravan  destined  for  Egypt. 

According  to  the  learned  calcula- 
tions of  chronologers,  who  admit  of 
no  interval  in  this  long  journey,  the 
holy  couple  must  have  found  a  car- 
avan at  once  setting  out  from  the 
Syrian  coast.  This  is  the  more  like- 
ly, inasmuch  as  the  spring  equinox 
was  drawing  near,  so  that  every 
traveller  would  be  anxious  to  out- 
strip the  season  when  the  simoom 
sweeps  over  the  desert,  rendering 
its  sands  as  treacherous  as  the 
ocean -wave.*  Excepting  only  the 
mortal  dread  of  Herod's  pursuit,  the 
latter  part  of  the  journey  was  just 
as  much  marked  by  fatigue,  suffer- 
ing, and  even  insecurity.  On  leav- 
ing Gaza,  whose  dilapidated  towers 
reechoed  the  hoarse  murmur  of  the 
waves,  our  travellers  saw  before 
them  only  immense  wastes  of  sand, 
dreary,  desolate,  and  fearfully  naked, 

*  The  Arabs  call  the  hot  wiud  of  the  desert 
idmoom,  or  poison  ;  some  idea  of  it  may  be  con- 
ceived by  standing  for  a  moment  at  the  mouth 
of  a  common  baking-oven,  when  the  bread  is 
taken  out.     These  fiei-y  winds  are  much  more    ^ 


agitated  by  the  scorching  wind  of 
the  desert,  and  overhung  by  a  fiery 
sky.  Not  a  trace  of  vegetation, 
save,  perchance,  an  occasional  patch 
of  heath  stretching  here  and  there 
across  the  desolate  waste ;  no  water, 
except  the  brackish  spring,  which 
the  Virgin  and  Jose[)li,  who  were 
tired,  poor,  and  unprotected,  were 
only  allowed  to  approach  after  the 
rich  merchants,  their  slaves  and 
their  camels,  had  drained  it  dry,  so 
that  they  could  barely  take  up  a 
little  of  the  thick,  muddy  water,  in 
the  hollow  of  their  hand.  Accoi'd- 
ing  as  they  receded  from  the  fron- 
tiers of  Syria,  the  thirst  became 
greater,  and  the  water  inoi'e  scarce. 
At  times,  there  was  seen  afar  off, 
amid  the  interminable  plain,  a  large 
lake,  blue  and  sparkling  as  that  of 
Gennesaretli ;  the  sky  was  reflected 
in  its  limpid  waters,  with  one  soli- 
tary date -tree;  the  camels  were 
hurried  on,  and  Mary  raised  her 
head,  drooping  like  the  rose  of  Jeri- 
cho when  bent  by  the  rain.f  That 
blessed  lake  was   gained ;   already 

frequent  during  the  fifty  days  preceding  and 
succeeding  the  solstice.  (Volney,  Voyage  en 
Syrie.) 

f  This  rose,  whose  corolla  opens  and  shuts 
according  to  the  changes  of  the  atmosphere,  is 


LIFE   OF   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


193 


was  the  raging  thirst  quenched  in 
imagination ;  but,  oh,  misery !  some 
mocking  demon  removed  the  lake 
some  leagues  farther,  and  left  in  its 
place  only  burning  sand.* 

Another  optical  illusion  which 
frequently  takes  place  in  those  arid 
and  scorching  regions,  appears  to 
the  distant  travellers  in  gigantic 
|)roportions.  Arab  horsemen,  cov- 
ered with  their  tloating  abbas  with 
brown  and  golden  stripes,  and  armed 
with  the  djombie — a  dagger  with  a 
crooked  blade,  which  every  inhabit- 
ant of  the  desert  wears  in  his  girdle 
— appeared  from  afar  of  the  height 
of  lofty  towers,  seeming  as  though 
they  moved  in  the  air.     The  Virgin 

consulted  as  a  barometer  by  the  Arabs.  (Vi- 
comte  de  Marcellus,  Voyage  en  Orient,  t.  ii.) 

*  This  is  the  phenomenon  commonly  known 
as  mirage.  During  the  expedition  of  the  French 
to  Egypt,  in  1798,  the  soldiers  crossing  those 
fiery  deserts,  consumed  with  thirst,  were  often 
deceived  by  this  cruel  illusion.  Every  object 
rising  from  the  soil,  amid  those  seas  of  sand, 
appeared  to  them  surrounded  by  water ;  thus 
a  little  mountain  which  they  perceived  afar  off, 
seemed  to  them  to  rise  from  the  midst  of  a 
lake.  Dying  with  thirst,  they  hastened  thither, 
but  only  to  find  themselves  grievously  mis- 
taken ;  the  lake  had  fled,  and  was  now  farther 
than  ever  from  their  longing  eyes.  {See  De 
Eellens,  du  Mirage,  Art.  6.) 

f  "I  had  occasion,"  says  Niebuhr,  "to  remark 
a  phenomenon  which  struck  me  as  very  singu- 
lar, but  which,  in  time,  became  familiar  to  me. 


shuddered,  and  drew  Jesus  closer 
to  her  bosom ;  but  hei-  fears  were 
calmed  by  the  serene  countenance 
of  Joseph,  though  even  he  could 
assign  no  reason  for  the  strange 
phenomenon.f 

At  the  approach  of  night,  the 
song  of  the  camel-drivers  ceased,  J 
the  leader  of  the  caravan  hoisted 
the  flag  which  was  the  signal  for 
halting,  and  all  the  travellers  gath- 
ered around  the  spot.  An  ani- 
mated scene  quickly  followed.  The 
camels,  squatting  down  at  the  feet 
of  their  masters,  were  freed  from 
their  heavy  burdens  ;  bales  of  goods 
were  heaped  up  pyramidically ;  a 
circle  of  stakes  was  planted  around, 

An  Arab  mounted  on  a  camel,  whom  I  saw  at 
a  distance,  appeared  to  me  as  high  as  a  tower, 
and  seemed  to  move  in  the  air ;  nevertheless, 
he  was  walking  on  the  sand  like  ourselves. 
This  optical  illusion  proceeds  from  the  stronger 
refraction  of  the  atmosphere  in  those  arid  re- 
gions laden  with  vapors  of  a  very  different 
nature  from  those  which  fill  the  air  in  temper- 
ate climates."     {Voyage  en  Arahie,  t.  i.,  p.  208.) 

I  It  is  an  almost  universal  custom  in  the  East 
for  people  to  enliven  their  journey  or  their  work 
by  singing.  A  Mussulman  pilgrim  has  given 
a  very  picturesque  description  of  the  nightly 
march  of  a  caravan  from  Mecca,  lit  by  the  lan- 
thoms  placed  on  the  camels,  and  cheered  by 
the  modulated  song  of  the  drivers.  {Travels 
of  Abdoul  Kerim. )  The  camel-drivers  still  sing 
songs  peculiar  to  themselves,  in  Syria  and  in 
Egypt.     {Gorrenp.  d' Orient,  t.  vi.) 


194 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED   VIRGIN  MARY. 


and  to  these  the  beasts  of  burden  * 
were  fastened  :  llic  wealtliy  travel- 
lers had  tlieir  tents  erected,  and  the 
master  of  the  caravan  placed  senti- 
nels, who  w^ere  to  give  notice  of  the 
approach  of  the  Bedouins — those 
])irates  of  the  desert — who  were 
then,  and  still  are,  plunderers  like 
Ishniael,  and  hospitable  as  Abra- 
liani.  Each  merchant,  after  having 
taken  his  repast  of  dates  and  milk, 
lay  down  to  sleep  under  his  tent, 
awaiting  the  rising  of  the  moon. 
The  slaves,  and  the  poorer  travellers 
— amongst  whom  were  the  Son  of 
God,  his  divine  Mother,  and  Joseph 
— seated  themselves  on  a  rush  mat 
spread  on  the  ground,  with  no  other 
covering  than  the  sky,  w4th  the  cold 
night  air  falling  chill  and  moist 
on  their  shivering  and  exhausted 
limbs.*  Now  and  then  there  was 
heard  a  cry  of  alarm:  some  band 
of  Arabs  was  discovered  prowling 
around  the  sleeping  caravan;  dis- 
concerted by  the  vigilance  of  the 
watchmen,  a  shower  of  arrows  an- 

*  Though  at  this  season  it  is  burning  hot 
during  the  day,  in  the  desert,  yet  the  nights  are 
extremely  cold.     (Voln. — Sav  ) 

f  On  the  dome  of  the  sanctuary  in  the  prin- 
cipal temple  of  Heliopolis,  there  was  an  im- 
mense mirror  of  polished  steel,  which  reflected 


nounced  their  departure,  instantly 
followed  by  the  groans  of  the 
wounded.  Then  the  Virgin,  who 
had  bent  over  her  divine  Son,  so 
as  to  make  a  rampart  of  her  own 
body,  raised  to  heaven  her  tearful 
eyes  and  her  grief- worn  brow:  she 
knew  but  too  well  that  her  Jesus 
was  subject  to  death,  like  all  the 
children  of  men ! 

Wlien  the  moon  shed  her  mild 
light  over  the  shadeless  and  noise- 
less desert,  where  no  blade  of  grass 
waved  in  the  midnight  air,  the 
tents  were  folded  up,  and  the  dreary 
journey  resumed,  with  all  its  incon- 
veniences, all  its  sufferings,  all  its 
terrors. 

At  length,  the  outskirts  of  that 
strange  and  silent  region  were 
gained.  Egypt — that  ancient  nur- 
sery of  all  know^ledge  and  of  all 
idolatry— presented  itself  to  the 
travellers,  with  its  red  granite  obe- 
lisks, its  colossal  pyramids,  its  tem- 
ples crowned  with  burnished  steel,f 
its  island-like  villages,  and  its  pro- 

every  ray  of  light.  There  was  just  such  another 
on  the  top  of  the  lighthouse  of  Alexandria,  and 
the  image  of  vessels  coming  into  port  was  re- 
flected in  it  long  before  they  appeared  on  the 
horizon.  {Gorresp.  d' Orient,  t.  v.  Lettres  de 
Samry.) 


LIFE   OF   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


195 


vidential  river  fringed  with  reeds 
and  covered  with  boats.  That  conn- 
try  appeared  more  rich,  more  popu- 
lous, more  commercial,  than  Judea, 
but  still  it  was  the  land  of  exile ! 
Beyond  the  desert  was  home^  and 
there  lay  the  heart  of  the  banished 
children  of  Israel. 

After  a  journey  of  one  hundred 
and  forty  leagues,*  the  fugitives 
reached  Heliopolis,  where  there  was 
a  colony  of  their  people.  In  that 
city  arose  the  Temple  of  Jehovah, 
which  Onias  had  constructed  on  the 
plan  of  the  Holy  House.  The  or- 
naments of  that  Egyptian  temple 
almost  equalled  those  of  the  other, 
only,  as  a  token  of  inferiority,  a 
massive  golden  lamp,  suspended 
from  the  roof,  replaced  the  famous 

*  Vid.  Bar  ad.,  t.  i.,  ch.  8.  The  authoi*  of  Voy- 
ages de  Jesus  Christ  reckons  but  a  hundred 
leagues,  but  he  probably  overlooks  the  winding 
and  turning  of  the  roads. 

f  The  Arabs,  who  had  gradually  forgotten 
the  God  of  Abraham,  at  that  time  adored  a 
multitude  of  idols,  one  more  fantastic  than  the 
other.  "  The  date-tree,"  says  Azraki,  "  was  wor- 
shipped by  the  tribe  of  Khozua,  and  the  Beni- 
Thekif  venerated  a  rock  ;  a  lai'ge  tree,  named 
zat  arouat,  was  adored  by  the  Koreisch,  etc. 
The  Persians  contemptuously  distinguished  the 
Arabs  as  worshippers  of  stones." 

\  We  owe  this  incident  to  Sozomeues,  and  it 
is  rather  hazardous  to  bring  it  forward  in  this 
scoffing  age,  though  it  is,  after  all,  scarcely  a 


candlestick  of  Jerusalem  with  its 
seven  branches.  At  the  gate  of 
that  city,  which  was  chiefly  inhab- 
ited by  Egyptians  and  Arab  idola- 
ters, there  was  a  majestic  tree,  of 
the  mimosa  kind,  to  which  the 
Arabs  of  Yemen,  settled  on  the 
banks  of  the  Mle,  paid  a  species 
of  worship.!  At  the  approach  of 
the  Holy  Family,  this  idol  -  tree 
slowly  bent  its  shady  branches,  as 
if  saluting  the  young  Master  of 
nature,  whom  Mary  caiiied  in  her 
arms ;  J  and,  if  we  may  believe  the 
historian  Palladius,  at  the  moment 
when  the  divine  travellers  passed 
under  the  granite  arches  of  the  gate 
of  Heliopolis,  all  the  idols  of  a 
neighboring  temple  fell  prostrate  on 
the  ground.  § 

miracle.  It  is  certain  that  there  exists  in  Arabia 
a  tree  of  the  sensitive  kind,  which  bends  its 
branches  at  the  approach  of  man.  Niebuhr, 
who  is  not  at  all  suspected  of  credulity,  found 
that  tree  in  Yemen  ;  and  the  Arabs,  who  call  it 
the  hospitable  tree,  hold  it  in  such  high  venera- 
tion that  no  one  is  permitted  to  pluck  a  leaf. 
If  that  mimosa,  by  a  natural  phenomenon,  bends 
its  branches  at  the  approach  of  man,  how  much 
more  likely  is  it  to  do  so  at  the  approach  of  the 
Son  of  God? 

§  Palladius  is  not  the  only  one  who  relates 
this  miracle  :  Dorothy  martyr,  Sozomenes,  St. 
Anselm,  St.  Bon.aventure,  Lira,  Denis  the  Car- 
thusian, Testat,  Ludolphus,  Baradius,  etc.,  like- 
wise attest  it. 


hm; 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


Joseph  and  Mary  only  passed 
tlimuirii  tin'  riiy  of  ilic  sun,  and 
repaiied  to  Matarieh,  a  pretty  vil- 
hiiie  shaded  with  sycamores,  and 
having  the  only  fountain  of  fresh 
water  to  be  found  in  Egypt.  There, 
in  a  habitation  like  a  bee -hive, 
where  the  doves  made  their  nest, 
the  persecuted  family  found  rest 
and  peace,  being  at  last  free  from 
the  power  of  Herod. 

That  cruel  prince,  having  vainly 
expected  the  Magi  in  his  palace 
of  Jericho, '  his  favorite  residence, 
learned,  at  last,  that  they  had  re- 
passed the  frontiers  of  his  kingdom, 
and  that,  regardless  of  his  injunc- 
tions, they  had  returned  to  Persia, 
without  letting  him  know  the  result 
of  their  mission.  Pale  already  from 
the  slow  fever  which  was  wearing 
him  away,  the  king  of  the  Jews 
became  paler  still  with  anger.  He 
was  himself  duped  at  the  very 
moment  when  he  revelled  in  the 
thought  of  his  unrivalled  dexterity 
in  deceiving  others  ....  duped 
by  those  "  uncircumcised  dogs"  who 
had  so  unexpectedly  penetrated  the 

*  This  evangelical  fact,  which  the  disciples  of 
Voltaire  have  called  in  question,  is  proved  not 
only  by  our  sacred  books,  but  also  by  the  testi- 


^  very  depths  of  his  tortuous  policy! 
....  If  the  Magi  had  not  found 
the  child  to  whom  they  were  led 
by  the  star,  they  would  have  come 

back  and  told  him They  had, 

then,  discovered  his  secret  asylum, 
which  must  be  somewhere  about 
Bethlehem,  since  they  had  extended 

their  search  no  farther Now, 

how  was  that  dangerous  child  to  be 
distinguished  from  all  others  ?  .  .  .  . 
There  was  but  one  way  to  make 
sure  of  his  destruction :   to  include 

all  in  a  general  massacre But 

the  people !  ....  At  that  thought 
the  old  king  paused  a  moment ; 
then  a  strange,  a  contemptuous 
smile  curled  his  haughty  lip.  ''  The 
people  dare  nothing,"  said  Herod, 
"  against  kings  who  dare  all ! "...  . 
"And  sending,  he  killed  all  the  men- 
children  that  w^ere  in  Bethlehem, 
and  in  all  the  borders  thereof,  from 
two  years  old  and  under,  accoi'ding 
to  the  time  which  he  had  diligently 
inquired  of  the  wise  men."  * 

According  to  many  grave  au- 
thors, supported  by  tradition  and 
probability,   the    Holy   Family    re- 

mony  of  Jews  and  pagans.  (Macrobius,  b.  xi., 
ch.  4,  den  Saturnale^.  Orig.  Contr.  Celn.,  h.  xi., 
ch.  58.     Toldos  Huldr.,  pp.  12,  14,  20.) 


LIFE   OF   THE  BLESSED   VIRGIN  MARY. 


197 


mained  seven  years  in  Egypt.* 
Traces  of  their  sojourn  are  still 
found  there ;  the  fountain  where 
Mary  went  to  wash  the  Child's 
swaddling-clothes,!  the  bushy  knoll 
where  she  dried  them  in  the  sun, 
the  sycamore  in  whose  shade  she 
loved  to  sit  with  her  Son  on  her 
knee,  'I  are  still  pointed  out,  after 
the  lapse  of  eighteen  hundred  years. 
The  pilgrims  of  Europe  and  of  Asia 
know  these  objects  well,  and  they 
are  held  in  reverence  by  the  Egyp- 

*  Vid.  Tromhel,  in  Vit.  Deipn. — Zachariam,  in 
diss,  ad  hist.  eccl. — Anselm. — Cantual. — Euseb. — 
S.  Tho. 

f  This  is  still  called  "Mary's  Fouutain." 
There  is  an  ancient  tradition  to  the  effect  that 
the  Blessed  Virgin  used  to  bathe  the  child 
Jesus  in  its  limpid  waler.  In  the  first  ages  of 
Christianity,  the  faithful  built  a  church  there  ; 
in  later  times,  the  Mussulmans  also  constructed 
a  mosque  ;  and  the  disciples  of  both  creeds  went 
to  Mary's  Fountain  for  the  cure  of  their  dis- 
eases. The  fountain  is  still  there  ;  the  pilgrim- 
ages still  continue  ;  but  both  the  church  and  the 
mosque  have  long  since  disappeared.  ('Savary, 
t.  i.,  p.  122.      Gorresp.  d' Orient,  t.  vi.,  p.  3. 

X  "Not  far  from  the  fountain,  I  was  shown  an 
inclosure  planted  with  trees  ;  a  Mussulman,  who 
acted  as  our  guide,  made  us  stop  before  a  syca- 
more, saying,  "  That  is  Jesus  and  Mary's  Tree." 
Vansleb,  priest  of  Fontainebleau,  relates  that 
the  ancient  sycamore  fell,  from  age,  ir.  1058 ; 
the  Franciscans  of  Cairo  piously  preserve  in 
their  sacristy  the  last  remains  of  that  tree  ;  in 
the  garden  there  only  remained  a  stump,  of 
which  the  tree  we  saw  was  doubtless  a  shoot.    ^ 


tians  themselves.  To  each  of  these 
clings,  like  the  moss  to  the  damp 
walls  of  the  ruined  monastery,  some 
simple  legend  of  other  days.§ 

In  Nazareth,  Mary  had  led  an 
humble  and  laborious  life;  but  in 
Heliopolis,  she  descended  into  the 
depths  of  poverty,  and  saw  misery 
under  every  aspect. 

The  holy  couple  were  left  entirely 
to  their  own  resources,  amongst  a 
people  who  were  parcelled  out  into 
national  and  hereditary  corpora- 
General  Kleber,  after  his  victory  of  Heliopolis, 
made  a  pilgrimage  to  the  Holy  Family's  Tree  ; 
he  carved  his  name  on  the  bark  of  one  of  the 
branches,  but  that  name  has  since  disappeared, 
effaced  by  time,  or  by  some  envious  hand." 
{Gorresp.  d' Orient,  t.  vi.,  lettre  141.) 

§  The  following  is  one  of  the  legends  brought 
from  Eastern  climes  by  one  of  our  old  French 
barons,  the  Seigneur  d'Englure  ;  we  give  it  ver- 
batim, in  all  its  artless  grace : — "  When  Our 
Lady,  the  Mother  of  God,  had  crossed  the 
desert,  and  reached  this  place,  she  laid  Our 
Lord  on  the  ground,  and  went  all  around  in 
quest  of  water,  but  there  was  no  water  to  be 
found.  She  went  back,  sad  and  sorrowful,  to 
her  dear  Child,  where  he  lay  on  the  sand,  but, 
behold !  he  had  stuck  his  heels  into  the  ground 
until  a  fountain  of  clear,  sweet  water  gushed 
out.  Our  Lady  was  overjoyed  at  this,  and 
thanked  her  son.  Our  Lord.  She  then  washed 
Our  Lord's  clothes  in  the  water  of  this  foun- 
tain, and  spread  them  on  the  ground  to  dry, 
and  every  drop  of  water  that  trickled  from 
those  clothes  sprang  up  into  a  bush,  which 
bushes  bear  balm,"  etc. 


ins 


LTFE  OF   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


tions^  and  who  were  by  no  means  * 
favorable  to  strangers.  "  They  being 
poor,"  observes  St.  Basil,  "  it  is  clear 
that  they  had  to  work  very  hard  in 
oi-der  to  procui-e  the  necessaries  of 
life,  ....  and  even  those — were 
they  always  able  to  obtain  them?" 
.  .  .  .  "Often,"  says  Landolph,  of 
Saxony — ''  often  did  it  happen,  that 
the  child  Jesus,  pressed  by  hunger, 
asked  his  mother  for  bread  when 
she  had  none  to  give  him."  .... 

Meanwhile,  Herod  had  died  of 
a  horrible  and  nameless  malady, 
after  being  literally  eaten  alive  by 
worms.  Occupied  to  the  last  with 
thoughts  of  how  the  people  would 
rejoice  at  the  news  of  his  death,  he 
implored  his  sister  Salome — a  very 
wicked  woman — implored  her  with 
tears  to  have  some  Jewish  nobles — 
the  flower  of  their  nation,  whom  he 

*  Joseph.,  Ant.  Jud.,  h.  xvii.,  cli.  8.  The  mem- 
ory of  Herod  was  held  in  such  detestation  by 
the  princes  of  the  people  and  the  priests,  that 
they  instituted  a  festival  to  be  celebrated  on  the 
25th  of  September  in  joyful  commemoration  of 
that  prince's  death.     "There  is  a  feast  on  the 


had  kept  imprisoned  for  that  pur- 
pose— put  to  death,  in  order  that 
the  people  might  be  forced  to  wee}) 
at  his  funeral.*  He  was  borne  to 
his  castle  of  Herodion  in  a  golden 
litter  covered  with  scarlet  cloth  and 
adorned  with  precious  stones.  His 
sons  and  his  army  followed  his  re- 
mains with  a  dejected  air,  whilst 
the  people,  proud  of  their  deliver- 
ance, heaped  curses  upon  him  as 
the  procession  passed  along. 

Apprised  in  a  dream,  by  the  An- 
gel of  the  Lord,  that  Herod  was 
dead,  Joseph  returned  with  Mary 
and  the  Child  into  the  land  of 
Israel ;  "  but  hearing  that  Archelaus 
reigned  in  Judea  in  the  room  of 
Herod  his  father,  he  was  afraid  to 
go  thither:  and,  being  warned  in 
sleep,  retired  into  the  quarters  of 
Galilee." 

7th  of  September,"  saj's  the  Jewish  calendar,  "  on 
account  of  the  death  of  Herod,  for  he  had  hated 
the  wise ;  and  they  rejoice  before  the  Lord 
when  the  impious  leave  this  world."  (Basnage, 
t.  1,  hv.  ii.,  ch.  8.) 


CHAPTER   Xy. 


MARY     IN     NAZARETH. 


tr^  J    how   mourn- 
ful are  the  days 
of     exile,     and 
how  sweet  it  is 
to  breathe  once 
i^^^^^MmS^  more  the  air  of 
(;ur  native  land !     The  bread  of  the 
stranger,  like  that  of  the  wicked,  is 
hard  to  eat,  and  bitter  to  the  heart ; 
tlie  streams  of  the  foreign  land  mur- 
mur not  tales  of  our  childish  sports  ; 
the    song   of  its   birds   wants    one 
melodious  note  ;  its  scenes,  however 
fair,  have  not  that  sweet,  that  sooth- 
ing charm  which  endears  every  ob- 
ject in  our  native  land  ! 

How  great  must  have  been  the 
joy  of  the  holy  spouses  on  again 
beholding  that  land  of  Chanaan, 
whose  stately  hills,  waving  outlines, 
harmonious  scenery,  and  endless 
variety,  contrasted  so  happily  and 
so  strikingly  with  the  monotonous 
splendors  of  Egypt!  Here,  a  bold 
and  active  population,  martial,  frank 
and    gay,    with    a    pure    and   holy  ; 


worship ;  there,  slaves  shackled  by 
castes,    addicted    to    theft,    mixino* 
up  the  most  infamous  practices  in 
their  senseless  worship,  and  lavish- 
ing their  treasures  in  building  tem- 
ples to  the  ox  Apis,  the  crocodile, 
and  the   sea-onion.     One   must  be 
profoundly    religious,    like    Joseph 
and  Mary,  and  love  his  country  as 
the  Hebrews  loved  theirs,  in  order 
to  comprehend  the  deliglitful  emo- 
tions  wherewith  they   greeted   the 
land  of  Jehovah   and  their   pretty 
town  of  Nazareth. 

The  Holy  Family  retiu^ned  to  their 
humble  home,  after  so  long  an  ab- 
sence, amid  the  congratulations  and 
endless  questions  of  their  friends 
and  neighbors,  who  celebrated  their 
return  as  an  event  of  great  joy. 
But  the  scene  was  soon  and  sadly 
changed.  The  neglected  dwelling 
of  Joseph  was  scarcely  habitable; 
the  roof,  in  some  places  broken  and 
falling  in,  had  given  free  admission 
to  the  winter  storm  and  the  equi- 


'200 


LIFE  OF   THE  BLESSED   VIRGIN  MARY. 


noctial  rains;*  the  lower  cliainber  f 
was  cold,  (lamp,  and  overgrown  wilh 
weeds ;  wild  doves  made  their  nests 
in  the  sacred  and  mysteri(5us  cell 
where  the  "Word  was  made  flesh; 
the  little  court  was  overrun  with 
briers ;  everything,  in  short,  in  and 
around  that  time-honored  dwelling 
had  assumed  that  ruinous  and  deso- 
late aspect  which  rests  on  deserted 
houses  like  the  seal  of  the  mas- 
ter's absence.  These  needful  re- 
pairs were,  then,  to  be  made ;  fur- 
niture and  tools,  lost  or  broken,  had 
to  be  replaced ;  and  perhaps  a  debt 
contracted  in  Egypt,  to  defray  the 
expense  of  the  return,  had  to  be 
discharged.  It  was,  doubtless,  at 
this  juncture  that  the  little  patri- 
mony of  Joseph  was  sold  till  the 
jubilee.  All  that  remained  of  what 
they  had  possessed  before  their  de- 
parture was  the  ruined  house,  the 
workshop,  and  their  own  arms ;  but 
Jesus  was  there.  Young  as  he  w^as, 
Jesus  took  an  axe  and  followed  his 
foster-father  to  the  villages,  where 

*  The  rainy  season,  in  Judea,  is  that  of  the 
equinoxes,  and  especially  the  autumnal  equi- 
nox ;  it  is  also  the  time  of  storms,  accompanied 
by  violent  showers  of  rain  or  hail.  (Volney, 
Voyage  en  Syrie. ) 

t  St.  Justin  Martyr  {Dialog,  cum  Ti'yphone) 


work  was  procured  for  them;f  liis 
labor,  proportioned  to  his  age  and 
strength,  was  always  devoted  to  his 
mothef.^  Comfort  had  long  disap- 
peared ;  but  they  succeeded,  by 
hard  work  and  persevering  industiy, 
in  obtaining  the  necessaries  of  life. 
Jesus,  Mary,  and  Joseph  led  a  life 
of  ceaseless  toil ;  and  He  who  might 
command  legions  of  angels,  asked 
nothing  from  God  for  himself  or  his 
but  their  "  daily  bread." 

The  interior  life  of  that  blessed 
family,  surnamed  the  earthly  trinity, 
has  not  come  to  the  knowledge  of 
men  ;  it  is  like  the  streamlet  hidden 
in  the  long  grass,  or,  more  properly, 
it  is  the  Holy  of  Holies,  with  its 
cloud  of  perfumes  and  its  double 
veil.  Nevertheless,  by  studying 
minutely,  and  examining  one  by 
one,  under  every  point  of  view,  the 
evangelical  facts,  what  w^e  know 
enables  us  to  guess  to  a  certain 
extent  at  what  we  do  not  know, 
and  the  public  life  of  Jesus  Christ 
throws  some  bright  rays  of  light  on 

states  that  Jesus  Christ  assisted  his  foster- 
father  to  make  yokes  and  plou^-^hs.  And  Godes- 
card,  t.  xiv.,  p.  436,  Vie  de  la  Sainte  Vierge,  says : 
— "A  very  ancient  author  asserts  that,  in  his 
time,  there  were  yokes  to  be  seen  which  Our 
Saviour  had  made  with  his  own  hands." 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


201 


his  own  hidden  life  and  that  of  the  t 
Blessed  Virgin.  That  sacred  abyss 
we  are  about  to  sound  with  all  the 
reserve,  all  the  conscientious  ap- 
plication, that  so  grave  a  subject 
requires, 

Jesus,  in  whom  were  hidden  all 
the    treasures    of   wisdom    and    of 
knowledge,*  had  no  need  of  human 
teaching;   and  the  contrary  suppo- 
sition is   positively  condemned  by 
the  Church.     St.  John  also,  in  his 
Gospel,    mentions    that    the    Jews, 
contemporaries  of  Jesus  Christ,  re- 
garded   him    as    a   man   who   had 
"never  leai'ned;"f  and  the  surprise 
of  the  Nazarenes,  on  seeing  him  so 
profoundly  versed  in  sacred  letters, 
shows  clearly  enough  that  he  had 
not     been,     to     their     knowledge, 
brought  up,  like  St.  Paul,  at  the  feet 
of  a  master.      The  Talmudists   and 
the  Jewish   authors   of  the   Toldos 
maintain,  on   the   contrary,  that   a 
celebrated    rabbin    initiated   Jesus 
in   the    mysteries    of  science    and 
of  magic ;  but,  deducing  from  the 
second  part  of  the  assertion,  whiclj 
is  wholly  absurd,  and  viewing  the  . 
matter  in  a  purely  human  light,  as 

*  St.  Paul,  Ep.  Golos.,  ch.  ii.,  ver.  9. 
f  St.  John,  ch.  vii.,  ver.  15. 


do  the  rationalists,  this  is  evidently 
false,  for  two  reasons.  In  the  first 
place,  Jesus  was  neither  a  zealot 
nor  a  traditionist,  and  it  is  every- 
where apparent  in  the  Gospel  that 
he  openly  disapproved  of  the  nar- 
row views,  the  captious  distinctions, 
and  shallow  subtilties  of  the  Syna- 
gogue. In  the  second  place,  Rabbi 
Joshua  Perachia,  whom  they  name 
as  his  preceptor,  was  yet  unborn, 
as  he  flourished  an  hundred  years 
later. 

To  place  Jesus  amid  the  Rabbins 
in  the  capacity  of  a  pupil  would  be 
just  about  as  illogical  as  to  try  to 
support  an  oak  by  surrounding  it 
with  reeds.  He  taught  not  as  the 
scribes  and  Pharisees,  says  an  evan- 
gelist, J  and  that  is  easily  conceived, 
for  he  derived  his  wisdom  from  him- 
self; and  his  teachings,  even  view- 
ing them  in  a  natural  way,  seem  to 
emanate  from  a  soul  lofty,  pure,  up- 
right, and  from  a  mind  so  vast,  and 
so  uniformly  sound,  that  it  never 
could  have  been  perverted  by  scho- 
lastic disputes. 

Strauss  admits  that  all  the  wis- 
dom   and    aU    the    science    of  the 

X  St.  Matthew,  ch.  vii.,  ver.  29. 


iOft 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGTN  MART. 


perioti  would  have  been  unable  to  ^ 
form  such  a  man  as  Jesus  Cluist. 
"  Even  if  Jesus  had  exhausted,"  says 
he,  "ail  the  soui'ces  of  instruction 
then  to  be  had,  it  is  no  less  true 
that  none  of  these  elements  would 
suffice,  even  remotely,  to  effect  a 
revolution  in  the  world,  and  the 
leaven  necessary  for  so  great  a  work 
he  must  have  drawn  from  the  depths 
of  his  own  soul." 

His  eloquence,  like  his  morality, 
was  peculiar*  to  himself.  It  was 
not  the  emphatic  exaggerations  of 
the  Rabbins,  nor  yet  the  majestic, 
overwhelming,  and  violently  -  con- 
trasted diction  of  the  ancient  pro- 
phets ;  it  was,  as  he  himself  said,  a 
source  of  living  water,  reflecting  in 
its .  course  the  birds  of  the  air,  the 
crops,  and  the  flowers  of  the  field. 
That  eloquence,  so  simple,  pene- 
trated to  the  very  bottom  of  every 
thing,  and  was  easily  connected 
with  high  and  lofty  ideas.  Every 
word  was  a  precious  seed  of  virtue ; 

*  "T  confess  to  you,"  says  J.  J.  Bousseau, 
"  that  the  majesty  of  the  Scriptures  astonishes 
me,  and  the  sanctity  of  the  Gospel  speaks  to 
my  heart.  Behold  the  books  of  our  philoso- 
phers, with  all  their  pretensions ;  how  small 
they  are,  when  compared  with  this !  Can  it  be 
that  a  book,  at  once  so  simple  and  so  sublime, 


every  lesson  threw  afar,  over  the 
mysterious  wastes  of  the  future,  a 
long  train  of  light,  which  was  insen- 
sibly to  spread  into  the  perfect  day 
of  the  world's  regeneration.  Even 
those  who  have  audaciously  denied 
his  miracles,  were  yet  forced  to 
acknowledge  that  his  words  were 
those  of  a  God.* 

Jesus  was  endowed  with  a  high 
and  meditative  soul,  which  required 
a  vast  space  for  its  expansion. 
Confined  during  the  day  at  manual 
labor,  which  occupied  every  moment 
of  his  time,  he  made  up  by  night 
for  his  obscure  toil,  and  was  again 
the  legislator  and  the  prophet  in 
presence  of  the  starry  heavens. 
Standing  on  the  lofty  terrace  wliich 
commanded  a  view  of  the  moun- 
tains and  forests  of  the  land  of 
Chanaan,  he  poured  out  his  soul 
before  the  Author  of  Nature,  whose 
Ambassador,  whose  Son,  and  whose 
equal  he  was.  These  communings 
with   God,   in   the    silence    of   the 

is  the  work  of  men  ?  Can  it  be  that  be  whose 
history  it  records  is  himself  but  man  ?  Is  his . 
*the  tone  of  an  enthusiast  or  of  an  ambitious 
sectary?  What  sweetness!  what  purity  in  his 
morals !  what  touching  grace  in  his  instructions ! 
what  elevation  in  his  precepts !  what  profound 
wisdom  in  his  discourse  1^'    [Eviile,  t.  iii.,  p.  365.) 


LIFE  OF   THE  BLESSED   VIRGIN  MARY. 


203 


night,  of  tlie  desert,  and  of  thought,  * 
were  customary  with  Jesus,  as  we 
see  in  many  places  of  the  Gospel. 
The  model-man,  the  incarnate  Word, 
would  thus,  we  may  suppose,  in- 
struct his  own  to  distinguish  the 
pure  gold  of  prayer  from  the  mon- 
strous alloy  of  ostentation  and  hy- 
pocrisy wherewith  the  Pharisees  of 
his  time  were  wont  to  mix  it  up. 

The  Virgin,  who  was  never  either 
troublesome  or  exacting,  placed  no 
obstacle  in  the  way  of  her  Son's 
solitary  habits ;  she  knew  that  he 
was  then  sounding  the  depth  of  the 
unfathomable  abyss  opening  under 
the  feet  of  men,  and  that  the  world's 
redemption  was  to  be  the  fruit  of 
these  silent  meditations.  Respect- 
ing the  workings  of  that  mighty 
spirit  folded  up  within  itself,  and 
ever  looking  forward  to  that  glo- 
rious future  which  every  passing 
moment  brought  more  near,  Mary 
already  beheld  heaven  opened,  death 
overcome,  and  the  Messiah  gather- 
ing the  nations  around  his  standard. 
....  But  all  of  a  sudden  she  re- 
membered the  prediction  of  the  old 
man  in  the  Temple,  and  its  image 

*  Tertullian  said,  in  the  third  century,  that 
Mary  earned  her  living  by  working ;  and  Cel- 


arose,  gloomy  as  a  funeral-pall,  at 
the  end  of  that  enchanting  pros- 
pect; a  shudder  ran  through  every 
vein  of  the  poor  mother,  and  her 
heart,  so  absorbed  in  the  love  of 
Jesus,  was  torn  asunder  with  an- 
guished forebodings.  A  secret  voice 
seemed  to  cry,  ''  Blood  must  expiate 
sin !  Christ  must  die ! "  Then,  leav- 
ing off  the  manual  toil  to  which  her 
poverty  condemned  her,*  the  daugh- 
ter of  David  went  to  seek  her  Son ; 
she  longed  to  see  him,  to  assure- 
herself,  by  a  maternal  embrace,  that 
he  was  still  there,  that  he  was  yet 
living ! 

At  her  approach  Jesus  withdrew 
his  pensive  glance  from  the  starry 
heavens ;  his  youthful  brow,  con- 
tracted by  a  thought  as  vast  as  the 
universe,  became  again  the  smooth, 
fair  brow  of  the  child.  Mary  then, 
driving  back  into  her  heart  every 
mournful  apprehension,  advised  him 
to  seek  repose.  Strength  must  be 
recruited  for  the  morrow's  fatiguing 

labor The  Son  of  God  followed 

his  mother  in  silence,  for  he  loved 
and  was  svhject  to  her. 

The  entrance  of  Jesus  into  adoles- 


sus,  in  the  second  century,  said  that  Mary  waa 
a  woman  who  lived  by  the  labor  of  her  hands. 


904 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


cence  was  marked  by  an  extraor-  * 
dinary  incident,  which  gave  Mary's 
soul  a  most  violent  shock.  Joseph 
and  Mary,  faithful  observers  of  the 
law  of  their  fathers,  went  regularly 
every  year  to  Jerusalem  to  cele- 
brate the  Passover.  This  journey, 
which  they  made  in  secret  so  long 
as  the  throne  of  the  Maccabees  was 
tilled  by.  the  son  of  the  enemy  of 
God,  had  now  become  more  easy 
since  the  banishment  of  Archelaus 
•and  the  occupation  of  the  Romans. 
When  Christ  had  attained  his  twelfth 
year,  his  parents,  having  the  fear  of 
Herod  no  longer  before  their  eyes, 
brought  him  with  them  to  Jerusa- 
lem. They  set  out  from  Nazareth 
in  a  crowd ;  and,  on  the  way,  the 
Hebrew  pilgrims  formed  themselves 
into  little  bands,  according  to  age 
and  sex,  and  the  ties  of  family  or 
friendship.* 

With  the  Virgin  were  Mary  of  Cle- 
ophas,  the  sister-in-law  of  Joseph ; 
another  Mary,  mentioned  in  the 
Gospel   as   altera.  Maria ;    Salome, 

*  St.  Epiphanius  and  St.  Bernard  inform  us 
that,  in  these  journeys,  the  men  went  in  troops, 
separate  from  the  women,  and  that  St.  Joseph 
and  the  Blessed  Virgin  being  thus  one  in  one 
company  and  one  in  another,  gave  themselves 
at  first  no  concern  about  the  disappearance  of    ^ 


wife  of  Zebedee,  come  from  Beth- 
saida  with  her  husband  and  sons ; 
Joanna,  wife  of  Chus;  and  a  num- 
ber of  Nazarean  women,  her  neigh- 
bors and  friends.  Joseph  followed 
at  some  distance,  in  grave  conver- 
sation with  Zebedee,  the  fisherman, 
and  the  ancients  of  his  tribe.  Jesus 
walked  with  the  young  Galileans, 
whom  the  Gospel,  according  to  the 
idiom  of  the  Hebrew  tongue,  calls 
his  brethren,  they  being  his  nearest 
relations. 

Amongst  this  youthful  group,  who 
went  before  the  others,  the  sons  of 
Zebedee  might  be  distinguished ; 
James,  impetuous  as  the  sea  of 
Tiberias  on  a  stormy  day ;  John, 
still  younger  than  Jesus,  and  seem- 
ing, as  he  walked  beside  his 
brother,  the  true  personification  of 
the  lamb  of  Isaiah  dwelling  in 
peace  with  the  lion  of  the  Jordan. 
Beside  the  fishermen  of  Bethsaida, 
whorn  Jesus  afterwards  surnamed 
Boanerges  (sons  of  thunder),  were 
the  four  sons  of  Alpheus ;   James, 

Jesus,  and  indeed  knew  nothing  of  it  till  the 
evening,  when  all  tLe  travellers  assembled  to- 
gether. See  likewise  Aelrede,  abbot  of  Reverby, 
Serm.  sen  tractatus  de  Jesu  ditod^ni^  Dominica 
intra  octav.  Epiphan. 


LIFE   OF   THE  BLESSED   VIRGIN  MARY. 


205 


who  was  subsequently  bishop  of 
Jerusalem,  an  austere  and  grave 
young  man,  with  long  hair,  pale 
face,  and  cold,  subdued  manner. 
Proud  of  having  taken  the  Nazarite 
vow,  he  put  jn  provoking  airs  of 
superiority  towards  him  whom  he 
then  considered  as  the  carpenter's 
son.  In  the  character  of  Jesus  were 
seen  the  virtues  and  the  imperfec- 
tions inherent  in  the  soil;  immov- 
able firmness,  upright  and  religious 
inclinations,  but,  at  the  same  time, 
a  strong  contempt  for  all  who  were 
not  of  the  race  of  Abraham,  and  an 
excellent  opinion  of  himself.  Jude, 
Simon,  and  Jose,  the  other  sons  of 
Alpheus,  were  youths  of  a  rustic, 
simple,  and  warlike  mien,  already 
arrived  at  adolescence,  and  regard- 
ing the  son  of  the  humble  Mary  as 
their  inferior  in  every  way — a  feel- 
ing of  which  they  could  with  difiS- 

*  St.  John  Chrvsostom,  Serm.  44. 

f  The  Rabbins  have  taken  occasion  to  make 
the  most  odious  insinuations  against  Jesus  on 
account  of  the  color  of  his  hair  ;  but  what  is 
most  extraordinary  is  that  they  make  precisely 
the  same  remarks  on  David.  He  was  red  as 
Eaau  ;  he  had  blood  on  his  head  ;  the  soul  of  Esau 
had  passed  into  him.  They  have  only  forgotten 
the  evil  eye  wherewith  they  endow  the  prophet- 
king. 

J  Nicheph.,  Hist.  Eccles.,  t.  i.,  p.  125.  His 
portrait  of  Our  LoVd,  drawn  from  tradition,  is 


culty  divest  themselves  in  after 
times,  as  we  see  by  the  Gospel.* 
And  Jesus  ?  Jesus  affected  noth- 
ing, neither  devotion,  nor  austerity, 
nor  wisdom,  nor  science,  because  he 
possessed  the  fullness  of  all  those 
things,  and  people  seldom  affect 
anything  but  what  they  have  not. 

To  see  him  clad  so  simply — like 
an  Essenian — his  long  hair,  of  the 
color  of  ancient  bronze,f  parted  on 
his  high  sun-browned  forehead,  and 
floating  gracefully  over  his  shoul- 
ders, one  would  have  taken  him  for 
David  as  he  presented  himself  to 
the  prophet  Samuel,  small,  timid, 
attired  in  a  shepherd's  dress,  to 
receive  the  sacred  unction.  Yet 
there  was  something  more  in  the 
soft  brown  eye  of  Jesus  J  than  even 
in  that  of  his  great  ancestor,  gleam- 
ing as  it  was  with  the  brightness  of 
poetic  inspiration ;  there  was  some- 

the  most  authentic  that  we  now  have.  The 
Rev.  Mr.  Walsh,  author  of  a  recent  work  de- 
voted to  the  rare  and  unpublished  monuments 
of  the  first  age  of  Christianity,  calls  attention  to 
a  very  curious  medal,  which  was  known  so  early 
as  the  15th  century.  The  front  side  represents 
the  head  of  Our  Lord  in  profile ;  the  hair  is 
divided  after  the  manner  of-  the  Nazarenes, 
smooth  to  the  ears,  and  waving  on  the  shoul- 
ders ;  the  beard  bushy,  and  not  very  long  ;  the 
features  fine,  as  also  the  bust,  over  which  the 
tunic  falls  in  graceful  folds. 


206 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


thing  penetrating  and  divine  which 
laid  bare  the  inmost  thoughts  and 
reached  the  most  secret  recesses  of 
the  soul ;  but  Jesus  then  veiled  the 
splendor  of  his  look,  as  Moses  did 
his  radiant  brow  on  going  forth 
from  the  tabernacle.  He  walked, 
then,  in  wise,  yet  appropriate  con- 
versation with  his  young  kinsmen 
according  to  the  flesh,  whom  he 
designed  to  make  his  apostles ;  he 
discovered,  beneath  their  rough  ex- 
terior, the  weight  and  the  value  of 
those  unpolished  diamonds  which 
were  one  day  to  shine  with  such 
surpassing  splendor,  and  he  loved 
them  by  anticipation.  He  was  not 
deceived  in  his  expectations ;  those 
men,  who  had  had,  like  the  rest  of 
the  nation,  their  dreams  of  gold  and 
power  regarding  the  Messiah,  cast 
away  at  his  bidding  all  their  preju- 
dices, both  national  and  religious, 
and  adopted  a  calumniated  doc- 
trine, whose  principles  and  whose 
promises,  like  the  maledictions  of 
the  old  law,  spoke  only  of  suffer- 
ings to  endure  and  persecutions  to 
encounter.  They  bound  themselves 
to  him  by  ties  so  strong  that  neither 
the  princes  of  the  earth,  nor  cold, 
nor  nakedness,  nor  hunger,  nor  the 


f  sword  could  separate  them  from 
his  love;  they  walked  in  his  foot- 
steps, courageously  trampling  on 
the  thorns  which  the  world  threw 
in  their  way,  and  allowing  them- 
selves to  be  treated,  for  his  sake, 
as  the  very  scum  of  mankind.  They 
were  neither  ashamed  of  the  Son  of 
man,  nor  of  his  Gospel,  nor  of  the 
folly  of  the  Cross  !  And  why  should 
they  ?  It  is  for  impostors  to  be 
ashamed ;  and  the  Apostles  never 
preached  but  from  sincere  convic- 
tion. Those  honest  and  simple 
hearts  enforced  their  testimony  by 
all  that  could  render  it  credible  and 
sacred  amongst  men ;  they  aban- 
doned all,  suffered  all,  forgave  all, 
and  sealed  with  their  blood  the 
Gospel  of  their  divine  Master.* 

But  at  the  period  of  which  we 
speak,  these  heroic  virtues  were  not 
even  in  blossom,  and  those  young 
Galileans  little  thought  that  they 
should  one  day  maintain  with  their 
life  the  divinity  of  their  fellow- 
traveller. 

After  a  journey  of  four  days,  the 
pilgrims  reached  the  Holy  City, 
then   filled  with  an  immense   con- 

*  Pascal  said,  "  I  am  ready  to  believe  any  his- 
^    tory  the  ■witnesses  of  which  Buffer  death  for  it." 


L 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


207 


course  of  Jewish  strangers.*     The 
family  of  Joseph  and  Mary  assem- 
bled to  eat  the  Paschal  lamb,  which 
the  priests  took  care  to  immolate 
between  the  two  evening  prayers,  f 
in  the  court  of  the  Temple ;  to  this 
was  added  unleavened  bread,  wild 
lettuce,    and    all   that   belonged   of 
right    to    that    ancient    ceremony. 
The   festival   days  being   over,  the 
parents  and  kinsfolk  of  Jesus  met 
together,  in  order  to  return  home; 
as   they   went   back    in   the    same 
order  in  which  they  came,  it  was 
not,  at   iirst,  perceived   that   Jesus 
was    missing.      Mary   thought   him 
with  Joseph,  or  the  two  James's; 
Joseph,  on  the  other  hand,  thought 
him   with   his    young   kinsmen,    or 
with  Mary.     At  night-fall,  the  vari- 
ous companies  came  together,  and 
the   Virgin    sought   Jesus    in   vain 
amongst  the  crowd  of  travellers  who 
arrived  successively  at  the  inn;  no 
one    knew    what    had    become    of 
him.     The  grief  of  the  holy  spouses 
was   inexpressible.      "  The   deposit 

*  The  feast  of  Easter  gathered  to  Jerusalem 
^bout  two  millions,  five  hundred  thousand  per- 
sons. {De  Bello,  1.  vii.,  ch.  17.)  Cestus,  wish- 
ing to  persuade  Nero  that  the  Jewish  nation 
was  not  so  contemptible  as  he  thought,  caused 
the  people  to  be  reckoned  by  the  priests.     At 


f  of  heaven,  the  Son  of  God!"  mur- 
mured Joseph   sadly.     "My  son!" 
said   the   poor  young    mother,   her 
voice  choked  with   sobs.     All  that 
night  they  sought  him  and  all  the 
following    day,    asking    every    one 
they  met   along   the   road,    calling 
him  in  the  woods,  looking  fearfully 
down   the   precipices,  now   fearing 
for  his  life,  now  for  his  liberty,  and 
not  knowing  what  was  to  happen 
if  he  were  lost.     They  returned  to 
Jerusalem;    ran   to   the   houses   of 
their  friends,  and,  tired  of  wander- 
ing through  every  part  of  that  large 
city,  they,  at  last,  entered  the  Tem- 
ple.    In  the  porch,  where  sat  the 
doctors  of  the  law,  was  a  child  who 
charmed  the  ancients  of  Israel  by 
the   depth  of  his   observation   and 
the    clearness    of  his    answers    to 
questions,  even  the  most  difficult; 
they  all  stood  in  a  circle  round  him, 
every  one  wondering  within  himself 
at  his    marvellous   and   precocious 
wisdom.     "It  is   either   Daniel,  or 
an  angel,"  said  some  one  within  a 

the  feast  of  Easter,  they  killed  two  hundred  and 
fifty-six  thousand  six  hundred  lambs ;  there  was 
a  lamb  for  every  family. 

f  That  is  to  say,  from  noon  or  one  o'clock,  till 
sunset.     (Basnage,  t.  v.,  L  vii.,  ch.  2.) 


-I 


SOS 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


few  paces  of  the  sorrowful  Virgin. 
"It  is  Jesus!"  said  the  young 
mother,  making  her  way  through 
the  doctore.  Then,  approaching  the 
Messiah,  with  a  look  of  tender  re- 
proach— "Son!"  said  she,  mildly, 
"  why  hast  thou  done  so  to  us  ? 
behold  thy  father  and  I  have  sought 
thee  sorrowing?" 

Tlie  child  had  disappeared  before 
the  God:  the  answer  was  dry  and 
mysterious.     "How  is  it  that  you 


sought  me  ?  Did  you  not  know 
that  I  must  be  about  my  Father's 
business?"  The  holy  couple  were 
silent;  they  did  not,  at  lirst,  com- 
prehend the  drift  of  this  reply. 

Jesus  arose  and  followed  them 
to  Nazareth  ;  his  perfect  submission 
to  their  will  very  soon  effaced  this 
light  cloud.  "And  his  mother  kept 
all  these  things  in  her  heart ;  and 
Jesus  advanced  in  wisdom  and  age, 
¥  and  grace  with  God  and  men." 


CHAPTER   XVI. 


MARY     AT     THE     SERMONS     OF     JESUS. 


HERE  are  two 
worlds  in  his- 
tory," says  one 
of  the  finest 
wi'iters  of  our 
time :  "  one  be- 
yond, the  other 
on  this  side,  the  Cross."  The  pri- 
meval world,  old   and  decrepid  at 

*  The  pagan  Gauls  of  the  6fch  aud  7th  cen- 
turies deified  oaks  ;  they  burned  torches  before 
those  trees,  and  invoked  them  as  though  they 
could  have  heard  them;   the  enormous  stones 


the  time  of  Christ's  regenerating 
mission,  presented  a  strange  spec- 
tacle, for  the  ridiculous  went  hand 
in  hand  with  the  horrible.  The 
Arab  and  the  Gaul,  after  having  for 
ages  retained  the  primitive  idea  of 
the  unity  of  God,  adored  the  acacia 
and  the  oak;*  the  Hindoo  deified 
the  Ganges,   and  sacrificed  human 

which  were  found  near  had  their  share  of  the 
divine  honors.  (Histoire  Ecclesiastique  de  Bre- 
tagne,  t  iv.,  7th  century. — GapUal.  Garoli  Magni, 
hb.  1,  tit.  64.) 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


209 


victims  to  Sactis,  goddess  of  death;*  * 
the  Egyptians — wisest  of  nations — 
rendered  devout  worship  to  the  gar- 
lic, the  lotus,  and  nearly  all  bul- 
bous plants ;  f  the  unknown  tribes 
of  young  America  adored  the 
tiger,  the  vulture,  the  tempest,  and 
the  roaring  cataract; J  finally,  the 
Greeks  and  Romans  confessedly 
filled  their  temples  with  demons,  § 
and  those  nations  so  intellectual,  so 
polished,  so  prolific  of  great  men, 
had  deified  vice  under  its  most  hid- 
eous aspects,  and  peopled  their 
Olympus  with  robbers,  adulterers, 
and  murderers.  Their  morals  cor- 
responded with  their  creeds ;  cor- 
ruption, descending  like  a  vast  river 
from  the  height  of  the  seven  impe- 
rial hills,  overspread  all  the  prov- 

*  See  Tableau  d'Inde  (Picture  of  India)  by 
Buckingham. 

f  Juvenal's  sarcasm  is  well  known  :  "  O  sanc- 
tas  gentes,  quibus  hsec  nascuntur  in  hortis  nu- 
mina."     (Sat.  xv.,  v.  10.) 

J  Garcilasso,  1.  1,  c.  2  and  12. 

§  Porphyrus,  who  was  so  well  acquainted 
with  the  sources  of  polytheism,  admits  that 
the  devils  were  the  objects  of  Gentile  worship. 
"There  are,"  says  he,  "unclean  spirits,  mali- 
cious and  deceitful,  who  wish  to  pass  for  gods, 
and  be  adored  by  men ;  these  must  be  ap- 
peased, as  otherwise  they  might  injure  us. 
Some,  being  gay  and  playful,  are  propitiated  by 
games  and  festivals  ;  others,  of  a  more  gloomy 


inces.  Judea,  which  had,  no  more 
than  the  others,  escaped  the  conta- 
gion of  vice,  was  falling  Avith  fearful 
rapidity ;  its  religion  no  longer  con- 
sisted in  fundamental  dogmas,  but 
in  a  multitude  of  parasitical  super- 
fluities, and  the  dreams  of  its  Rab- 
bins had  taken  the  place  of  the 
Mosaic  law.  II 

And  what  had  become  of  haughty 
Reason  amid  all  these  deplorable 
aberrations — of  Reason,  that  queen 
of  intelligences,  who  takes  her  own 
limited  horizon  for  the  bounds  of 
the  universe,  and  stretches  gods  on 
the  bed  of  Procrustes  ?  Where  did 
she  hold  dominion?  where  had  she 
hoisted  her  colors,  whilst  her  ram- 
parts were  thus  universally  attack- 
ed?    If  she  could,  without  foreign 

turn,  must  have  the  smell  of  grease,  and  delight 
in  bloody  sacrifices." 

II  It  is  a  saying  amongst  the  Jews,  that  the 
Covenant  was  made  with  them  on  Mount  Sinai, 
not  on  the  iSasis  of  the  written  law,  but  on  that 
of  the  oral  law.  They  annihilate  the  former  to 
install  the  latter  in  its  stead,  and  finally  reduce 
all  religion  to  tradition.  This  corruption  was 
so  prevalent  amongst  the  Jews,  even  at  the  time 
of  Our  Lord,  that  he  reproaches  them,  in  St. 
Mark,  with  having  nullified  the  word  of  God  by 
their  traditions.  But  it  is  now  much  worse ; 
they  compare  the  sacred  text  to  water,  and  the 
Misnah,  or  Talmud,  to  the  best  wine  ;  again,  the 
written  law  is  salt,  but  the  Taimud  is  pepper, 
cinnamon,  etc 


210 


LIFE  OF   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


assistance,  reconquer  the  earth  * 
which  she  had  lost,  why  did  she 
not  do  it?  .  .  .  Alas!  she  felt  that 
tlie  torrent  would  sweep  away  her 
frail  barriers ;  and,  powerless  to  re- 
strain it,  she  contented  herself  with 
noting  its  ravages.  Resting  on  phi- 
losophy, she  mourned  over  the  life- 
less remains  of  the  social  body, 
whose  fall  she  could  not  prevent; 
Christianity  came  forward,  and  said 
to  the  dead  body,  "Arise  and  walk." 
....  And  it  was  done  according 
to  her  word. 

From  that  day  forward  a  new 
race,  cured  of  all  diseases,  cleansed 
from  all  impurity  in  the  sacred 
laver,  gathered  around  the  Cross 
which  the  Son  of  Mary  had  set  up 
over  the  regenerate  world,  as  the 
tiiumph  of  God  over  hell. 

That  glorious  revolution  which 
placed  Charity  on  the  throne,  at- 
tended by  all  the  other  #^'irtues — 
that  ever -memorable  event  which 
changed  the  aspect  of  the  world, 
and  whose  results  shall  be  felt  till 
the  end  of  all  things,  had  its  origin 
in  Nazareth :  from  the  hollow  of 
that  nameless  rock  flowed  the  hum- 
ble stream  of  Christianity.  "An 
obscure  spring,  an  unnoticed  drop 


of  water,  in  which  two  sparrows 
could  not  drink,  which  one  sunbeam 
might  have  dried  up,  and  which 
now,  like  the  great  ocean  of  mind, 
has  filled  up  all  the  depths  of  hu- 
man wisdom,  and  bathed  with  its 
exhaustless  \^ters  the  past,  the 
present,  and  the  future."* 

Nothing  is  known  of  the  means 
which  brought  about  that  grand 
fact  which  stands  pre-eminent  above 
all  modern  history.  From  the  day 
of  his  manifestation  in  the  Temple, 
the  Son  of  God  led  a  hidden  and 
meditative  life  with  his  mother  and 
his  adoptive  father.  This  period, 
lost  to  the  world,  was  undoubtedly 
that  in  which  the  Virgin  spent  her 
calmest  and  happiest  days.  It  is 
not  when  human  life  rolls  noisily 
on,  like  a  wintry  torrent,  that  it  is 
the  happiest;  but  when  it  resem- 
bles the  streamlet  gliding  in  silvery 
ripples  through  the  flower-bespan- 
gled meadows.  Mary,  deprived  of 
all  the  enjoyments  of  luxury  and  all 
the  pleasures  of  affluence,  but  living 
near  her  Son,  working  for  him, 
studying  his  tastes,  seeing  him 
every  hour,  offering  to  him,  as  it 
were,  the  fii'st-fruits  of  his   sacred 

*  M.  de  Lamartine.     Voyage  en  Orient. 


LIFE   OF   THE  BLESSED   VIRGIN  MARY. 


211 


harvest ;  the  first,  the  humblest,  and 
the  most  docile  of  his  disciples,  and 
bending  her  cultivated  understand- 
ing before  the  divinity  and  superior 
mind  of  her  Son — Mary  must  then 
have  been  a  happy  mother  !  If,  at 
times,  whilst  Jesus  was  explaining 
to  her  the  most  profound  meaning 
of  the  prophecies,  he  came  on  some 
passage  which  spoke  of  sufferings 
to  be  endured,  a  dark  cloud  gath- 
ered on  the  modest  brow  of  the 
Virgin,  it  soon  passed  away,  and 
that  mild,  benign  countenance  re- 
sumed its  wonted  serenity.  The 
storm  was  still  afar  off,  and  their 
bark  was  moored  in  a  quiet  harbor. 
Her  Son  was  there;  she  hung  on 
his  look,  on  his  words,  on  his  slight- 
est gestures.  And  how  she  loved 
to  serve  that  Son !  how  joyfully 
would  she  sit  up  all  night  to  sew,  or 
weave  his  working  tunics,  his  fes- 
tival robes,  and  that  seamless  gar- 
ment, a  masterpiece  of  art  and  skill, 
which  was  afterwards!  ....  But 
as  yet  the  Lord  had  only  anointed 
His  Son  with  the  oil  of  gladness. 
The  companion  of  the  Spouse,  the 
wise  Virgin  of  the  Gospel,  left  the 
morrow  to  provide  for  itself  "and 
the  peace  of  God,  which  surpasseth 


all  understanding,  dwelt  in  her  heart 
and  mind." 

Jesus  was  perfection  itself,  the 
omniscient,  the  thrice  holy,  the 
mighty  and  the  wise ;  as  God,  he 
could  owe  nothing  to  His  creatures, 
but  as  man  he  owed  something  to 
Mary.  She  it  was  who  initiated 
him,  from  his  earliest  childhood,  in 
the  humble  virtues  appertaining  to 
humanity,  and  to  her  own  dmple 
and  poetic  tastes.  That  patient  and 
unalterable  meekness  which  he 
knew  how  to  unite  with  the  firmness 
of  the  prophet  and  the  legislator; 
that  merciful  compassion  which 
tempered  the  wrath  of  an  angry 
God,  and  rendered  Him — the  model 
man,  the  Just  by  excellence — the 
Advocate  of  sinful  man;  that  ten- 
derness so  kind,  so  simple,  towards 
children  whom  he  delighted  in  bless- 
ing and  caressing  during  his  divine 
mission;  a  thousand  imperceptible 
shades,  a  thousand  beams  half  ab- 
sorbed in  the  blaze  of  light  which 
constitutes  the  mortal  life  of  Jesus 
Christ,  all  bear  the  seal  of  Mary.* 


*  Nel  vestire  il  Verbo  d'umana  came  non  gli 
diede  ella  (la  Vergine),  punto,  o  di  potenza,  o 
di  santita,  o  di  giustizia  che  egli  (Gesu)  gia  da 
^    se  solo  non  possedesse  ;  ma  gli  die  molto  bensi 


212 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


Tims  heaven  is  pleased  to  inhale 
the  sweet  scent  of  powers,  although 
the  flowers  are  creatures  of  the 
earth. 

We  caiiiiol  doubt  but  that  Jesua 
returned,  with  interest,  all  the  Vir- 
gin's tenderness  and  solicitude;  a 
woman  so  noble  in  blood  and  in 
heart  was  entitled  to  the  respect 
of  all,  and  especially  of  a  Son  for 
whose  sake  she  had  imposed  on 
hei*self,  in  the  eaiiy  spring  of  life, 
so  many  privations,  so  much  toil, 
and  so  many  sacrifices.  He  who 
takes  note  in  heaven  of  a  glass  of 
cold  water  given  in  his  name,  must 
assuredly  be  mindful  of  the  obliga- 
tions which  he  owed  to  Mary ;  and, 
if  we  see  in  the  Gospel  that  he 
sometimes  spoke  to  his  divine 
mother  less  as  her  son  than  as  her 
Lord,  it  is  that  at  such  times  he 
detached  himself  from  all  earthly 
connections  in  order  to  promote  the 
glory  of  his  Father,  whose  interests 
were  ever  paramount  with  him. 
The  Virgin  knew  too  well  the  sacred 
mission  of  her  son  to  be  disturbed 
by  this  occasional  severity;  she 
calmly  awaited  the  moment  when 

di  misericordia.  (P.  Paolo  Segneri,  Magnificai 
spiegato.) 


*  the  legislator  should  give  place  to 
the  young  Galilean  whom  her  milk 
had  nourished,  and  never  had  she 
to  wait  long :  the  human  nature 
very  soon  granted  what  the  divine 
nature  had  refused. 

Jesus  had  just  attained  his 
twenty-ninth  year  when  the  angel 
of  death  summoned  away  the  ven- 
erable head  of  the  Holy  Family. 
Joseph  —  that  patriarchal  man  — 
whose  submissive  faith  and  simplic- 
ity of  heart  recalled  the  memory  of 
Abraham  and  the  era  of  the  tent; 
Joseph,  on  whom  the  Holy  Ghost 
himself  bestowed  the  title  of  Just ; 
Joseph  slept  calmly  in  the  Loi-d,  in 
the  sweet  presence  of  his  adopted 
son  and  his  chaste  spouse.  Jesus 
and  Mary  mourned  him,  and  kept 
their  melancholy  watch  by  his  cold 
remains ;  the  night  wind  only  was 
heard  to  mingle  in  the  lamenta- 
tions of  the  poor  family.  The  great 
ones  of  Galilee  died  not  thus ;  their 
death  was  attended  by  more  show 
and  greater  ostentation,  although 
they  had  not,  at  the  linal  moment, 
the  glorious  prospects  of  the  car- 
penter of  Nazareth. 

The  obsequies  of  the  son  of  David 

^  were   humble    as  his   fortune,   but 


l-^ 


^ 


c^ 


.>)^' 


LIFE   OF   THE  BLESSED   VIRGIN  MARY. 


213 


Mary  slied  abundant  tears  over  his 
funeral  bed,  and  the  Son  of  God 
was  himself  chief  mourner.  Wliat 
emperor  was  ever  so  highly  hon- 
ored ? 

At  length,  the  time  for  preaching 
the  Gospel  began  to  approach,  and 
He  whom  God  ordained  from  all 
eternity  to  be  its  pontiff  and  apos- 
tle quitted  Nazareth  to  repair  to 
the  banks  of  the  Jordan,  where 
John  was  baptizing.  That  parting 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  her  Son 
must  have  been  both  solemn  and 
affecting.  The  public  life  of  Jesus 
was  about  to  commence.  Unfriend- 
ed, poor,  of  humble  origin,  without 
other*  resource  than  his  courage,  his 
patience,  and  that  gift  of  miracles 
which  he  never  employed  for  his 
own  personal  advantage,  he  was 
going  to  confront  an  order  of  things 
"not  strong  enough  to  resist  him, 
but  strong  enough  to  cause  his 
death."  *  The  Virgin  could  not  help 
feeling  an  emotion  of  terror  on  see- 
ing Jesus  commit  himself  to  that 
stormy  sea — the  Jewish  world — on 
which  so  many  illustrious  prophets 
had  perished.  She  knew  the  insur- 
mountable pride  of  the  Pharisees, 

*  M.  de  Lamartine,  hook  quoted. 


*  the  narrow  and  revengeful  fanati- 
cism of  the  Synagogue,  the  sanguin- 
ary whims  of  Herod  Antipas ;  she 
also  knew  the  Messianic  oracles 
which  spoke  of  suffering  and  igno- 
miny! ....  The  daughter  of  the 
kings  of  Juda,  who  was  not  of  the 
race  of  the  feeble,  and  who  knew 
that  her  son  was  God,  was  none  the 
less  overcome  by  that  first  separa- 
tion, w^hich  seemed  the  prelude  and 
the  image  of  one  much  more  cruel. 
With  a  breaking  heart  she  saw 
Jesus  set  out,  and  when  the  sound 
of  his  footsteps  died  away  in  the 
distance ;  when  she  found  herself 
alone  —  all  alone  —  in  that  house 
where  she  had  passed  so  many 
happy  hours  with  her  Son  and  her 
holy  spouse,  she  hid  her  face  be- 
tween her  hands,  and  remained  long 
silent  and  motionless. 

The  absence  of  Christ  was  pro- 
longed ;  the  Virgin  learned  with 
profound  admiration,  but  without 
surprise,  the  wonders  of  liis  bap- 
tism, when  the  Holy  Trinity  was, 
as  it  were,  made  palpable  and  re- 
vealed to  men:  the  white  dove  ex- 
tending its  divine  wings  over  the 
Saviour  who  was,  at  the  "same  time, 

^  announced  as  the  Son  of  God  by  a 


214 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED   VIRQIN  MARY. 


voice  from  heaven.  Her  maternal 
joy  was,  however,  replaced  by  griev- 
ous apprehension  when  she  heard 
that  Jesus,  almost  immediately  after 
his  baptism,  had  plunged  alone  into 
the  deep  and  perilous  ravines  of  the 
lofty  Mount  Quarantine,*  to  prepare 
for  the  work  of  the  world's  redemp- 
tion by  fasting,  prayer,  and  medita- 
tion. What  must  she  suffer  as  she 
thought  of  Jesus  wandering  through 
a  labyrinth  of  naked  rocks,  where 
the  bird  found  not  a  particle  of 
moss  to-  make  its  nest,  or  a  wild 
berry  to  maintain  life — where  all 
is  rock  and  fire !  What  anguish 
when  the  tempest  roared  without! 
Where  was  Jesus  ?  What  was  h^ 
doing,  alone  and  unsheltered,  on  the 
high   mountains   of  Jericho,  whose 

*  The  desert  wherein  Jesus  fasted  forty  days 
— whencse  it  was  called  the  Desert  of  Quaran- 
tine— is  situated  in  the  mountains  of  Jericho, 
about  a  league  from  that  city,  and  towards  the 
western  bank  of  the  Jordan.  Mount  Quaran- 
tine is  oue  of  the  highest  on  the  northern  side, 
presenting  a  profound  chasm,  hollowed  out 
below,  as  though  to  prevent  all  access  to  the 
upper  part ;  from  west  to  north  it  displays  a 
series  of  steep  rocks,  which  open  in  many 
places,  and  contain  caverns.  The  fourth  part 
of  the  ascent  is  only  gained  by  a  precipitous 
slope,  strewn  with  stones  which  roll  from  under 
the  foot.  When  one  has  reached  this  fourth 
part  of  the  mountain's  height,  he  finds  a  very 
narrow  pathway,  which  conducts  to  a  flight  of 


*  steep  pathways  —  full  of  rolling 
stones  —  womid  amid  frightful  pre- 
cipices, f  Certain  death  awaited 
him  if  he  missed  his  foot  on  the 
edge  of  an  abyss ;  and  no  aid  was 
near,  if,  during  that  fast — so  com- 
plete, so  long,  so  far  beyond  human 
strength — he  fell  fainting  on  the 
way.  Those  forty  days  were,  to 
Mary,  so  many  ages  —  maternal 
anxiety  making  every  minute  thus 
passed  an  eternity ;  but  Jesus  re- 
turned to  Nazareth  with  his  disci- 
ples, and  his  loved  presence  was, 
for  Mary,  like  the  balmy  breath  of 
spring,  after  the  piercing  frosts  of 
winter. 

Just  then  it  was  that  the'  wed- 
ding took  place  in  Cana  of  Galilee. 
The    bride    and    bridegroom,    who 

steps  surrounded  by  fearful  precipices ;  this 
must  be  climbed  at  the  most  imminent  risk, 
catching  at  certain  stones  which  project  here  and 
there,  and  to  which  one  is  obliged  to  cling  with 
feet  and  hands  ;  if  one  of  these  stones  chanced 
to  give  way,  one  would  fall  into  a  terrific  chasm. 
( Voyages  de  Jesus  Christ,  Heme  voyage.) 

f  The  sacred  retreat  wherein  the  Man-God 
spent  forty  days  is  a  natural  grotto,  which  is 
only  to  be  gained  by  cHmbing  a  path  cut  in  the 
rock.  A  niche  has  been  made  in  one  of  its 
sides  as  if  for  an  altar.  Therein  are  seen  some 
frescoes,  almost  effaced,  representing  angels. 
A  thick  wall  closes  up  this  species  of  chapel, 
which  is  lit  by  a  window  whence  one  cannot 
look  down  without  a  shudder.     (Ibid.) 


LIFE   OF   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


215 


were  relatives  of  the  Blessed  Yir-  f 
gin,*  invited  Mary,  with  Jesus  and 
his  disciples.  All  accepted  the  cor- 
dial invitation,  and  the  Virgin,  ever 
kind  and  obliging,  undertook  to 
assist  in  making  preparations  for 
the  banquet,  in  which  custom  re- 
quired a  certain  degree  of  splendor. 
But  the  company  was  large,  and 
the  family  poor ;  the  bridegroom 
had  been  mistaken  in  his  reckon- 
ing, and  the  wine-jars  were  almost 
empty,  when  Our  Lord — who  would 
raise  marriage  to  the  rank  of  holy 
things,  purifying  it  by  his  presence 
— entered  the  banquet-hall,  follow^ed 
by  Peter,  Andrew,  Philip,  and  Na- 
thaniel^four  young  fishermen  whom 
he  had  impressed  with  confidence 
in  his  genius  and  power.  The  wine 
ran  out  in  the  middle  of  the  repast, 
and  Mary,  having  first  perceived  it 
on  a  sign  of  distress  from  the  hosts, 
turned   to   Jesus,  who   was   sitting 


*  The  Eastern  tradition,  which  the  Moham- 
medans have  received  from  the  Christians,  is, 
that  St.  John  the  Evangelist  was  the  bride- 
groom at  the  wedding  of  Cana,  and  that,  after 
having  witnessed  the  miracle  which  Jesus 
wrought,  he  immediately  quitted  his  wife  ^ 
follow  him.  (D'Hei-belot,  Biblioih.  Orient,  t.  ii.) 
— Baronius,  t.  i.,  p.  106. — Maid,  (in  Johan.) 
also  adopts  this  opinion,  for  which  we  cannot 
certify. 


near  her,  and  said,  pointedly,  "  They 
have  no  wine  ! " 

Jesus  answered  her  in  a  low 
voice,  and  with  much  emphasis, 
"  Woman,  what  is  it  to  me  and  to 
thee  ?     My  hour  is  not  yet  come."  f 

The  Virgin,  anxious  to  save  her 
friends  a  most  painful  humiliation, 
was  yet  not  at  all  discouraged  by 
these  words ;  she  knew  that,  if  the 
hour  of  his  manifestation  were  not 
come,  Christ  would  anticipate  it  for 
her  sake ;  and,  with  that  faith  which 
would  remove  mountains,  she  mildly 
said  to  the  servants,  "Whatsoever 
he  shall  say  to  you,  do  ye."  JSTow 
there  were  there  six  water-pots  of 
stone  used  for  purifications ;  at  the 
bidding  of  Jesus,  these  were  filled 
to  the  brim  with  fresh  water  from  a 
neighboring  spring,  and  that  water 
was  changed  into  delicious  wine. 

Thus  it  is  that  the  Blessed  Virgin 
had  the  first  fruits  of  the  miracles 

f  Our  Lord's  reply  to  his  blessed  mother 
must  have  been  in  an  under  tone,  as  may  even 
be  inferred  from  the  Gospel  narrative.  It  is 
wholly  impossible  that  Jesus  Christ  could  have 
given  his  mother  such  an  answer  aloud;  the 
guests,  who  were  not  in  the  secret,  would  have 
considered  it  extremely  disrespectful  towards 
her.  It  is  clear  that  the  servants,  hearing  what 
the  Blessed  Virgin  said,  were  ignorant  of  the 
^  f    Saviour's  a  pparent  refusal 


916 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


of  her  divine  Son,  and  that  her  in-  * 
tercession  changed  the  very  will  of 
God. 

The  miracle  of  Cana  was  soon 
followed  by  a  number  of  others, 
which  stamped  with  the  seal  of  the 
Divinity  the  high  and  providential 
mission  of  the  Saviour.  At  his 
voice,  the  storm  was  hushed,  human 
infirmities  disappeared,  the  devils 
were  hurled  back  to  their  gloomy 
kingdom,  corpses  arose  from  their 
coffins,  and,  all  over  that  spot  of 
earth  which  his  blessed  footsteps 
marked,  there  was  a  great  ameliora- 
tion of  both  spiritual  and  corporal 
suffering.*  People  came  to  him 
from  Sidon,  from  Tyre,  from  Idumea, 
and  from  Arabia ;  and  wiiole  multi- 
tudes, gathering  along  his  way,  kiss- 
ed the  hem  of  his  garments,  and 
humbly  asked  him  for  health  and 
life — things  which  only  a  God  can 
'give. 

Mary,  whom  Our  Lord  had  not  as 


*  A  Mugsulman  poet  has  described,  in  graceful 
verse,  the  dominion  which  Jesus  exercised  over 
the  diseases  of  the  soul ;  the  following  is  their 
substance : 

"  The  heart  of  the  afflicted  man  draws  all  its 
consolation  from  thy  words." 

"  The  soul  recovers  life  and  vigor  by  the  mere 
bearing  of  thy  nanw?." 


yet  thought  proper  to  associate  in 
his  painful  and  wandering  life — 
Mary  heanl  these  extraordinary  tid- 
ings with  great  joy,  not  unmixed, 
however,  with  trouble  and  anxiety. 
Her  fears .  were  well  founded ;  for, 
if  the  people  followed  the  Messiah, 
loading  him  with  blessings,  the 
Pharisees,  the  scribes,  and  the 
l)rinces  of  the  Synagogue  began 
to  be  greatly  scandalized — worthy 
souls ! — ^by  the  conduct  of  the  Son 
of  God.  He  remitted  sins — blas- 
phemy !  he  consoled  and  converted 
sinners  —  degradation  !  he  healed 
the  sick  on  the  Sabbath-day — open 
and  shameless  impiety  I  His  doc- 
trine fell  from  his  lips  like  a  benefi- 
cent dew  rather  than  a  stormy  rain, 
so  that  he  was  in  every  way  unlike 
the  ancient  prophets.  He  preached 
humility,  forgiveness  of  injuries,  vol- 
untary poverty,  alms  given  for  God's 

sake  alone,  universal  charity 

What  novel  doctrines  these  were ! 


"If  ever  the  mind  of  man  can  ai*ise  to  the 
contemplation  of  the  mysteries  of  the  Deity. 

"  It  is  from  thee  that  it  obtains  the  lights 
thereby  to  discover  them,  and  thee  it  is  who 
givest  it  the  attraction  which  leads  it  thereto." 

" A  Christian,"  says  the  learned  Orien- 


talist, D'Herbelot,  "  could  not  express  his  ideas 
^    vith  greater  force. ' 


jw' 


LIFE   OF   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


217 


A  host  of  enemies  rose  up  against 
him  after  every  sermon,  whether  in 
the  desert  or  in  the  city.     He  could 
not    attack    hypocrisy    without    of- 
fending the  Pharisees,  nor  condemn 
avarice  without  exciting  the  ire  of 
the  doctors  of  the  law ;  the  discon- 
tented— ever   ready   to   engage   in 
dark  conspiracies  which  broke  out 
in   rash    and   bloody   revolt — were 
scandalized    because    he    did    not 
preach  up  sedition  against  Caesar; 
the  Hei"odians  accused  him  of  as- 
piring to  the  throne ;  and  the  Sad- 
ducees  could  not  bear  to  hear  him 
announce  eternal  life.     These  men, 
divided  in  their  views,  their  creeds, 
and  their  political  interests,  made  a 
truce  amongst  themselves  in  hatred 
to  the  Galilean  ;  they  girt  up  their 
loins  to  attack  him,  which  they  did 
on  every  side.     E^'ery  word  was  a 
snare,  every  smile  one  of  treachery. 
Some    openly   treated   him    as    an 
impostor  and  a  Samaritan ;    others 

*  The  Methnevi-Manevi,  speaking  of  the  envi- 
ous and  impotent  hatred  of  the  Jews  for  Jesus 
Christ,  expresses  its  opinion  in  these  terms  con- 
cerning these  attacks — so  common  against  all 
that  obtains  success  ;  attacks  which  are,  in  the 
end,  hurtful  only  to  those  who  make  them : — 
"  The  moon  sheds  her  light,  and  the  dog  barks," 
says  the  Persian  author,  "but  the  barking  of 
the  dog  prevents  not  the  moon  from  shining.    ; 


gently  hinted  that  he  was  mad  ;  the 
whole  phalanx  of  the  envious,  tired 
of  hearing   the   people   prUise  this 
new  prophet,  and  being  unable  to 
deny  his  miracles,  would  fain  give 
the  honor  thereof  to  Satan.     "  If  he 
drives  out  devils,"  said  they,  "  it  is 
through   Beelzebub,   the   prince   of 
devils ;  in  Beelzebud,  principe  dceino- 
niorimi,    ejicit    dcemonia."'^      These 
vague   rumors   alarmed   Mary,   and 
the  evil  dispositions  of  her  neigh- 
bors were  calculated  to  do  anvthing 
but.  reassure  her.     Of  all  the  cities 
of  Galilee,  Nazareth  was  the  most 
incredulous,  and  the  most  hardened 
against  the  divine  word ;  and  of  all 
the   families   of  Nazareth,   that  of 
Jesus   was    the    least   disposed,   it 
seems,  to  accept  him  for  the  King- 
Messiah.     As  the  divine  maternity 
of  Mary  had  never  been  revealed 
to  her   relatives,  and  the  miracles 
which  had  been  wrought  during  the 
Lord's  infancy  had  taken  place  in 

We  throw  sweepings  into  the  running  water 
of  a  river,  and  that  scum  swims  on  the  surface 
of  the  water  without  either  stopjjing  its  course 
or  disturbing  it.  The  Messiah,  on  the  one  side, 
raises  the  dead,  and  you  see,  on  the  other,  the 
Jews  devoured  with  envj',  biting  their  nails  and 
tearing  their  hair."  ( Hussein- Vaez. — D'Herbe- 
lot,  Biblioth.  Orient.) 


218 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


distant  countries,  so  they  saw  in 
the  supposed  son  of  Joseph  only 
a  young-  Israelite  without  learning, 
brought  up  amongst  themselves,  fed 
like  them,  more  poorly  lodged,  more 
simply  clad,  and  living  from  day  to 
day  by  hard  work,  which  brought 
him  chiefly  in  contact  with  the 
lower  classes.  Christ,  who  would 
ennoble  poverty  by  taking  it  for 
his  portion,  incurred  the  conse- 
quences of  the  position  he  had 
chosen.  "Neither  did  his  breth- 
ren," says  St.  John,  "believe  in 
him."*  The  report  of  the  miracles 
which  accompanied  the  preaching 
of  the  Gospel  astonished,  but  could 
n6t  convince,  these  obstinate  Naz- 
arenes.  Knowing  that  Jesus  was 
saluted  all  over  Galilee  by  the  dan- 
gerous title  of  Son  of  David,  and 
that  crowds  of  two  or  three  thou- 
sand persons  gathered  to  hear  him, 
they  feared  that  these  numerous 
assemblies  might  excite  the  sus- 
picions of  Herod  Antipas,  and  that 
themselves  might  be  brought  into 
trouble  on  account  of  the  young 
prophet.  For  this  reason  they  pub- 
licly gave  out  that  Jesus  was  mad, 
and  swore   that  they  would  bring 

*  St.  Jobu,  ch.  vii.,  v.  5. 


^  him  back  to  Nazareth  in 'safe  keep- 
ing. Concealing  this  family  plot 
from  Mary,  they  induced  her  to  go 
with  them  to  Caphernaum,  in  order 
that  they  might  gain  access  to  his 
presence  by  the  authority  of  her 
name,  f 

The  Messiah  was  teaching  in  the 
synagogue,  in  the  midst  of  a  silent 
and  attentive  audience,  when  tlie 
Nazarenes  arrived.  Ostentatiously 
displaying  an  authority  which  they 
were  quite  willing  to  magnify  in 
the  eyes  of  the  crowd,  as  St.  John 
Chrysostom  remarks,  they  deliber- 
ately sent  word  to  the  Saviour  that 
his  mother  and  his  brethren  were 
without,  and  wished  to  see  him ;  but 
Jesus,  knowing  the  secret  thoughts 
of  his  relations  according  to  tlie 
flesh,  and  availing  himself  of  the 
occasion  to  extend  the  narrow  limits 
of  the  old  law  by  solemnly  and  un- 
reservedly adopting  all  the  great 
human  family,  gave  this  admirable 
reply  to  the  impudent  message  of 
his  kinsfolk — "Who  is  my  mother 
and  my  brethren?"  Then,  looking 
around  on  his  numerous  disciples — ■ 
"  Whosoever,"  said  he,  "  shall  do  the 
will  of  God,  he  is  my  brother,  and 

t  St.  Mark,  ch.  iii.,  vs.  21,  31-35. 


LIFE   OF   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY 


219 


sister,  and  mother."  After  this  se- 
vere reprimand,  which  the  sons  of 
Alpheus  could  well  understand,  the 
Son  of  God  immediately  went  out, 
says  St.  John  Chrysostom,  to  do  his 
mother  all  the  honor  that  decorum 
required. 

When  he  had  saluted  Mary,  and 
stopped  some  time  with  her  on  the 
sea-shore,  the  Saviour  went  up  into 
a  bark,  whence  he  began  to  teach 
the  people.  The  Virgin,  lost  in  the 
crowd,  but  profoundly  attentive, 
heard,  in  religious  silence,  the  par- 
able of  the  ^sower.  The  Nazarenes, 
petrified  by  the  resistless  eloquence 
and  the  superhuman  dignity  of 
Jesus  Christ,  asked  each  other,  in 
surprise,  if  he  were  indeed  the  son 
of  Mary.  They  experienced  that 
kind  of  fascination  which  attracts 
the  snake  of  the  American  savan- 
nahs when  he  hears  afar  in  the 
woods  the  sound  of  sweet  music. 
They  had  come  with  the  swiftness 
of  fear,  with  the  eloquence  of  ego- 
tism, with  the  arrogance  of  superi- 
ority, to  withdraw  Christ  from  his 
perilous  mission,  and  they  quailed 
under  his  very  look,  and  could  not 
even  open  their  lips  in  his  presence. 
This  is  clearlv  indicated  by  the  text 


*  of  St.  Matthew,  which,  after  having 
informed  us  of  their  hostile  inten- 
tions, gives  us  nowhere  to  under- 
stand that  they  ventured  even  to 
speak  to  Our  Lord. 

Some  time  after,  Jesus  returned 
to  Nazareth,  and  great  was  the  joy 
of  the  Virgin.  To  see  her  son 
seated  on  the  mat  where  he  used 
to  sit  in  his  childish  days ;  to  eat 
the  bread  which  he  had  blessed 
and  broken  ;  to  lead  him  silently  to 
the  sick  bed  of  some  poor  sufferer, 
whom  he  healed,  with  an  injunction 
of  secrecy ;  to  see  him  mighty  in 
word  and  work,  he  who  had  been 
so  long  the  man  of  toil  and  silence 
— this  was  too  much  happiness  in 
the  cup  of  her  existence!  And 
God,  who  often  afflicts  those  whom 
he  loves,  soon  mingled  gall  with  its 
sweetness.  On  the  Sabbath-day, 
the  son  and  mother  went  together 
to  the  synagogue.  A  great  con- 
course of  people  had  assembled 
there  to  see  and  hear  Jesus;  but 
the  curiosity  of  the  Nazarenes  had 
not  that  character  of  confidence  and 
respectful  attention  that  Christ  had 
so  often  met  elsewhere.  They  were 
there,    scandalized    beforehand    by 

,  what  the   son  of  Mary  was  to  do 


320 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


and  say,  and  admirably  disposed  to  ^ 
stone  him  if  occasion  offered. 

There  are  countries  decidedly  hos- 
tile to  all  that  does  them  honor,  until 
the  grass  of  the  grave  grows  over 
the  object  of  their  envy. 

Nevertheless,  one  of  the  ancients 
presented  the  Saviour  of  men  with 
the  book  of  the  prophet  Isaiah,  and 
Jesus,  unrolling  the  parchment,  read 
this  passage  with  simple  grace  and 
mai-vellous  dignity:  "The  spirit  of 
the  Lord  is  upon  me,  because  the 
Lord  hath  anointed  me ;  he  hath 
sent  me  to  preach  to  the  meek,  to 
heal  the  contrite  of  heart,  and  to 
preach  a  release  to  the  captives, 
and  deliverance  to  them  that  are 
shut  up:  to  proclaim  the  accepta- 
ble year  of  the  Lord." 

Having  closed  the  book,  he  sat 
down,  and,  speaking  with  that  lively 
and  natural  eloquence  which  so 
strongly  impressed  his  auditors,  he 
made  to  himself  the  application  of 
the  Messianic  oracle,  and  taught, 
not  as  a  disciple  of  the  synagogue, 
but  as  the  very  master  of  the  syna- 
gogue. A  low  murmur  ran  through 
the  assembly.  Some  were  amazed 
at  the  force  and  the  grace  of  his 
discom-se ;   others,  faithful  to  their  ^^ 


system  of  contemptuous  calumny, 
said  aloud,  "  Is  not  this  the  carpen- 
ter's son?"  And  Jesus,  penetrating 
their  thoughts,  and  reading  their 
false  and  envious  hearts,  spoke  to 
them  those  words  which  have  be- 
come proverbial:  "A  prophet  is  not 
without  honor,  save  in  his  own 
country  and  in  his  own  house." 
Knowing  that  they  intended  to  ask 
him  for  prodigies  like  unto  those 
which  he  had  wrought  in  €apher- 
naum,  he  told  them  plainly  that 
their  incredulity  rendered  them  un- 
worthy of  any  such,  and  that,  in 
order  to  obtain  miracles,  they  must 
be  asked  in  simplicity  and  with 
faith.  Thence,  alluding  to  the  prop- 
agation of  his  Gospel,  and  to  that 
wild  olive  grafted  on  the  ancient 
tree  of  the  synagogue,  symbolical 
of  the  call  of  the  Gentiles :  "In 
truth  I  say  to  you  there  were  many 
widows,  in  the  days  of  Elias,  in 
Israel,  when  heaven  was  shut  -up 
three  years  and  six  months,  when 
there  was  a  great  famine  through- 
out all  the  earth.  And  to  none  of 
them  was  Elias  sent  but  to  Sarepta 
of  Sidonj  to  a  widow  woman.  And 
there  were  many  lepers  in  Israel  in 
the  time  of  Eliseus  the  prophet,  and 


LIFE   OF   THE  BLESSED   VIBGIN  MARY. 


221 


none  of  them  was  cleansed  but 
Naaman  the  Syrian." 

These  last  words  were  the  drop 
of  water  which  makes  the  cup  over- 
flow. Wounded  in  their  national 
pi'ide,  in  their  hereditary  hatred,  in 
their  traditional  hopes,  the  assem- 
bly in  the  synagogue  were  filled 
with  fury,  and  thirsted  for  blood. 
They  rose  up  tumultuously,  and 
thrust  him  out  of  their  city:  and 
they  brought  him  to  the  brow  of 
the  hill  whereon  theii-  city  was 
built,  that  they  might  cast  him 
down  headlono:;. 

Seated  amongst  the  humbler  wo- 
men, in  a  grated  gallery,  the  Virgin 
had  observed,  with  intense  anxiet}^, 
the  rise  and  progress  of  the  storm. 
Reading  the  sinister  projects  of  the 
Nazarenes  in  their  fierce  glances 
and  furious  gestures,  she  hesitated 
not  to  brave  the  danger  in  order  to 
make  her  way  to  her  son;  but  her 

*  Between  the  steep  mountain  whence  the 
Jews  intended  to  cast  Jesus  and  the  city  of 
Nazareth  "  there  is  seen  half  way,"  says  Father 
Geramb,  "the  ruins  of  a  monastery  formerly 
inhabited  by  monks,  and  those  of  a  very  fine 
church  built  by  St.  Helena,  and  dedicated  to 
the  Blessed  Virgin,  under  the  name  of  Our  Lady 
of  Terror.  According  to  some,  Mary  was  stand- 
ing there  when  the  Jews  dragged  her  son  along 
towards  the  summit  of  the  mountain  to  cast  him 


*  strength  was  not  equal  to  her  cour- 
age. The  Jews  ran  swiftly — they 
were  always  swift  to  shed  blood — 
and  Mary,  trembling  like  a  leaf, 
hardly  able  to  support  herself,  walk- 
ed slowly  after  them,  like  one  in 
a  dream.  She  sees  Jesus  at  the 
summit  of  a  steep  rock  which  over- 
hangs a  fearful  precipice  ;  she  hears 
from  afar  the  death -cry  ringing; 
her  knees  bend  under  her ;  a  mist 
gathers  over  her  eyes ;  her  voice 
dies  away  in  a  piteous  moan ;  she 
falls  like  a  flower  stricken  down  by 
the  wind,  and  lies  prostrate  on  the 
ground.* 

Meanwhile,  the  ferocious  wolves 
in  pursuit  of  the  lamb  had  been 
grievously  disappointed ;  the  horn 
of  sacrifice  was  not  yet  come  for  the 
Son  of  man,  and  no  one  could  take 
his  life  until  he  chose  to  give  it  up. 
Striking  that  murderous  crowd  with 
blindness,!    Jesus    passed    unseen 

thence.  According  to  others,  she  had  hastened 
thither,  on  hearing  of  the  diabolical  project  in 
contemplation,  but  had  arrived  too  late ;  over- 
come with  terror,  she  covUd  go  no  farther." 

f  The  most  ancient  heretics — preparing  the 
■way  for  modern  rationalism,  which  unwittingly 
dons  their  tattered  rags — pretended  that  Our 
Lord  escaped  through  the  illusion  of  a  mist, 
illudere  per  caliginem.  Tertullian  strongly  op- 
poses this  supposition.     {Adv.  Marc,  4,  8.) 


222 


LIFE  OF   THE  BLESSED  VJRQTN  MARY. 


Ihmugh  the  midst  of  his  enemies,  f 
and  returned  once  more  to  Capher- 
naum,  where  he  was  soon  after  join- 
ed by  his  mother,  Mary  of  Cleophas, 
and  the  sons  of  Alpheus. 

After  having  preached  the  Gospel 
in  the  country  bordering  on  the  ftiir 
lake  of  Tiberias,  whose  waves  are 
radiant  as  the  light,  and  having 
wrouglit  the  great  miracle  of  the 
multiplication  of  the  loaves  and 
fishes  in  the  desert  of  Bethsaida, 
Jesus  went  up  the  Jordan  again, 
with  his  disciples,  to  Ca3sarea  Phi- 
lippi,  the  ancient  Dan  of  Nephtali 
(which  name  had  just  been  changed 
by  Philip,  son  of  Herod) ,  visiting  all 
the  different  towns  and  villages  on 
his  way. 

It  was  probably  at  this  period — 
for  Euthymius,*  who  relates  this 
traditional  fact,  leaves  its  date 
undecided — that  the  waters  of  the 
Jordan,  already  sanctified,  beheld 
another  affecting  ceremony.  Jesus, 
the  Virgin,  and  thp  Apostles  set  out 
one  morning  at  sunrise,  for  that 
sacred  river  "which  flows  through 

*  According  to  St.  Euthymius,  Our  Lord  bap- 
tized none  but  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  St.  Peter, 
who  afterwards  baptized  the  other  Apostles. 
"  Some,"  says  this  holy  abbot,  who  flourished  in 
Palestine  in  the  4th  century — "  some  have  writ-    ^ 


two  lakes,"  says  Tacitus,  "  and  emp- 
ties itself  into  the  third."  f  Its 
banks  were  robed  in  a  magnificent 
vegetation ;  ivslets,  rising  here  and 
there  from  its  bosom,  sparkled  amid 
its  shining  waves  like  baskets  of 
verdure,  fruit,  and  flowers ;  blue 
herons  hovered  over  those  flowery 
isles,  where  the  wood -pigeon  and 
the  white  turtle  still  hang  their 
mossy  nests  on  the  branches  of  the 
wild  pomegranate.  The  dew  glit- 
tered on  the  green  leaves  of  the 
willows  like  a  shower  of  pale  dia- 
monds, and  the  rushes  of  the  Jor- 
dan, which  sometimes  conceal  tigers, 
were  gently  bending  beneath  the 
light  breeze  which  shook  the  tops 
of  the  tall  palm-trees,  with  their 
clusters  of  coral-colored  dates.  Far 
away,  on  the  opposite  shore,  troops 
of  gazelles  were  seen  skipping 
around  on  the  slopes  of  the  gray, 
mottled  mountains ;  and  over  the 
sandy  plain  flew  some  of  the  fierce 
children  of  the  desert,  mounted  on 
coursers  fleet  as  the  wind,  and 
armed  with  those  long  spears  made 

ten  that  Jesus  Christ  himself  baptized  the  Vir- 
gin and  Peter." 

f  Nee  Jordanes  pelago  accipitur  :  sed  unum 
atque  alterum  lacum  integer  perfluit ;  tertio  re- 
tinetur.     {Taciti  historiarum,  lib.  v.) 


LIFE   OF   THE  BLESSED   VIRGIN  MARY. 


223 


of  reeds  from  tlie  banks  of  the  Eu- 
phrates, which  they  used  even  in 
the  first  ages  after  the  Dekige,  if  we 
are  to  believe  the  Persian  legends.* 
Clouds  of  the  richest  violet  hue,  or 
of  soft  and  tender  rose-color,  floated 
like  flowers  in  the  deep  blue  sky; 
and  the  nightingale,  that  loves  to 
sing  in  the  lofty  sycamores  which 
overhang  the  sacred  river  of  Pales- 
tine, was  heard  to  warble  its  most 
melodious  sti'ains :  Nature  had  don- 
ned her  gala  dress  for  the  baptism 
of  Mary. 

The  Virgin  was  clothed  in  white, 
according  to  the  custom  of  the  He- 
brews when  they  figured  alone  in 
any  religious  ceremony,  and  she 
stood  calm  and  collected  by  the  side 
of  her  Saviour  and  her  son ;  they 
both  stepped  into  the  river.  Rais- 
ing then,  with  his  divine  hand,  the 
Eastern  veil  worn  by  his  chaste  and 
beautiful  mother,  Jesus  fixed  his 
mild  and  penetrating  eyes  upon  her 
with  a  look  of  infinite  tenderness ; 
then,  pouring  on  the  Virgin's  fore- 
head the  sacred  water  of  regenera- 

*  There  grows  on  the  banks  of  the  Euphrates 
a  certain  kind  of  reed  which  almost  equals  the 
Indian  bamboo.  In  early  times,  the  Arabs  and 
.Assyrians  made  lances  of  them.  (Firdousi, 
Book  of  Kings. ) 


*  tion,  he  baptized  her  in  the  name 
of  the  most  Holy  Trinity,  Himself 
one  of  the  three  divine  persons. 

It  was  then  that  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin  left  off  her  solitary  habits   to 
follow  her  son  in  his  journeys.     She 
had   ministered   to   him   for    thirty 
years   both  abroad   and  at  home ; 
she  had  worked  for  him,  wept  over 
him,  suffered  for  him,  and  had  wor- 
shipped him,  without  fail,  evening 
and    morning,    even   when    he    lay 
cryinsc  in   his   cradle,  as  we  learn 
from  Albertus  Magnus.     It  was  nat- 
ural  that,  attaching  herself  to  his 
persecuted  lot,  she  should  abandon 
the  peaceful  roof  under  which  he 
was  born  to  follow  his  blessed  foot- 
steps   whilst    he    evangelized    the 
Hebrews.     Amidst  all  the  trials  of 
that  troubled   life,  the  Virgin  was 
admirable  as   ever.     Loving  Jesus 
more  than   ever  mother  loved  her 
child,  yet  never  did  she  intrude  into 
his    presence   when,   by   so   doing, 
she  might  interfere  with  the  duties 
of  his  regenerating  mission;   never 
once  did  she  speak  to  him  of  her 
fatigue,  her  fears,  her  melancholy 
forebodings,  or  her  personal  wants. 
Mary  was  not  only  a  sacred  dove 
hidins:  in  the  cleft  of  a  rock ;  a  pure 


224 


LIFE  OF   THE  BLESSED  VIROTN  MARY. 


vii*gin,  called  to  nourish  with  her 
milk  iind  to  cradle  in  her  arms  a 
celestial  guest;  she  was  also  a 
sti'ong  woman,  whom  the  Lord  w^as 
pleased  to  place  by  turns  in  every 
situation  of  life,  in  order  to  leave 
the  daughters  of  Eve  an  example  to 
follow,  and  a.  model  to  imitate. 

It  was  not  proper  that  the  Mother 
of  God  should  follow  Jesus  and  his 
Apostles  alone  through  all  Judea; 
hence  Mary's  retinue  consisted  of 
Mary  of  Cleophas,  mother  of  James, 
Simon,  Joseph  and  Jude,  vulgarly 
called  the  brethren  of  the  Lord ; 
Salome,  mother  of  the  sons  of  Zebe- 
dee,  whom  most  the  Saviour  loved ; 
Susanna,  wife  of  the  tetrarch's  stew- 
ard, together  with  some  wealthy 
women  of  Galilee,  who  had  given  up 
all  for  Jesus.  One  of  these,  a  Jew- 
ess, young,  rich,  well-born,  and  sur- 
passingly beautiful,  was  the  most 
tenderly  attentive  to  the  divine 
mother  of  her  Lord.  This  woman — 
whose  noble  heart,  storm-tossed  like 
the  waves  of  the  JEgean  sea,  had 
burned  with  an  unholy  flame  before 
the  eyes  of  men,  and  braved  public 
opinion  with  mockery  and  disdain 
. — had  come,  penitent  and  submis- 
sive,   to    prostrate    herself    before 


*  Christ,  and  to  ask  of  him,  wliom 
she  acknowledged  as  God,  a  cure 
for  the  wounds  of  her  soul.  And 
the  chaste  love  of  the  Lord  had 
absorbed  all  the  vain  love,  all  the 
worldly  attachments  of  the  young 
lady  of  Magdalum.  She  had  tram- 
pled under  foot  her  pearl  necklaces, 
her  jewels  and  chains  of  gold,  and 
sold  her  castle  by  the  lovely  sea  of 
Galilee ;  and  now^,  without  other 
ornament  than  a  coarse  brown  gar- 
ment, and  those  magnificent  dark 
tresses  wherewith  she  had  dried  the 
Lord's  feet,  the  young  patrician,  rich 
in  her  alms,  adorned  with  her  new 
virtues,  poured  out  her  penitent 
tears  in  the  pure  and  pitying  bosom 
of  Mary.  The  immaculate  Virgin 
had  received  her  with  open  arms, 
and  having  thus  won  her  heart,  she 

J^  cultivated  in  that  fertile,  but  long- 
neglected  soil,  the  flowers  that  bloom 
for  heaven. 

After  many  and  divers  sufferings 
— many  fears  and  apprehensions, 
which  it  were  tedious  to  enumerate 
— the  Virgin  entered  Jerusalem, 
the  fatal  city,  in  the  train  of  Jesus 
Christ,  to  celebi-ate  the  last  pasch 
which  the  Lord  made  with  his  dis- 
ciples.    She  saw  the  people  of  the 


'm  //l^i 


//A./  .<,„,//,r, 


LIFE  OF   TEE  BLESSED   VIRGIN  MARY. 


225 


royal  city  trooping  out  to  meet  the 
son  of  David,  who  came  to  them 
full  of  sweetness,  mounted  as  the 
young  princes  of  his  race  were 
wont  to  be,  and  graciously  receiv- 
ing the  simple  honors  so  eagerly 
and  so  spontaneously  offered  by  the 
multitude,  thirsting  for  a  sight  of 
their  proj)het ;  for  Jesus  never  re- 
jected the  humble  testimonies  of 
love  and  gratitude  offered  by  his 
creatures.     Trifling   as   were   those 


pledges  of  grateful  affection,  they 
were  yet  received  with  divine  good- 
ness the  moment  they  came  from 
the  heart. 

Magdalen,  by  turns  regarding  her 
Xorc?,  and  that  multitude  of  people 
who  made  the  air  resound  with 
their  hosannas,  wept  in  silence  be- 
hind her  veil.  Mary's  eyes  were 
likewise  moist;  but  her  gaze  was 
turned  towards  the  northwest,  in 
the  direction  of  Calvary. 


CHAPTER   XYII. 


MARY     ON     OALVA  RY. 


HE  branches  of  f 
the  palm,  cast 
by  the  HeLrews 
under  the  feet 
of  their  Mes- 
siah, were  still 
lying  green  and 
fresh  on  the  steep  road  to  Bethany ; 
the  echoes  of  the  Valley  of  Cedars* 
were  still  murmuring  the  expiring 

*  "  Valley  of  Cedars,"  the  ancient  name  of  the 
Valley  of  Josaphat. 


sounds  of  the  glad,  triumphant 
shouts  wherewith  the  daughters  of 
Sion  had  welcomed  the  poor  Icing, 
w^hen  Jerusalem  was  again  agitated 
by  a  new  event  of  great  and  melan- 
choly importance. 

The  chief  priests,  the  senators, 
and  the  Pharisees,  sought  to  get 
hold,  even  at  a  golden  price,  and 
without  shrinking  from  domestic 
treachery,  of  a  great  criminal,  who, 
they    said,   was    endangering  both 


226 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


religion  aiid  the  state.  Dangerous 
indeed  must  this  man  have  been, 
since  those  honorable  personages  had 
imposed  upon  themselves  an  extra- 
ordinary fast  in  order  to  get  posses- 
sion of  him,*  and  had  even  distri- 
buted certain  alms  through  the  city, 
by  sound  of  trumpet,  with  the  same 
intention.  The  Pharisees  —  those 
conscientious  Jews  who  robbed  only 
the  uncircumcised,  and  who  would 
have  left  their  neighbor  at  the  bot- 
tom of  a  well  rather  than  draw  him 
out  on  the  Sabbath-day,  although 
they  would  have  quickly  taken  out 
their  ox  or  their  ass — these  had 
undertaken  to  spread  amongst  the 
people,  who  are  so  easily  influenced 
one  way  or  the  other,  ominous  re- 
ports and  vague  rumors,  which  had 
produced  a  sort  of  feverish  uneasi- 
ness that  could  only  end  in  a  vio- 
lent outbreak.     Things    thus    pre- 

*  This  anecdote  is  found  in  the  Toldos,  pub- 
lished by  Huldin,  pp.  56  and  60. 

f  This  ofl&ce  is  known  to  the  Gospel,  which 
often  speaks  of  these  captains  of  the  Temple, 
who  must  be  distinguished  from  the  Roman 
officer  who  kept  guard  with  his  cohort  around 
that  sacred  edifice  to  prevent  the  tumults  and 
disorders  which  the  multitude  might  cause. 
These  captains  of  the  Temple  were  necessarily 
Jews,  and  descended  from  sacerdotal  families ; 
to  them  was  intrusted  the  ward  and  the  keys  of 


*  pared,  there  was  seen  descending, 
one  evening,  from  Mount  Moria,  a 
well-armed  troop,  accompanied  by 
some  senators,  and  commanded  by 
the  captain  of  the  Temple  guards  ;f 
after  them  came  the  footmen  of  the 
chief  priests,  and  at  the  head  of  this 
batallion  marched,  with  a  measured 
step,  by  the  light  of  those  large 
lanthorns  which  the  Asiatics  hoist 
on  long  poles  with  some  flaming 
torches,  a  man  with  a  downcast 
brow,  an  unsettled  look,  a  mean 
and  unprepossessing  countenance, 
whose  belt  was  stuffed  with  gold 
stolen  from  the  poor,  J  increased,  in 
imagination,  by  the  thirty  pieces  of 
silver  which  he  was  to  gain  by  de- 
livering up  to  the  wily  Synagogue 
his  Master,  his  Friend,  his  God ! 
For  it  was,  indeed,  the  Son  of 
David,  the  Conqueror  of  the  preced- 
ing  days,   Jesus   of  Nazareth,   the 

the  Temple  in  order  to  provide  for  the  security 
of  the  sacred  vessels ;  this  officer,  in  right  of 
birth,  was  entitled  to  a  place  in  all  the  priestly 
councils.     (Basnage,  b.  i.,  ch.  4.) 

X  Then  Judas  Iscariot,  who  was  to  betray 
Jesus,  said,  "  Why  was  not  this  ointment  sold 
for  three  hundred  pence,  and  given  to  the 
poor  ?  "  Now  he  said  this,  not  because  he  cared 
for  the  poor,  but  because  he  was  a  thief,  and, 
having  the  purse,  carried  the  things  that  were 
^;   put  therein.     (St.  John,  ch.  xii.,  v.  4-6.) 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


227 


great  Galilean  prophet  at  whose 
voice  greedy  Death  gave  up  his 
p-ey,  and  whose  orders  the  winds 
and  seas  obeyed ;  it  was  he  whom 
the  myrmidons  of  the  chief  priests 
and  Pharisees  were  going  to  seek 
on  the  Mount  of  Olives,  whither  he 
retired  at  night,  after  having  taught 
by  day  in 'the  Temple,  as  St.  Luke 
relates.  They  did  not  dare  to  arrest 
him  in  open  day,  fearing  some  re- 
sistance from  that  multitude  of  dis- 
ciples who  thronged,  from  the  dawn 
of  day,  to  hear  him  in  Solomon's 
Porch. 

The  armed  band,  led  on  by  Isca^ 
riot,  crossed  the  ravine  through 
which  flows  the  Kedron,  that  gloomy 
torrent*  which  King  David  crossed 
of  old  when  he  fled,  with  a  hand- 
ful of  faithful  servants,  from  the  re- 
bellious soldiers  incited  to  revolt 
by  his  son  Absalom.  Whilst  the 
soldiers  of  the  Temple,  fierce  and 
silent,  followed  the  course  of  the 
torrent,  which  reflected  the  light  of 
their  torches,  in  order  to  .gain  the 

*  The  Kedron  is  a  torrent  which  passes 
through  the  Valley  of  Josaphat,  between  Jeru- 
salem and  Mount  Olivet.  It  has  been  named 
Kedron  because  its  course  lies  through  dark 
and  obscure  places  :  its  Hebrew  name  signifies 
tenebrosus  fuit. 


heights  of  Gethsemani,  and  the 
evening  wind  rustled  in  the  droop- 
ing branches  of  the  willows,  from 
one  of  which  Judas  was  soon  to 
hang — a  punishment  too  mild  for 
such  a  traitor,  but  to  which  the  im- 
perishable contempt  of  succeeding 
generations  continually  adds — a  sad 
and  solemn  scene  was  passing  in 
that  same  Garden  of  Olives,  where 
the  unworthy  Apostle  was  going  to 
seek  his  Master  to  destroy  him. 

After  having  prayed  a  long  time, 
prostrate  on  the  ground,  in  that 
fearful  agony  which  bedewed  his 
divine  brow  with  a  bloody  sweat, 
Christ  arose  in  submissive  resig- 
nation to  the  terrible  will  of  his 
Father,  and  ready  to  drain  the  bit- 
ter chalice  even  to  the  dregs.  He 
raised  his  large  soft  eyes  to  the 
midnight  heavens,  studded  with  bril- 
liant constellations,  and  illumined 
by  the  meridian  moon,  that  fair 
lamp  of  the  firmament  whose  useful 
light  the  children  of  Abraham  bless 
in  their  prayers  ;f  she  was  then  at 

f  The  day  of  the  new  moon  is  a  festival  day 
for  the  Hebrews ;  the  women  abstain  from 
work,  and  the  devotees  fast  on  the  previous 
day.  After  reciting  a  number  of  prayers  in  the 
sj'nagogue,  they  keep  the  remainder  of  the  day 
as  a  joyous  festival.     Three  days  after,  the  Jews 


328 


LIFE   OF    THE   BLESSED   VIRGIN  MAliY. 


her  full,  and  cast  a  sheet  of  radiant  * 
light  over  that  austere  landscape 
whose  dark  mountains,  rising  one 
above  the  other,  were  traced  on  the 
clear  blue  of  the  sky.  Jerusalem, 
half  hid  in  shade,  and  in  some 
places  brilliantly  lit  up  by  the 
moon's  rays,  sent  afar  an  aromatic 
odor  from  the  rare  plants  of  its 
gardens,  and  its  groves  of  palm- 
trees  rose  stately  and  grand,  inter- 
spersed with  towers  of  white  mar- 
ble. Silence  reigned  amid  the 
mountains,  but  a  low  murmur  arose 
from  the  depth  of  the  valley,  and 
Jesus  shuddered.  "It  is  they!"  he 
said  within  himself,  and  he  walked 
slowly  towards  the  spot  whei-e  he 
had  left  the  three  Apostles  whom 
he  had  chosen  to  share  his  lonely 
watch.  Alas!  either  fatigue  or  the 
drowsy  murmur  of  the  wind  through 
the  pale  olive  branches  had  gradu- 
ally overcome  those  careless  senti- 
nels. Jesus  stood  looking  on  them 
a  moment  with  holy  bitterness ;  he 
had  told  them  that  his  death  was 

assemble  on  a  platform,  and  fixing  their  eyes 
steadfastly  on  the  moon,  they  bless  God  in  a 
long  prayer  for  having  created,  and  also  for  re- 
newing her,  to  teach  the  Israehtes  that  they 
ought  to  become  new  creatures :  "  O  moon ! 
blessed  be  thy  Creator,  blessed  be  he  who  made 


near  at  hand,  that  the  hour  of  dan- 
ger had  arrived,  and  yet  they  slept 
— they,  his  kinsmen,  his  friends,  his 
chosen  disciples — apparently  indif- 
ferent to  his  danger  and  death 

0  vanity  of  favors,  of  the  ties  of 
blood  and  friendship!  They  could 
keep  awake  on  Thabor,  at  the  time 
of  the  glorious  transfiguration,  but 
they  slept  in  the  hour  of  trial  and 
misfortune ! 

A  confused  noise  was  heard  on 
the  hollow  road  leading  to  the  little 
village  of  Gethsemani,  and  soon 
after  the  light  of  many  torches 
flashed  on  the  trees.  Jesus  then, 
bending  over  his  sleeping  Apostles, 
said  in  a  low,  deep  voice,  "Arise! 
he  who  is  to  betray  me  is  near 
at  hand !"  He  had  scarcely  spoken 
these  words  when  Judas  and  his 
band  arrived.  Advancing  to  Jesus, 
audacity  in  his  eyes,  and  the  false 
smile  on  his  lips,  he  pointed  hini 
out  to  the  hostile  troop  who  came 
to  seek  him,  giving  him,  at  the  same 
time,  that   sacrilegious   kiss  which 

thee  ;"  and  then  they  jump  three  times  as  high 
as  they  can,  saying  to  the  moon :  "  Even  as 
we  leap  towards  thee,  but  cannot  reach  thee, 
so  may  our  enemies  rise  against  us  without 
power  to  harm  us ! "  .  .  .  .  (Basnage,  1.  vii.-, 
ch.  16.) 


LIFE   OF   THE  BLESSED   VIRGIN  MART. 


229 


has  since  taken  his  name.  This 
was  the  signal.  Jesus  received  the 
traitor  kindly,  and  said  to  him,  with 
touching  sweetness,  "  Friend,  where- 
to art  thou  come?" 

Whereto  was  he  come !  ....  He 
was  come  to  earn  the  thirty  pieces 
of  silver  promised  by  the  Syna- 
gogue. Cupidity — a  cold  and  cal- 
culating passion — commits  tenfold 
more  crimes,  and  crimes  of  a  darker 
dye,  than  violence. 

Judas  had  not  time  to  answer 
this  embarrassing  question,  for  all 
the  others,  advancing,  threw  them- 
selves on  Jesus  and  laid  hold  of 
him.  Then  arose  the  hot  blood  of 
Peter  ben  Cephas,*  Prince  of  the 
Apostles ;  he  drew  his  sword  and 
smote  one  of  the  servants  of  the 
high -priest;  but  Jesus,  arresting 
the  only  arm  that  was  raised  in  his 
defence,  commanded  the  sword  to 
be  restored  to  its  scabbard.  "  That 
the  Scriptures  may  be  fulfilled," 
said  the  sacred  Victim,  ''  so  it  must 

*  Peter  hen  Cephas  (Peter  son  of  Peter). 
This  is  tlie  name  by  which  the  Prince  of  toe 
Apostles  is  linown  in  the  East. 

f  The  Garden  of  Gethsemani,  or  Olives,  at  the 
foot  of  the  mountain  of  that  name,  is  surround- 
ed by  a  wall  about  three  feet  high;  it  is  two 


*  be  done."  The  Lamb  of  God  was 
willing  to  be  immolated  for  the  sins 
of  the  world. 

Thereupon,  there  was  heard  with- 
in   the    garden    a   confused    sound 

of  hasty  footsteps,  of  breaking 
branches,  and  cries  of  terror;  and 
men  were  suddenly  seen  scaling  the 
low  fence  f  which  surrounded  the 
garden:  these  were  the  disciples 
making  their  escape !  .  .  .  . 

The  hostile  troop,  having  bound 
Jesus  like  a  criminal,  retraced  their 
steps  to  the  holy  city,  bending  their 
course  towards  the  stone  bridge 
which  the  Asmonean  princes  had 
thrown  over  the  Kedron;  but  the 
people  of  Jerusalem,  coming  in 
crowds,  had  it  already  occupied; 
and  tradition  relates  that  Jesus  was 
dragged  across  the  stream  ;  where- 
by the  prophecy  w^as  literally  ful- 
filled, "He  shall  drink  in  the  way 
the  water  of  the  torrent."  The 
holy  marks  of  the  Saviour's  feet  and 
of  one  of  his  knees  are  imprinted  in 

hundred  paces  long  by  one  hundred  and  forty 
wide.  It  contains  a  rock,  forming  a  reddish 
grotto,  where  it  is  said  that  the  three  Apostles 
slept.  ( Voyages  de  Jesus  Christ,  44th  voyage). 
— Its  name  of  Gethsemani  is  derived  from  the 
richness  of  its  soil:  Gethsemani,  in  Hebrew, 
signifies  fertile  valley. 


230 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


the  betl  and  on  the  stone  margin  f 
of  the  brook;  so,  at  least,  say  the 
Christians  of  Jerusalem,  who  still 
point  them  out.  Having  climbed 
the  hill  of  Sion,  they  entered  Jeru- 
salem by  the  Sterquilian  gate,  and 
repaired  to  the  house  of  Caiaphas, 
the  high-priest,  where  the  scribes 
and  the  ancients  were  assembled. 
The  chief  priests  and  the  scribes 
then  demanded  of  Jesus  whether 
he  was  the  Cheist.  "If  I  tell  you," 
replied  the  Saviour  mildly,  "you 
will  not  believe  me."  "Art  thou 
the  Son  of  God  ?"  demanded  Caia- 
phas. "Thou  hast  said  it,"  an- 
swered Jesus;  "I  am."  "He  has 
blasphemed!"  cried  the  high-priest, 
rending  his  garments.  "He  has 
deserved  death,"  said  the  scribes 
and  Pharisees. 

Then  they  spat  upon  his  face, 
struck  him  with  their  fists,  and 
marched  him  to  and  fro,  crving;  out 
in  bitter  mockery,  "Prophesy  unto 

*  Josephus,  Ant.  Jud.,  b.  xviii.,  ch.  4. 

■f"  Before  Judea  had  fallen  under  the  Roman 
domination,  the  Sanhedrim  had  the  power  of 
life  and  death;  but  the  conquerors  took  that 
privilege  to  themselves.  It  was  the  custom  of 
the  Romans  to  leave  vanquished  nations  their 
temples  and  their  gods  ;  but  in  civil  matters 
they  obUged  them  to  follow  the  laws  and  ordi- 
nances of   the   Republic.      At  the   time   when 


us,  0  Christ!  and  tell  us  who  it 
was  that  struck  thee !" 

Meanwhile,  Peter,  who  had  sworn 
rather  to  die  than  to  abandon  him, 
denied  him  three  times  in  the  court- 
yard of  the  high-priest ! 

Next  day,  the  chief  priests  and 
the  Pharisees  dragged  Jesus  before 
Pontius  Pilate,  who  was  exceedingly 
unpopular  with  them  since  the  af- 
fair of  the  imperial  ensigns  which 
he  had  introduced  by  night  into 
Jerusalem;*  but  as  they  hated  the 
Son  of  God  still  more,  and  that  the 
Romans  alone  could  condemn  him 
to  death,!  they  submitted  to  appear 
in  the  pretorium  of  that  idolater, 
taking  every  precaution,  however, 
to  avoid  coming  in  contact  with  his 
garments,  his  banners,  or  even  his 
judgment-seat,  which  would  have 
rendered  them  unclean  for  the  whole 
day.  Having,  therefore,  done  all 
that  depended  on  them  to  avert 
such  a  misfortune,  these  scrupulous 

Christ  was  condemned,  the  Romans  were  abso- 
lute masters  of  the  temporal  jurisdiction,  and 
the  authority  of  the  Jewish  senate  was  confined 
to.  matters  purely  religious.  The  Talmudists 
admit  the  fact,  for  they  acknowledge  that  the 
power  of  judging  was  taken  from  the  senate 
forty  years  before  the  ruin  of  Jerusalem — that 
is  to  say,  three  years  before  the  death  of  Christ. 
(See  Basnage,  liv.  vii.,  ch.  4.) 


LIFE   OF   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


231 


men  accused  Jesus  of  having  per- 
verted the  people  by  his  doctrine, 
of  having  prevented  them  from  pay- 
ing tribute  to  Caesar,  and,  finally, 
of   having    assumed    the    seditious 

title   of   King  of   the   Jews 

As  many  lies  as  words. 

Jesus  listened  in  silence  to  these 
false  accusations.  Pilate,  convinced 
of  the  profound  malignity  of  the 
accusers,  and  the  innocence  of  the 
accused,  would  have  wished  to  save 
Jesus,  but  could  not  succeed.  The 
Pharisees,  skillful  in  the  art  of  rais- 
ing popular  tumults,  worked  upon 
the  people,  who  kept  crying  out  for 
the  death  of  the  descendent  of  their 
ancient   kings ;    and    the   governor, 

*  They  preserve  in  Jerusalem  the  sentence 
pronounced  by  Pilate  on  Jesus  Christ  We 
give  it  here,  not  as  an  authentic  document,  but 
as  a  local  tradition.  "  Jesum  Nazarenum  sub- 
versorum  gentis,*  contemptorem  Csesaris,  et  fal- 
sum  Messiam,  ut  majorum  suce  gentis  testimonie 
probatum  est,  ducite  ad  communis  supplicii 
locum,  et  cum  ludibrio  regise  majestatis  in 
medio  duoruni,  latronum  aflSgite.  I,  lictor, 
expedi  cruces." — "  Conduct  to  the  ordinary 
place  of  execution,  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  se- 
ducer of  the  people,  who  has  despised  the  au- 
thority of  Csesar,  and  falsely  announced  himself 
as  the  Messiah,  according  to  the  testimony  of 
the  ancients  of  his  nation;  crucify  him  between 
two  thieves,  with  the  derisive  title  of  King.  Go, 
lictor,  prepare  the  crosses."  (Ardicom.  In 
descript.  Jesus. ) 

f  Pilate  undertook  to  construct  an  aqueduct 


*  who  well  knew  how  to  appease  the 
clamors  of  the  Jews  when  it  suited 
himself,  contented  himself  with 
faintly  defending,  against  the  fury 
of  his  iniquitous  accusers,  the  in- 
nocent man  whom  he  should  have 
firmly  protected.  Tired  of  their 
cries,  overcome  by  their  persever- 
ance, the  Roman  washed  his  hands 
of  his  sentence,  and  pronounced  it* 
He  then  became  anxious  to  make 
amends,  as  it  were,  for  his  display 
of  clemency  towards  Jesus,  and  to 
regain  the  favor  of  the  Jerusalemite 
populace,  whom  he  had  recently 
caused  his  lictors  to  cudgel  because 
of  a  tumult  f  arising  from  his  mak- 
ing too  free  with  the  sacred  treas- 

with  the  money  of  the  sacred  treasury,  to  bring 
water  into  Jerusalem  from  a  distance  of  two 
hundred  stadia.  The  people,  violently  excited 
against  the  Roman  governor,  whose  real  inten- 
tion they  penetrated,  assembled  by  thousands 
in  the  streets  and  public  places  of  Jerusalem; 
the  whole  city  resounded  with  execrations 
against  Pilate;  "and  some  even  provoked  the 
governor,"  says  Josephus,  "by  violent  abuse,  as 
is  usual  in  popular  outbreaks."  Pilate,  who 
was  not  so  easily  intimidated,  ordered  his  men 
to  take  large  sticks  under  their  garments  and 
surround  the  mob;  when  the  latter,  after  a 
short  respite,  began  again  with  their  clamors 
and  cutcries,  Pilate  made  a  sign  to  his  soldiers, 
who  instantly  fell  on  the  people,  and  even  went 
beyond  their  instructions,  beating  those  who 
said  nothing  as  well  as  those  who  were  loudest 
X    in  the  clamor.     "  Those  poor  people  having  no 


282 


LIFE  OF   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


uiy,  under  pretence  of  constructing 
an  aqueduct,  with  which  he  had 
nothing  to  do, — so  he  ordered  the 
son  of  David  and  of  Solomon  to  be 
scoui'ged,  amid  the  accUimations  of 
the  deicide  people,  who  had  dared 
to  ta)ve  upon  their  own  heads  and 
tliose  of  tlieir  children  the  dread 
responsibility  of  his  death.  That 
done,  he  delivered  him  up,  though 
regarding  him  with  pity  and  with 
admiration,*  to  the  taunts  and  in- 
sults of  a  soldiery  whom  the  princes 
of  the  Synagogue,  despite  their 
hatred  of  them,  had  stooped  to 
bribe,  in  order  to  secure  their  co- 
operation in  the  execution  of  their 
revengeful    projects,  f      They    well 

arms,"  adds  Josephus,  with  compassionate  sym- 
pathy for  the  Jewish  riot,  "  were  therefore  in- 
humanly treated  ;  some  were  killed,  others 
wounded,  and  thus  the  tumult  was  quelled." 
(Joseph.  Anl.  Jud.,  1.  xviii.,  ch.  4.) 

*  Tiberius,  acting  on  the  report  sent  by 
Pilate,  proposed  to  the  senate  to  deify  Jesus. 
Tertullian  mentions  this  as  a  notorious  fact  in 
his  Apology,  which  he  presented  to  the  senate 
in  the  name  of  the  Church,  and  he  would  not 
have  weakened  so  good  a  cause  by  making  any 
statement  that  could  not  be  verified.  (Tert., 
Apol.  5.) 

f  Salvador  would  fain  exculpate  his  co-reli- 
gionists by  casting  on  the  Roman  soldiers  the 
odium  of  the  treatment  inflicted  on  Jesus  in  the 
pretorium ;  but  it  is  clear  that  the  Romans  only 
acted  as  they  did  on  the  instigation  of  the  ene- 
mies of  Christ.     The  following  is  the  opinion  of 


f  knew  how  to  hate — those  zealots 
of  the  law  of  Moses,  who  would 
kill  and  mock  the  Christ, /or  God's 
sake  ! 

When  Jesus  had  reached  the 
court  of  the  pretorium,  they  seated 
him  on  a  fallen  pillar,  J  and  the 
entire  cohort  amused  themselves  by 
offering  him  every  imaginable  spe- 
cies of  insult.  It  was  the  season 
when  the  dangerous  rhamnus§  was 
ill  full  bloom — that  bush  in  whose 
green  thorny  mass  the  symbolical 
ram  of  Abraham's  sacrifice  ||  was, 
of  old,  entangled ;  one  of  the  sol- 
diers ran  out  and  gathered  a  branch 
to  form  a  derisive  crown  for  Christ ; 
the  fresh  green  blossoms  were  soon 

St.  John  Chrysostom  on  this  subject :  "  It  was, 
in  reality,  the  Jews  themselves  who  condemned 
Jesus  to  death,  although  they  attribute  the  act 
to  Pilate.  They  would  that  his  blood  should 
fall  on  themselves  and  their  children.  It  was 
they  alone  who  offered  him  all  the  insults  that 
he  received,  who  tied  him,  led  him  to  Pilate, 
and  had  him  so  cruelly  treated  by  the  soldiers. 
Pilate  had  ordered  nothing  of  all  this."  (Ser- 
mon 77,  in  Matth. ) 

I  This  pillar,  of  gray  marble,  and  not  more 
than  two  feet  high,  is  in  Rome,  in  the  Church 
of  St.  Praxeda. 

§  The  detached  thorns  of  this  crown,  which 
are  still  preserved,  are  now  recognized  for  the 
rhamnus  spina  Chnsli  of  Linnaeus. 

II  St.  Jerome  [in  Philem.)  says  that  the  ram 
which  Abraham  saw  entangled  in  the  bush  was 

-i    the  fiq-ure  of  Jesus  crowned  with  thorns. 


Xj) 


LIFE   OF   THE  BLESSED   VIRGIN  MARY. 


233 


stained  with  his  sacred  blood,  every 
thorn  making  a  deep  and  insup- 
portable wound.  Having  stripped 
him  perfectly  naked,  they  threw 
over  his  shoulders  a  purple  rag, 
placed  a  reed  in  his  hand  by  way 
of  sceptre,  and,  with  irony  and 
mocking  genuflexions,  they  saluted 
him  as  king.  His  whole  body  was 
but  one  gajDing  wound,  for  the 
sharp,  pointed  lashes  mangled  the 
flesh,  and  sent  it  flying  in  pieces 
through  the  hall ;  his  sacred  face 
was  covered  with  spittle,  and  the 
blood  which  flowed  from  his  divine 
brow,  which  his  chained  hands  could 
not  wipe  away !  .  .  .  .  The  princes 
of  the  priests,  the  Pharisees,  and  the 
doctors  of  the  law,  regarded  this 
scene  with  secret  satisfaction ;  com- 
passion was  a  degrading  weakness* 
in  the  eyes  of  those  honorable  men  ! 

When  the  Pharisees  thought  that 
the  idolatrous  soldiers  had  suffi- 
ciently degraded  Jesus  before  the 
people  to  destroy  the   idea  of  his 

*  Basnage,  1.  vi.,  ch.  17. — The  punishment  of 
scoui'ging  was  very  ancient  amongst  the  Jews, 
and  was  not  considered  infamous.  According 
to  the  Talmud,  kings  themselves  were  punished 
in  this  way  on  certain  occasions.  "  Tradition 
teaches,"  says  Maimouides,  "  that  the  king  must 
not  have  more  than  eighteen  wives  ;  if  he  mar- 


^  divinity,  the  approach  of  the  Sab- 
bath rendering  expedition  neces- 
sary, they  took  their  Victim,  whom 
the  Roman  procurator  reluctantly 
gave  up,  and,  after  placing  the 
enormous  Cross  on  his  bleeding 
and  mangled  shoulders,  they  spurr- 
ed him  on  with  the  shafts  of  their 
lances  in  his  slow  and  painful  jour- 
ney to  Calvary,  where  they  were  to 
crucify  him. 

The  streets  were  thickly  lined 
with  the  multitude  of  spectators ; 
some  displayed  a  ferocious  joy,  and 
loudly  anathematized  the  son  of 
David ;  others  deplored  the  hard 
fate  of  that  young  prophet  who  had 
done  nought  but  good  to  men,  by 
whom  he  was  now  abandoned  and 
betrayed.  But  these  barren  proofs 
of  sympathy  were  scarcely  percep- 
tible ;  the  good  wept  in  silence ; 
those  whom  he  had  fed  with  five 
loaves  in  the  desert,  those  whom 
he  had  cured,  those  whom  he  had 
loved,  were  there,  lost  in  the  crowd, 

ries  one  above  that  number,  he  is  to  be  scourged. 
If  he  have  more  horses  than  his  chariot  re- 
quires, let  him  be  scourged.  If  he  amass  more 
gold  or  silver  than  is  required  to  pay  his  minis- 
ters, let  him  be  scourged."  (Maimon.,  Hdach., 
Malach.,  ch.  3.) 


234 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRQIN  MART. 


and  no  voice  was  raised  to  protest 
against  his  execution;*  the  Apos- 
tles whom  he  most  loved  had  dis- 
owned him !  the  others  had  f1od, 
with  one  single  exception ! 

As  he  painfully  toiled  down  the 
long  street  which  leads  to  the  Gate 
of  Judgment,  a  woman  made  her 
way  through  the  crowd;  she  was 
very  fair,  and  her  mild,  sweet  face 
wore  the  stamp  of  purity,  but  it 
was  full  of  unutterable  sorrow ;  she 
was  pale  as  death,  and  trembled  in 
every  limb  ;  her  eyes,  which  could 
now  weep  no  more,  fell  with  a 
glance  of  such  mortal  anguish  on 
the  gaping  wounds  of  the  Saviour,. 
that  the  daughters  of  Jerusalem 
wept  as  they  saw  her,  murmuring, 
"  Poor,  poor  mother  ! "  She  silently 
glided  through  the  people,  who 
made  way  for  her  through  an  in- 
stinct of  sympathy  and  compassion. 
Some  hardened  Pharisees  were  load- 
ing  Jesus   with  bitter   taunts  and 


f  reproaches — he  who  was  bathed  in 
sweat,  and  almost  expiring  under 
the  weight  of  the  Cross ;  but  his 
mother  heard  them  not :  the  foreign 
soldiers  who  surrounded  her  Son 
made  threatening  gestures  at  her; 
she  saw  them  not.  But  when  a 
number  of  spears,  pointed  against 
her  bosom,  arose  between  her  and 
Jesus,  all  the  fire  of  the  blood  of 
David  sparkled  in  her  eyes,  and  she 
raised  her  beauteous  head  with  an 
air  of  such  ma;jestic  sorrow,  such 
utter  contempt  of  death,  that  the 
astonished  soldiers  slowly  lowered 
their  arms  before  that  holy  and 
heroic  woman.  Fierce  as  their 
martial  life  had  made  them,  they 
still  remembered  their  mothers. 

Mary  turned  her  trembling  steps 
towards  the  Saviour;  she  fixed  her 
sorrowful  eyes  on  that  humbled 
form  moving  slowly  along,  bleeding 
and  half  naked,  under  a  heavy  load ; 
on  that   imposing    countenance,  so 


*  We  read  in  the  Misnah  that,  in  the  days 
when  the  Jews  were  governed  by  their  own 
laws,  when  a  criminal  was  led  to  the  place  of 
execution,  a  herald  went  before  him  on  horse- 
back, crying,  "  Such  a  one  is  condemned  for 
such  a  crime  ;  if  any  one  has  anything  to  say  in 
his  defence,  let  him  speak."  If  any  one  came 
forward,  the   criminal  was  brought  back,  and    ^ 


the  reasons  advanced  in  his  favor  were  exam- 
ined by  two  judges  who  walked  beside  him  ;  the 
prisoner  might  be  thus  brought  back  as  often 
as  five  times.  {Misnah,  Tract,  de  Syned.,  ch.  vi., 
p.  233.)  Jesus  Christ  being  condemned  by  the 
Roman  laws,  could  not  profit  by  this  national 
custom. 


ST  MARY  MAGDALEN. 


;hK:D,&  j  sadlier  xc" 


236 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


efforts  were  vain,  for,  raising  herself  * 
with  difficulty,  Mary  began  to  climb, 
under  a  burning  sun,  the  steepest 
side  of  Calvary,  which,  being  the 
shortest  way,  was  that  which  they 
had  made  Jesus  take.* 

They  had  reached  the  fatal  and 
sacred  place  where  the  Lamb  of 
God  was  to  satisfy  the  justice  of 
ofiended  Heaven,  substituting  Him- 
self for  all  victims,  and  taking  upon 
him  all  our  miseries.  It  was  there 
that  he  was  to  offer  up  that  great 
sacrifice,  the  efficacy  of  which  goes 
back,  on  the  one  side,  to  the  orig- 
inal transgression,  and  extends,  on 
the  other,  through  the  night  of  futu- 
rity, even  to  the  consummation  of 
the  world.  That  little  rocky  plat- 
form was  the  altar  whereon  the 
blood  of  Christ  was  to  flow  in  waves 
to  wash  a^ay  the  sins  of  the  world, 
and  annihilate  for  ever  the  compact 
of  perdition  which  made  us  over  at 
our  birth  to  the  Enemy  of  Souls. 
But  what  had  become  of  the  sacred 


*  This  road,  which  formerly  led  to  Calvary, 
and  by  which  the  Saviour  passed,  now  exists  no 
longer ;  it  is  covered  with  houses,  in  the  midst 
of  which  is  seen  a  large  pillar,  pointing  out  the 
ninth  station  ;  Turkish  fanaticism  has  done  all 
it  could  to  make  the  place  disagreeable,  by 
heaping  dung  around  it  so  as  to  shock  the  sen- 


Victim  ?  Where  had  his  execution- 
ers hid  him  from  the  desolate  eyes 
of  his  mother  ?  Mary  cast  an  anx- 
ious glance  over  the  dreary  moun- 
tain ;  she  saw  the  expecting  multi- 
tude, the  crosses  laid  on  the  ground, 
laborers  carelessly  digging  out  the 
deep  holes  that  were  to  receive  the 

three  instruments  of  torture 

But  where  was  Jesus  ? 

He  appeared,  but  in  what  a  con- 
dition !  stripped  of  his  garments, 
without  a  rag  to  cover  his  lacerated 
flesh  and  his  bleeding  wounds — ^lie, 
so  chaste  and  so  pure !  His  execu- 
tioners, ignominiously  dragging  him 
along,  exposed  him  thus  for  some 
time  to  the  ridicule  of  the  people ; 
then,  the  Just  One  stretched  him- 
self on  the  Cross,  that  bed  of  honor 
prepared  for  him  by  the  gratitude 
of  men  in  return  for  his  immense 
love !  It  was  a  sight  too  horrible 
for  those  who  loved  him ;  Mary 
was  taken  some  paces  thence,  to  a 
species  of  natural  grotto,f  where  she 


sibilities  of  the  Christians.     (De  Geramb,  t.  ler, 
p.  363.) 

f  Near  the  spot  where  Our  Saviour  was  nailed 
to  the  Cross  there  is  a  chapel  dedicated  to  Our 
Lady  of  Sorrows.     It  was  to  this  jjlace  that  the 
Virgin  retired  during  the  doleful  preparations 
^    for  her  Son's  execution.     (Id.  ib.,  p.  151.) 


remained  standing,  white  and  cold 
as  marble.  There  was  heard  with- 
out a  humming  noise  like  that  made 
by  the  bees  of  Engaddi  when  the 
Hebrew  shepherd  drives  them  from 
the  hollow  oak.  At  times  there 
suddenly  arose,  amid  that  dull  mur- 
mur, a  storm  of  shouts,  mocking 
cries,  and  hoarse  bursts  of  laughter: 
the  populace  of  all  nations  has  ever 
had  ferocious  instincts,  but  that  of 
the  Hebrews  surpassed  itself  on 
this  occasion. 

During  an  interval  of  profound 
silence,  accorded  perhaps  to  some 
new  act  of  barbarity  which  capti- 
vated the  attention  of  the  multitude, 
there  was  heard  the  stroke  of  a 
hammer,  a  heavy  stroke  falling  on 
wood  and  crushed  flesh.  Magdalen, 
with  a  shudder,  pressed  close  to 
Mary,  and  the  beloved  disciple 
leaned  for  support  against  the  side 
of  the  grotto.  Then  came  a  second 
stroke,  heavier,  duller,  more  sinister 
still;  it  was  followed  by  two  or 
three  others,  falling  at  equal  inter- 
vals, and  all  was  done  I  "  They  are 
nailing  him  to  the  Cross,"  coolly 
observed  a  Koman  soldier.  John 
and  Magdalen  exchanged  a  mourn- 
ful  glance;    they   felt   a   sensation 


something  like  that  which  rends 
the  heart  during  a  nocturnal  storm, 
when  the  waves  bring  to  the  shore 
the  drowning  mariner's  piteous 
cries,  without  any  possibility  of  our 
assisting  him.  But  Mary !  ....  a 
cold  sweat  bedewed  her  body,  a  con- 
vulsive trembling  shook  her  limbs ; 
she,  too,  was  crucified — poor,  feeble 
woman !  for  never  did  confessor  on 
the  rack,  or  martyr  amid  the  flames, 
undergo  such  tortures  both  in  soul 
and  body. 

Soon  was  heard  the  sharp  rub- 
bing of  the  cords  on  the  pulleys; 
the  Cross  arose  slowly  in  the  air, 
and  the  Son  of  Man  —  his  face 
turned  towards  those  western  re- 
gions where  the  light  was  so  long 
expected — was  hoisted  like  a  stand- 
ard before  the  heathen  nations : 
even  so  was  it  written.  Thereupon, 
the  reprobate  people  raised  a  long, 
hoarse  shout  of  joy.  "Hail,  King 
of  the  Jews!  If  God  loves  him, 
let  Him  now  deliver  him !  If  thou 
art  the  Son  of  God,  Nazarene,  come 
down  from  the  Cross!"  And  the 
robber  crucified  on  his  left  cursed 
him  in  the  intervals  of  his  agony; 
the  wretch  would  fain  be  a  Jew  to 
the  last.     Jesus,  maintaining  with 


238 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


calni  and  sublime  dignity  his  great 
character  of  prophet  and  Saviour- 
God,  silently  sealed  with  his  blood 
the  high  doctrines  of  the  new  law. 
No  complaint,  no  reproach  escaped 
him  amid  the  infamous  torture 
which  he  underwent,  in  presence 
of  a  w^hole  city.  He  looked  down 
on  that  misguided  people  with  pity 
and  forgiveness,  and,  seeking  to 
bend  the  divine  justice  in  favor  of 
those  who  crucified  him,  "Father," 
said  he,  with  his  dying  voice  — 
"Father,  forgive  them,  for  they 
know  not  what  they  do!" 

"And  yet  for  eighteen  centuries 
the  Father  has  not  forgiven  them, 
and  they  drag  their  punishment  all 
over  the  earth,  and  everywhere  the 
very  slave  has  to  humble  himself 
to  look  at  them."* 

The  Virgin  left  the  temporary 
asylum  where  she  had  taken  shel- 
ter, and  walked,  with  her  head 
bowed  down,  towards  the  place  of 
execution.  At  some  paces  from  the 
infamous   tree,   rude   soldiers   were 

*  M.  de  Lamennais. 

f  It  is  an  ancient  tradition  that  the  Virgin 
herself  wove  her  Son's  tunic. 

\  The  cathedral  of  Treves  possesses  one  of 
these  sacred  garments,  and  at  one  of  its  recent 
annual  expositions,  the  police  reports  announced 


*  casting  lots  for  the  seamless  robe 
which  her  own  hands  had  spun,f 
and  clamorously  contending  for  the 
sacred  garments  which  had  wrought 
so  many  miracles. J  A  slight  con- 
vulsion passed  over  Mary's  features; 
she  thought  of  the  time  when,  rich 
only  in  the  love  of  Jesus,  but  free 
from  immediate  anxiety,  she  worked, 
in  the  evenings,  by  his  side,  fabri- 
cating that  festal  robe;  now,  the 
remembrance  was  torture  to  her 
heart,  for  the  light  which  gilded 
her  past  days  of  happiness  did  but 
darken  the  gloom  of  her  present 
sorrow.  She  raised  her  eyes  to 
heaven,  seeking  there,  as  usual,  the 
strength  to  endure,  and  her  eye  met 
that  of  the  crucified  God.  At  that 
fearful  sight,  hei'  feet  were  rooted 
to  the  earth,  and  she  stood  so  petri- 
fied with  horror  that  all  she  had 
hitherto  suff'ered  seemed  no  more 
than  a  dream,  a  half-efi'aced  vision : 
all  was  absorbed  in  the  Cross. § 

Jesus,  casting  on   the   Virgin   a 
sweet  and  mysterious  look,  seemed 

the  presence  of  twenty-five  thousand  pilgrims 
in  that  cit}\ 

§  The  Fathers  and  the  gre.at  doctors  of  the 
Church  place  the  sufferings  of  the  Virgin  on 
Calvary  above  those  of  all  the  martyrs.  "Virgo 
universos  martyres  tantum  excedit  quantum  sol 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


239 


to   say   to   her,  as   he   did   on  the  * 
preceding  evening  to  his  Apostles, 
"Mother,  the  hour  is  come!" 

And  what  hour  was  that? 

It  was  the   most  memorable  and 
eventful  hour  ever  marked  by  the 
shadow  of  the  sun  since  time  began 
its  course ;    the  hour  when  the  Son 
of  God  was   to   triumph   over   the 
world,   death,    and   hell,    and   even 
over  divine  justice  itself;   the  hour 
of  the  fulfillment  of  prophecies,  of 
the   abolition   of   sacrifices,   of  the 
restoration  of  woman  to  her  prime- 
val dignity,  of  the  slave's  emanci- 
pation, and  of  our  eternal  redemp- 
tion.    And  the  Virgin  fancied  she 
could   see   the   patriarchs,  the  just 
kings,    the    prophets    inspired    by 
God,  bowing   down   before   Christ, 
like  the  sheafs  of  the  sons  of  Jacob 
before  the  mystical  sheaf  of  Joseph. 
She  thought   she   could   see   Moses 
and  Aaron  laying  before  the   new 
tree  of  life  the  ark  of  the  covenant, 
the  ephod,  the  rational,  the  golden 
plate  and  the  almond-tree   branch 
— symbols   of  the   Hebrew   priest- 
ad  reliqua  astra,"  says  St.  Basil;  and  St.  Aiisehn 
adds,  "  Quidquid  crudelitatis  inflictum  est  cor- 
poribus   martyrum   leve   fuit   aut   potius   nihil 
comparatione  tuse  passionis."      {De  Ex.   Virg., 
cap.  5.)  . 


hood  whose  mission  was  about  to 
end ;   then,  David  placing  his  pro- 
phetic harp   beside   the    sword   of 
Phineas,  the  sacred  knife  of  Abra- 
ham,    and     the     brazen     serpent. 
Priests  and  victims,  rites  and  ordi- 
nances, types  and  symbols,  grouped 
around  the  Cross,  awaited  their  con- 
summation ;   and  the  book  with  the 
seven  brazen  seals  was  opened  at 
the  foot  of  the  High-Priest  accord- 
ing  to   the   order  of  Melchisedech, 
which  replaced  that  of  Aaron.     The 
ancient    world,   receding    like    the 
waves,  gave  place  to  other  images, 
and  Mary  seemed  at.  that  moment 
to   behold   all   the   nations   of    the 
earth  waiting   at  the  foot   of    the 
Cross  to  receive  tlie  Gospel.     Ethio- 
pia and  the  isles  sti-etched  out  their 
hands   towards    the    Messiah;    the 
desert,   beginning   to   rejoice,  blos- 
somed like  the  rose ;   the  knowledge 
of  God,  filled  the  whole  earth  as  the 
great  waters  cover  the  sandy  bed  of 
the  ocean;   and  a  thousand  voices 
seemed    to   repeat    in   a   thousand 
barbarous     tongues,     "  Chiist    has 
conquered;   blessed  be  his  name!" 
The  noble  and  generous  heart  of 
Mary    forgot,  for  a  while,   its   own 
,  poignant   suiferings,  to  sympathize 


240 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


in  the  triumph  of  the  law  of  grace,  f 
and  in  the  world's  regeneration ; 
but  the  vision  of  glory  quickly 
vanished,  and  grief  returned  in  all 
its  force;  like  Rachel,  the  Virgin 
mourned  for  her  first-born,  and 
would  not  be  comforted. 

Meanwhile,  all  nature  seemed  to 
sympathize  in  the  sufferings  of  its 
God ;  the  sky  was  gradually  ob- 
scured, and  the  waning  light  gave 
a  mournful  coloring  to  that  grand 
and  sterile  landscape  so  well  suited 
to  the  crime  of  which  it  was  the 
theatre.  Every  moment  the  dark- 
ness increased ;  the  dew  fell,  from 
the  sudden  interruption  of  the  heat; 
the  eagles  screamed  as  they  sought 
their  nightly  shelter;  the  jackals 
howled  on  the  banks  of  the  Kedron, 
and  Calvary,  already  so  gloomy  in 
itself,  assumed  the  appearance  of  a 
great  mausoleum  of  black  marble. 
The  people,  strongly  impressed  by 
this  unusual  occurrence,  were  struck 


*  Phlegon  relates  that  in  the  two  hundred 
and  second  Olympiad,  corresponding  with  the 
33d  year  of  our  era,  there  was  the  greatest 
eclipse  of  the  sun  ever  seen,  and  that  the  stars 
appeared  at  noon-day;  but  astronomy  proving 
that  there  was  no  echpse  in  that  yeai',  compels 
OS  to  acknowledge  that  the  cause  of  this  un- 
heard-of darkness  was  altogether  supernaturaL 


silent  with  fear,  and  only  a  few 
voices — those  of  the  chief  priests 
and  Pharisees— continued  to  curse 
the  Christ. 

Soon,  through  the  gloomy  veil 
which  shrouded  the  face  of  the 
firmament,  the  stars  shone  out  like 
funeral  torches  burning  around  a 
coffin,  shedding  over  the  scene  of 
the  deicide  a  lurid,  greenish  light, 
which  gave  to  the  mass  of  specta- 
tors grouped  on  the  sides  of  the 
mountain  the  appearance  of  an 
assembly  of  demons  and  spectres. 
They  looked  at  each  other  and  grew 
pale.  Yainly  did  the  scribes  and 
Pharisees — too  far  advanced  in 
crime  to  attempt  to  recede— en- 
deavor to  account  for  this  prodigy 
by  natural  means ;  the  longer  the 
darkness  continued,  the  less  conclu- 
sive did  their  reasons  appear.  Old 
men,  shaking  their  hoary  heads, 
declared  they  had  never  beheld 
such  an  eclipse;*  and  the  learned. 


"  We  observed,"  says  St.  Deuis,  the  Areopagite, 
who  was  then  at  Heliopolis,  "  that  the  moon  sud- 
denly interposed  between  the  sun  and  the  earth, 
although  the  time  of  that  conjunction  was  not 
in  accordance  with  the  natural  order  of  the  laws 
to  which  the  stars  are  subject,"  etc.  (Seventh 
Epistle  to  Polycarpe). 


LIFE   OF   THE  BLESSED   VIRGIN  MARY. 


241 


who  were  versed  in  the  science  of 
the  Chaldeans,  maintained,  on  the 
other  hand,  that  no  eclipse  was 
either  foreseen  or  possible  in  the 
then  position  of  the  moon. 

This  eclipse,  of  three  hours,  was 
one  of  the  Messianic  prodigies 
which  were  to  signalize  the  wrath 
of  heaven  when  Christ  was  put  to 
death.  "It  shall  come  to  pass  in 
that  day,  "  said  the  prophet  Amos, 
"that  the  sun  shall  go  down  at 
mid-day  ;  and  I  will  make  the  earth 
dark  in  the  day  of  light."  This 
darkness  extended  even  to  Egypt, 
where  St.  Denis,  the  Areopagite, 
was  studying  philosophy  at  Heli- 
opolis.  Struck  with  terror,  the 
young  Greek  cried  out,  address- 
ing his  preceptor,  Apollophanes, 
"Either  the  world  is  about  to  be 
destroyed,  or  the  God  of  nature 
suffers ! "  * 

In  the  midst  of  the  general  con- 
sternation, Jesus  occupied  himself 
with  the  faithful  souls  who  gathered 
around  his  Cross  in  that  hour  of 
ignominy.  Touched  by  the  courage 
of  John,  and  the  profound  affliction 
which  that  young  and  ardent  dis- 
ciple   sought    not    to    conceal,   he 

*  Seventh  Epidle  to  Polycarpe. 


*  would  leave  him  a  pledge  of  his 
divine  affection.  He  could  leave 
him  no  worldly  wealth — he,  who  had 
not  had  a  stone  whereon  to  lay  his 
head,  and  who  was  even  about  to 
receive  interment  from  the  charity 
of  a  disciple — he  had  nothing  in 
the  world  to  leave  but  his  mother ! 
that  mother  who  had  clung  to  him 
through  every  trial,  and  who  was 
now  dying,  as  it  were,  with  him. 
Her  he  solemnly  bequeathed  to  his 
favorite  disciple  as  an  earnest  of 
the  celestial  treasures  which  he 
reserved  for  him  in  the  kingdom  of 
his  Father.  Knowing  how  well  he 
was  loved  by  those  two  holy  souls, 
he  foresaw,  in  his  adorable  good- 
ness, the  fearful  vacuum  which  his 
death  would  make  in  their  hearts, 
and  he  would  strengthen  these  two 
helpless  shrubs  by  intertwining 
their  detached   branches. 

By  this  arrangement,  which  gave 
her  a  new  and  dear  interest  in  life, 
the  Virgin  was  to  understand  that 
she  was  not  permitted  to  follow  her 
Son  to  the  grave,  and  that  the  term 
of  her  earthly  pilgrimage  was  not 
yet  arrived.  She  submitted  to  the 
divine  will  through  love  for  us, 
whom  she  adopted  in  the  person  of 


242 


LIFE  OF    THE   BLESSED   yiJiUJN  MARY. 


the  holy  Apostle.  Mary's  sacrifice, 
humanly  speaking,  almost  equalled 
that  of  Chiist.  He  willingly  con- 
sented to  die;  she  to  live!  .... 
Both  those  noble  hearts  were  con- 
simied  with  love  for  men,  and  were 
alone  able  to  understand  each  other; 
fbr  their  thoughts  were  not  as  our 
thoughts,  and  the  gold  of  their  vir- 
tues was  without  alloy. 

The  manner  in  which  Jesus  be- 
queathed Mary  to  the  yoimg  fisher- 
man of  Bethsaida  was  dignified  and 
simple,  like  all  the  acts  of  his  mor- 
tal life.  "Woman,  behold  thy  son;" 
and  to  the  beloved  disciple,  "Behold 
thy  mother." 

K  he  used  not,  in  speaking  to 
Mary,  a  more  endearing  appellation, 
it  was  because  he  knew  the  power 
of  the  name  which  he  thought 
proper  to  omit,  and  would  not  re- 
open wounds  already  so  deep  and 
so  painful. 

Then  Jesus,  knowing  that  all 
things  were  now  accomplished,  that 
the  Scripture  might  be  fulfilled,  said, 
"  I  thu-st." 

"Now  there  was  a  vessel  set 
there  full  of  vinegar.  And  they,  put- 
ting a  &ponge  full  of  vinegar  about 
hyssop,  offered  it  to  his  mouth." 


Infamous  to  the  last! 

Jesus  having  taken  the  vinegar, 
said,  "It  is  consummated."  Then, 
in  order  to  prove  to  the  world  that 
he  died,  not  by  the  power  of  death, 
but  by  a  formal  act  of  his  own  will, 
he  gave  a  loud  cry,  bowed  down  his 
head  and  expired !  .  .  .  . 

At  that  moment  the  pagan  idols 
tottered  on  their  pedestals ;  the  star 
of  Moses,  which  had  shone,  but  for 
one  single  point  of  the  globe,  and 
that  but  for  a  season,  sank  then, 
below  the  horizon,  and  the  sim  of 
the  Gospel,  destined  to  light  the 
world  from  pole  to  pole,  and  to  last 
through  all  time,  arose  radiant  from 
the  east. 

But  God  owed  prodigies  to  the 
despised  dignity  of  his  Son,  and 
they  were  not  slow  in  coming. 
The  supernatural  darkness,  as  it 
began  to  disappear,  was  succeeded 
by  the  violent  shocks  of  an  earth- 
quake, which  destroyed  twenty 
cities  in  Asia.*  At  the  same  in- 
stant the  veil  of  the  Temple  was 
rent  asunder,  rocks  split,  and  sev- 
eral bodies  of  the  saints  who  had 

*  Pliny  and  Strabo  speak  of  this  earthquake. 
"It  was  so  violent,"  say  both  these  authors, 
"  that  it  was  felt  even  in  Italy." 


THE     CRUCIFIXION. 


1 1'Jl 


243 

lature. 
i  gen- 
joined 
le  wae 
iTowful 
d  pro- 

usalem 
•ompas- 

larisees, 
of  the 
it  night- 
V  allow- 
on   the 
peruiis- 
m1.     The 
placed 
\N  hereon 
I  in  their 
torn  their 
^ross,  dis- 
iug    their 
MHg  quite 
(1  himself 

"judpnent ;  he 
ide  Mahomet ; 
graves,  lx)th 
nd  to  heaven. 
;it   mosque   in 
tombs  of  Ma- 
three  of  black 
uffs,  and  sar- 
■nio,   says  that 


^Vi)t  '\}thfM''hnm^'^]pi^nll 


t  J-.Sadlf!r  *  C'New'V    - 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


24t 


woimded  dove.  Behind  them  stood 
the  weeping  women  of  Galilee.* 
Meanwhile,  some  of  Joseph's  ser- 
vants prepared  the  perfumes  on  the 

*  Some  authors  hold  that  these  holy  women 
picked  up  earth  soaked  with  the  precious  blood 
of  Jesus,  aud  that  this  is  how  it  came  to  be  in 
some  French  churches,  such  as  St.  Denis  and 
the  Holy  Chapel,  in  Paris. 


stone  of  unctwn,f  and  others  opened 
the  sepulchre,  hewn  in  the  rock, 
which  was  to  receive  the  mortal 
remains  of  the  Son  of  God. 

f  The  "stone  of  unction"  is  now  in  the 
chapel  of  Calvary.  Those  in  whose  keeping  it 
is  have  been  obliged,  in  order  to  preserve  it, 
to  cover  it  with  white  marble,  and  surround  it 
with  an  iron  balustrade. 


CHAPTER   XYIII. 


DEATH     OF     MARY. 


ALM  was  begin- 
ning to  reappear, 
and  the  signs  of 
divine  wrath  no 
longer  terrified 
the  Jews  who 
had  just  shed  the  Saviour's  blood. 
Like  all  other  ferocious  animals, 
the  executioners  of  Christ  had  laid 
aside  their  savage  instinct  during 
the  hour  of  peril.  Frightened,  at 
frst,  on  account  of  what  they  had 
(^one,  they  feared  that  the  riven 
locks  of  Calvary  might  crush  them 
in  their  fall,  and  that  the  rending 
earth  might  swallow  them  alive  into  ^ 


the  gloomy  depths  of  the  scJieol ; 
but  their  remorse  vanished  with 
their  fears,  and  according  as  the 
sky  resumed  its  wonted  serenity, 
so  did  their  evil  nature  resume  its 
sway. 

Unable  to  deny  the  prodigies 
which  a  whole  people  had  seen 
with  their  eyes,  and  which  was  still 
verified  by  the  yawning  rocks,  the 
tombs  scarcely  closed,  and  the  riven 
veil  of  the  Temple,  they  ascribed 
them  to  magic,  and  maintained  that 
this  Jesus,  so  mighty  in  word  aud 
work,  was  but  a  son  of  Belial,  who 
had  infatuated  the  people  and  com- 


246 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


iiiaiuled  the  elements  by  the  ineifa- 
ble  name  of  the  God  of  Israel,  which 
he  had  taken  by  surprise  from  the 
Holy  of  Holies.*  And  the  people 
allowed  themselves  to  be  caught  by 
this  bait  thrown  out  by  their  chiefs ; 
for  there  is  no  slanderous  absurdity 
which  finds  not  credulous  ears  to 
receive,  and  nimble  tongues  to 
spread  it.  Meanwhile,  a  vigilant 
guard,  chosen  from  amongst  the  sat- 
ellites of  the  high-priest,  watched 
by  turns  around  the  sepulchre ;  for 
Jesus  had  announced  that  he  would 
rise  on  the  third  day,  and  the 
princes  of  the  synagogue  pretend- 
ed to  fear  that  his  disciples  might 
carry  him  off  during  the  night. 

The  third  day  was  beginning  to 
dawn,  but  the  east  was,  as  yet, 
scarcely  tinted  with  its  roseate 
flush,  when  several  women  of  Gali- 
lee, bearing  perfumes  and  aromatic 
plants  to  embalm  Jesus,  after  the 
manner  of  the  kings  of  Juda,f  ap- 
peared on  the  fatal  mountain,  mov- 
ing pensively  towards  the  garden 
wherein   was-  the   tomb   of  Christ. 

*  See  Basnage,  1.  vi.,  cb.  27  and  28. 

f  It  is  clear  that  they  intended  a  peculiar  sort 
of  embalming  for  Jesus,  since  Nicodemus  had 
already  wrapped  him  up  in  cloths  perfumed 
with  mvrrh. 


f  Tradition  has  it  that  Mary  wjis 
amongst  these  holy  women.  Iler 
dejected  countenance  resembled 
some  beautiful  ruin  prostrated  by 
the  fierce  wind  of  adversity;  but 
her  look  was  expressive  not  only 
of  grief,  but  of  expectation.  The 
deicide  city  still  slept  in  the  balmy 
breeze  of  the  morning ;  the  flowers 
w^ere  opening  their  cups  heavy  with 
dew,  the  birds  were  singing  in  the 
damp  branches  of  the  wild  fig-trees, 
and  the  air  was  gradually  assuming 
the  warm  coloring  of  the  daw^n ; 
nature  seemed  to  assume  her  robe 
of  light  with  unwonted  joy,  and  that 
grand,  though  gloomy,  landscape 
w^liich  surrounds  Jerusalem,  began 
to  wear  a  softer  and  gayer  aspect, 
till  then  unknown,  as  though  con- 
scious of  some  glorious  mystery 
passing  near. 

Suddenly,  in  the  midst  of  that 
smiling  scene,  a  shock  is  felt;  the 
stone  that  closes  the  mouth  of  the 
sepulchre  rolls  back  as  if  pushed 
by  some  mighty  arm ;  the  guards 
fall  stupefied  to  the  ground,  and  the 
w^omen,  who  stood  by  Jesus  during 
his  long  agony  on  the  Cross,  now 
shudder  and  grow  pale,  fearing  that 
the  terrible  prodigies  w^hich  accom- 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIROIN  MART. 


247 


panied  the  death  of  the  Son  of  Man  * 
are  about  to  be  renewed. 

But  an  angel  in  snow-white  gar- 
ments, with  a  face  radiant  as  the 
lightning,  appears  sitting  on  the 
stone,  and  reassures  the  servants  of 
Christ.  "Fear  not,"  said  he,  mild- 
ly, "  I  know  that  you  seek  Jesus  of 
Nazareth,  who  was  crucified ;  he  is 
not  here ;  he  is  risen,  as  he  told 
you.  Come  and  see  the  place 
Tvhere  the  Lord  was  laid."  Whilst 
the  pious  Galileans  looked  timidly 
into  the  sepulchre,  wondering  at 
sight  of  the  shroud  and  the  per- 
fumed cloths  wdiich  remained  there, 
the  Virgin,  her  face  radiant  with  a 
holy  joy,  stood  leaning  against  an 
olive-tree  at  some  distance.  A 
young  man,  in  the  homely  garb  of 
the  people,  stood  conversing  w^th 
her  in  a  low  voice.  That  young 
man  was  the  first-born  amongst  the 
dead,  the  glorious  conqueror  of  hell, 
Jesus  Christ*  No  one  knew^  what 
passed  during  that  solemn  inter- 
view",    but    w^e    may    believe    that 


*  St.  Ambrose,  who  lived  in  the  4th  century, 
says  that  the  Virgin  was  the  first  who  had  the 
happiness  of  seeing  Jesus  after  his  resurrec- 
tion ;  and  the  poet  Sedulius,  who  flourished 
shortly  after  St.  Ambrose,  likewise  introduces 
that  tradition  into  his  poems.     They  both  speak    ^ 


Mary,  whose  strong  mind  had  been 
so  severely  tried  by  affliction,  felt 
then  a  degree  of  bliss  which  we 
cannot  know  without  dying. 

Our  Lord,  during  the  forty  days 
following  his  resmiection,  frequent- 
ly manifested  himself  to  the  Apos- 
tles, and  talked  with  them  on  mat- 
ters appertaining  to  the  kingdom 
of  God  and  the  regeneration  to  be 
wrought  amongst  men  by  baptism. 
Pious  authors  have  supposed  that 
the  Virgin  was  the  most  favored 
in  these  consoling  apparitions,  and 
that  she  found  in  them  a  foretaste 
of  the  joys  of  heaven.  The  bitter 
waters  of  her  affliction  were  changed 
into  sources  of  grace,  and  the  Sav- 
iour "  nourished  her  with  the  hiddea 
manna  which  he  reserves  for  those 
who  practise  the  patience  enjoined 
by  his  law." 

At  length,  the  hour  came  when, 
by  the  divine  behest,  the  Son  of 
God  was  to  be  recalled  to  heaven ; 
his  redeeming  mission  was  accom- 
plished, and  the  Apostles,  fully  con- 

of  it  as  a  belief  general  amongst  Christians. 
The  Arab  historians  have  preserved  this  tradi- 
tion :  iemael,  son  of  AH  relates  that  Jesus  came 
down  from  heaven  to  console  Mary,  his  weeping 
mother.  An  altar  has  been  erected  on  the  site 
of  this  touching  interview. 


vinced  of  his  divinity  by  his  resur- 
rection, had  received  from  him  the 
necessary  instructions  for  convert- 
ing  the  nations  to  his  admirable 
Gospel. 

At  noon,  on  the  fortieth  day,  he 
went  out  with  them  from  Jerusalem 
towards  the  heights  of  Bethany. 
This  dh-ection  was  not  taken  by 
chance  ;  there  was  that  olive-crown- 
ed mountain  whereon  the  Saviour, 
detaching  himself  from  the  crowd, 
had  often  prayed  to  his  Father, 
while  the  silent  moon  shone  bright- 
ly over  the  still  waters  of  the  Dead 
Sea,  the  green  valley  of  the  Jordan, 
and  the  gigantic  palms  of  the  plain 
of  Jericho,  for  in  that  elevated  posi- 
tion "all  far  things  seemed  near." 
There  was,  also,  that  famous  garden 
where  Christ  had  undergone  the 
first  of  his  agony.  It  was  just  that 
his  glory  should  commence  in  the 
same  places  that  had  witnessed  his 
generous  sufferings,  and  that  those 
fields,  those  woods,  those  shady 
wilds,  where  he  had  so  often  prayed 
and  meditated,  should  receive  the 
impression  of  his  last  footsteps  be- 
fore he  again  ascended  to  heaw3n. 

Arrived  on  the  summit  of  that 
lofty  mountaiif,  whence  he  could  be- 


f  hold  a  great  part  of  Judea,  and 
make  a  farewell  sign  to  those  scenes 
which  he  had  rendered  famous  by 
his  miracles  and  his  death,  the 
Saviour  stopped  on  an  open  place, 
near  a  grove  of  olives,  whose  pale 
foliage  w^as  parched  and  shrivelled 
by  the  scorching  noonday  sun. 
There,  after  raising  his  pierced 
hands  towards  his  heavenly  Father, 
as  though  recommending  to  Him 
his  infant  Church,  he  extended 
them  over  his  mother  and  his  dis- 
ciples, as  Jacob  did  over  the  sons 
of  Joseph;  then  lifted  himself  up 
by  his  own  power  and  slowly  as- 
cended into  heaven.  This  last  act 
of  the  Saviour  w^orthily  sealed  his 
divine  mission.  During  his  life,  he 
went  about  doing  good ;  on  Cal- 
vary, he  prayed  for  his  execution- 
ers ;  and  he  ascended  to  heaven 
blessing  the  humble  friends  whom 
he  left  behind  him  on  the  earth. 
While  his  hands  were  still  raised 
over  his  prostrate  disciples,  they 
saw  him  enter  a  white  cloud,  which 
concealed  him  from  their  view. 

The  ascension  of  Our  Lord  had 
not  that  gloomy  and  awful  charac- 
ter which  terrified  the  people  in 
ancient  times.     The  law  of  Moses 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


249 


had  been  proclaimed  with  sound  of 
trumpet,  amid  the  thunder's  roar 
and  the  lightning's  flash ;  Elias  had 
been  taken  up  to  heaven  in  a  liery 
chariot;  but  the  world's  Redeemer 
was  gently  borne  on  a  fleecy  cloud, 
with  that  sort  of  calm  and  serene 
majesty  which  accorded  with  the 
genius  of  the  Gospel  and  the  touch- 
ing character  of  its  author. 

The  angels  —  those  beneficent 
spirits  who  rejoice  in  the  happi- 
ness of  men  —  were  also  seen  to 
figure  in  that  closing  scene  of  the 
great  drama  of  Redemption.  Their 
divine  songs  had  announced  to  the 
shepherds  the  birth  of  the  King- 
Messiah;  their  voice  had  proclaim- 
ed his  resurrection  from  the  dead; 
it  was  proper,  then,  that  their 
words  should  confirm  his  glorious 
ascension. 

Whilst  the  disciples  were  atten- 
tively watching  Jesus  as  he  ascend- 
ed into  heaven,  two  men  clothed  in 
white  stood  suddenly  before  them, 
and  said,  "Ye  men  of  Galilee,  why 
stand  ye  looking  up  to  heaven? 
This  Jesus,  who  is  taken  up  from 
you  to  heaven,  shall  so  come  as  you 
have  seen  him  going  into  heaven." 

*  Apoc,  ch.  xxi.,  V.  4. 


The  Apostles  and  disciples  cast 
down  their  eyes,  dazzled  by  the 
glorious  vision  ;  but  did  the  Virgin 
cast  down  hers  ?  Was  she  denied 
the  privilege  of  seeing  her  divine 
Son  take  his  place  in  majesty  at 
the  right  hand  of  Jehovah,  amid 
the  inaccessible  light  of  the  Saints  ? 
Was  she  really  less  favored  than 
St.  Stephen  and  the  beloved  dis- 
ciple? That  is  scarcely  possible. 
She  who  was  morally  crucified  with 
Jesus  on  Calvary  deserved  to  be 
glorified  with  him ;  it  was  her  right, 
and  she  had  dearly  purchased  it! 
Yes,  Mary  must  have  been  per- 
mitted to  catch  a  glimpse  of  that 
peaceful  and  happy  country  into 
which  Jesus  obtained  admission  for 
us  by  his  blood,  and  where  he  him- 
self wipes  away  the  tears  of  the 
just;*  then  the  pearl  gates  of  the 
heavenly  Jerusalem  f  slowly  closed 
on  the  conquering  God,  and  the 
Virgin,  separated  for  a  time  from 
him  she  loved,  remained  alone  on 
the  earth. 

Forty  days  after,  we  find  her  at 
prayer  in  the  "upper  chamber," 
where  she  received  the  Holy  Ghost 
with  the  Apostles. ^_^ 

t  Jbid.,  V.  21. 


'2:)0 


LIFE  OF  TEE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


Maiy  was  the  luminous  pillar  t 
that  guided  the  march  of  the  infant 
Church.  It  was  to  her  that  the 
Apostles  did  homage  for  the  numer- 
ous ears  which  they  gathered  from 
the  barren  field  of  the  synagogue 
into  the  granary  of  the  Lord.  She 
accepted  this  tribute  in  the  name 
of  her  divine  Son  with  graceful 
humility,  and  was  continually  seen 
surrounded  by  the  poor,  the  sinful, 
and  the  unhappy;  for  she  always 
loved  in  an  especial  manner  those 
to  whom  she  could  do  good.  The 
Evangelists  came  to  her  for  light ; 
the  Apostles,  for  unction,  courage, 
and  constancy ;  the  afflicted,  for 
spiritual  consolation, — and  all  went 
away  blessing  her.  The  Sun  of 
Justice  had  set  on  the  gloomy  hori- 
zon of  the  Golgotha;  but  the  Star 
of  the  Sea  still  reflected  his  softest- 
rays  over  the  renovated  world,  and 
shed  a  benignant  influence  on  the 
cradle  of  Christianity. 

The  Virgin  remained  in  Jerusalem 
till  the  terrible  persecution,  which 
broke  out  in  the  year  44  of  Our 
Lord,  forced  her  to  leave  it  with  the 
Apostles.  Her  adopted  son  took 
her  with  him  to  Ephesus,  whither 
she  was  followed  by  Magdalen. 


Nothing  is  now  known  of  Mary's 
sojourn  in  Ephesus ;  this  is  easily 
accounted  for  by  the  engrossing 
anxieties  of  the  time.  After  the 
resurrection  of  the  Saviour,  the 
Apostles,  solely  taken  up  with  the 
propagation  of  the  faith,  considered 
everything  as  of  minor  importance 
that  did  not  immediately  bear  "on 
that  all-absorbing  object.  Full  of 
their  lofty  mission,  entirely  devoted 
to  the  salvation  of  souls,  they  forgot 
themselves  so  completely,  that  they 
have  barely  left  us  a  few  unfinished 
records  of  the  evangelical  labors 
which  changed  the  face  of  the 
globe, — so  that  their  history  resem- 
bles a  sublime  but  almost  effaced 
epitaph,  having  neither  beginning 
nor  end.  That  the  mother  of  Jesus 
shared  the  fate  of  the  Apostles  may 
well  be  conceived;  the  last  years 
of  her  life  having  passed  away,  far 
from  Jerusalem,  in  a  strange  land, 
where  her  dwelling  was  signalized 
by  no  striking  incident,  have  left 
no  durable  impression  on  the  fleet- 
ing memory  of  man.  Neverthe- 
less, the  flourishing  condition  of  the 
Church  of  Ephesus,  its  tender  devo- 
tion to  Mary,  and  the  praise  which 
St.  Paul  bestows  on  its  piety,  suffi- 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIBGIN  MARY. 


251 


ciently  indicate  the  fruitful  cares  f 
of  the  Virgin,  and  the  divine  bless- 
ing which  followed  her  everywhere. 
The  Eose  of  Jesse  left  a  portion  of 
her  perfume  on  the  air,  and  that 
vestige,  however  slight  it  be,  is  a 
precious  revelation  of  her  passage. 

The  coasts  of  Asia  Minor,  covered 
with  opulent  cities,  rich  in  vegeta- 
tion, and  washed  by  a  sea  which 
bore  thither  a  multitude  of  vessels, 
would  have  seemed,  to  ordinary 
exiles,  a  splendid  compensation  for 
the  tall,  bleak  mountains  of  Pales- 
tine. It  is  doubtful  whether  such 
was  the  opinion  of  the  Virgin  of 
Nazareth :  the  steps  of  the  Man- 
God  had  not  hallowed  that  enchant- 
ed land,  and  the  graves  of  her 
fathers  were  not  there !  .  .  .  . 

How  often  did  Mary  and  Magda- 
len sigh  for  their  native  land,  as, 
seated  under  a  plane-tree  on  the 
margin    of    that    fair    Icarian    sea 


*  "We  read  in  some  Greek  authors  of  the  7th 
and  following  centuries,  that,  after  the  ascen- 
sion of  Christ,  St.  Mary  Magdalen  accompanied 
the  Virgin  and  St.  John  to  Ephesus,  and  that 
she  died  and  was  buried  in  that  city.  Such  is 
also  the  opinion  of  Modestus,  patriarch  of  Jeru- 
salem, who  flourished  in  920  ;  of  St.  Gregory  of 
Tours,  and  of  St.  Willebald.  The  latter,  in  his 
account  of  his  journey  from  Jerusalem,  says 
that  he  saw  at  Ephesus  the  tomb  of  St.  Mary 


whose  waves  die  away  amid  myr- 
tles on  the  narrow  sandy  beach, 
they  followed  the  course  of  some 
Greek  galley  bound  for  Syria !  The 
stainless  snows  of  Lebanon,  the 
blueish  peaks  of  Carmel,  the  spark- 
ling waters  of  the  Lake  of  Tiberias, 
were  each,  in  turn,  the  subject  of 
their  discourse ;  the  scenes  of  their 
own  land,  embellished  by  distance, 
passed  successively  before  them,  and 
seemed  a  thousand  times  preferable 
to  that  soft,  luxurious  Ionia  which 
was,  in  fact,  to  the  land  of  Jehovah 
what  the  lyre  of  Anacreon  is  to  the 
harp  of  David. 

It  was  during  her  stay  at  Ephe- 
sus that  the  Virgin  lost  the  faith- 
ful companion  who,  in  imitation  of 
Ruth,  had  left  her  home  and  kin- 
dred to  follow  her  across  the  sea: 
Magdalen  died,  and  Mary  wept  for 
her,  as  Jesus  had  wept  for  Lazarus.* 

Of  all  the  ties   of  kindred  and 


Magdalen.  The  Emperor  Leo,  the  philosopher, 
had  the  reHcs  of  the  saint  translated  from 
Ephesus  to  Constantinople,  where  they  were 
placed  in  the  church  of  St.  Lazarus,  about  the 
year  890. — Another  tradition,  maintained  by 
some  respectable  authors,  will  have  it  that  St. 
Mary  Magdalen  ended  her  days  in  Provence. 
We  have  adopted  the  contrary  opinion,  because 
it  seemed  more  probable,  but  yet  without  at- 
^i    tempting  to  decide  the  question. 


252 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


affection,  St  John  alone  remained  | 
to  the  Virgin — St.  John,  the  kind 
and  loving  disciple  whom  her  dying 
Son  had  bequeathed  to  her.  She 
followed  him,  it  is  thought,  in  his 
travels,  and  it  was  doubtless  in  his 
conversations  with  the  Queen  of 
prophets  that  St.  John  acquired  the 
marvellous  knowledge  which  he  dis- 
plays in  his  Gospel.  Assisted  by 
light  fi-om  Her  whom  the  Fathers 
have  compared  to  the  golden  can- 
dlestick with  seven  branches,  the 
young  fisherman  of  Bethsaida  dived 
deeper  than  any  other  into  the  in- 
comprehensible mystery  of  the  un- 
created essence  of  the  Word,  and 
his  mind  took  so  bold  a  flight  amid 
the  mysterious  heights  of  heaven, 
that,  compared  with  him,  the  other 
Evangelists  seem  but  to  skim  the 

earth.*..,. ,,. 

■J   »  ■ 

Meanwhile,  the  sowers  of  Christ 
had  sowed  the  good  seed  of  the 
word  over  every  part  of  the  Roman 
world ;  the  evangelical  harvest  was 

*  The  Abb6  Rupert  {in  Cant.  Cant.)  states 
that  the  Blessed  Virgin  supplied  by  her  lights 
what  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  had  given  Himself 
ip  proportion  to  the  disciples,  had  not  thought 
proper  to  reveal  to  them ;  and  the  Holy  Fathers 
all  agree  that  it  was  from  the  Blessed  Virgin 
St.  Luke  obtained  many  of  his  marvellous  and 
minute  particulars  of  the  infancy  of  Jesus  Christ.    ^ 


green,  and  the  laborers  of  the  Lord 
worked  with  ardor  in  the  sacred 
field.  Mary  considered  that  her 
mission  on  earth  was  accomplished, 
and  that  the  Church  could  hence- 
forward maintain  herself.  Then, 
like  a  tired  workwoman  who  seeks 
rest  and  shelter  during  the  heat  of 
the  day,  she  began  to  sigh  after  the 
cool  shade  of  the  tree  of  life  which 
grows  near  the  throne  of  God,  and 
for  the  living,  sanctifying  waters 
which  flow  beneath  its  branches.f 
This  desire  of  his  mother  was  known 
to  Him  who  fathoms  the  depths  of 
the  soul,  and  the  angel  who  stands 
at  his  right  hand  came  to  inform 
the  future  Queen  of  heaven  that  her 
Son  had  granted  her  wish.  J 

At  this  divine  revelation,  to  which 
was  added,  as  Mc^phorus  tells  us, 
that  of  the  day  and  hour  of  her 
death,  the  daughter  of  Abraham 
began  to  sigh  yet  more  ardently 
for  her  distant  country ;  she  would 
fain   behold    once    more    the    lofty 

f  Apoc,  ch.  xxii.,  v.  1  and  2. 

X  Tradition  relates  that  the  Blessed  Virgin 
was  apprised  of  her  approaching  death  by  the 
ministry  of  an  angel,  who  made  her  acquainted 
with  the  day  and  the  hour  when  it  was  to  take 
place.  (Descoutures,  p.  235.  —  Pere  Croiset, 
t.  xviii.,  p.  138.) 


LIFE  OF  TEE  BLESSED  VIROIN  MARY. 


253 


mountains  of  Judea,  where  the 
memory  of  the  Redemption  still 
floated  on  every  breeze,  and  to  die 
in  sight  of  Calvary.  St.  John,  to 
whom  her  wishes  were  at  all  times 
laws,  made  immediate  preparations 
for  returning  to  Palestine. 

The  Hebrew  travellers  probably 
embarked  at  Miletus,  which  was 
then  famous  as  the  rendezvous  of  all 
ships  from  Europe  and  Asia  navi- 
gating those  waters.  While  cross- 
ing the  Grecian  seas,  the  Virgin  and 
the  Evangelist  recognized,  in  pass- 
ing, the  isle  of  Ohio,  whose  people, 
long  possessed  of  the  empire  of  the 
sea,  were  the  first  to  introduce  that 
odious  slave-trade  which  the  Gospel 
was  gradually  to  abolish ;  then  Les- 
bos, the  land  of  lyric  poets,  where 
the  hymn  to  the  most  pure  Virgin 
was  to  replace  the  burning  odes  of 
Sappho  and  the  more  masculine 
strains  of  Alceus.  Seeing  the  top 
of  the  Temple  of  Esculapius  soaring 
into  the  clouds — that  temple  which 
then  attracted  whole  multitudes  of 
people  to  the  Island  of  Cos — the 


*  The  followers  of  Mahomet  have  preserved 
the  remembrance  of  the  miracles  of  Christ. 
They  pretend  that  the  breath  of  Our  Lord, 
which  they  call  had  Messih  (the  breath  of  the    ^ 


*  Virgin-mother  was  reminded  of  her 
divine  Son,  who,  of  all  the  children 
of  men,  had  power  instantly  to  heal 
the  sick  and  raise  the  dead  to  life.* 
Delos,  the  birth-place  of  Apollo, 
Ehodes,  the  cradle  of  Jupiter,  rose 
successively  from  amid  the  waters, 
with  their  green  mountains  and 
their  ancient  temples,  peopled  with 
gods  who  were  soon  to  be  banished 
to  the  depths  of  hell  by  the  God 
who  was  crucified  on  Calvary.  At 
some  distance  from  Cyprus  there 
was  seen,  far  up  amid  the  clouds, 
a  dark  point  traced  on  the  blue 
dome  of  heaven ;  it  was  the  mount 
whereon  the  prophet  Elias  had  of 
old  erected  an  altar  to  the  future 
mother  of  the  Saviour,  and  where 
his  disciples  were  then  about  to 
place  themselves  under  her  special 
protection.  Next  day,  the  galley 
entered  a  port  of  Syria — Sidon,  per- 
haps —  its  commercial  intercoui*se 
being  frequent  with  Palestine,  as 
the  sacred  books  relate. 

They  returned  to  Israel  after  an 
absence   of    several    years.      Mary 


Messiah),  not  only  raised  the  dead,  but  could 
even  give  life  to  things  inanimate.  (D'Herb., 
Biblioth.  Orient.,  t.  i.,  p.  365.) 


S54 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


withdrew  to  the  mountain  of  Sion, 
within  a  short  distance  of  the  ruin- 
ous and  deserted  palace  of  the 
princes  of  her  race,  to  the  house 
which  had  been  sanctified  by  the 
descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  St. 
John,  on  his  side,  went  to  seek  St. 
James,  a  cousin-germain  of  the  Vir- 
gin and  the  first  bishop  of  Jerusa- 
lem, to  inform  him,  as  well  as  the 
faithful  who  composed  his  already 
numerous  church  of  Jerusalem,  that 
the  mother  of  Jesus  had  returned  to 
die  amongst  them. 

The  day  and  the  hour  were  come; 
the  saints  of  Jerusalem  once  more 
beheld  the  daughter  of  David,  still 
poor,  still  fair,  still  humble ;  for  one 
would  have  said  that  this  admirable 
and  holy  creature  escaped  the  de- 
stroying action  of  time,  and  that, 
predestined  from  her  birth  to  a 
complete  and  glorious  immortality, 
nothing  in  her  was  to  perish.*  Se- 
rious, but  not  sick,  she  received  the 
Apostles  and  disciples  seated  on  a 
small  bed  of  mean  appearance,  suit- 
ed to  her  unpretending   garments. 


*  St.  Denis,  an  eye-witness  of  the  death  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  affirms  that,  at  that  advanced 
period  of  her  Ufe,  she  was  still  strikingly  beau- 
tiful 


*  There  was  in  her  modest  yet  noble 
mien  something  so  solemn  and  so 
touching  that  the  whole  assembly 
burst  into  tears.  Mary  alone  was 
calm,  although  the  vast  chamber 
was  crowded  with  old  disciples  and 
new  Christians,  all  equally  anxious 
to  see  and  hear  her. 

The  night  had  fallen,  and  lamps, 
with  many  branches,  seemed  to  shed, 
with  their  pale  light,  something 
solemn  and  mysterious  over  that 
sad  and  silent  assembly.  The  Apos- 
tles, deeply  moved,  stood  close 
around  the  bed  of  death.  St.  Peter, 
who  had  so  tenderly  loved  the  Son 
of  God  during  his  life,  contemplated 
the  Virgin  -  mother  with  profound 
sorrow,  and  his  speaking  glance 
seemed  to  say  to  the  bishop  of  Jeru- 
salem, "  How  much  she  resembles 
Christ!"  In  fact,  there  was  a  re- 
markable likeness  ;f  and  the  bowed 
head  of  Mary,  recalling  that  of  the 
Saviour  during  the  last  Supper,  com- 
pleted the  effect.  St.  James,  who 
had  received  from  the  Jews  them- 
selves the  surname  of  Just,  and  who 

f  Jesus  hung  his  head  a  little,  which  took  some- 
thing from  his  height ;  his  face  had  much  resem- 
blance to  that  of  his  mother,  especially  in  the 
lower  part.     (Nic,  Hisl.  Eccles.,  t.  i.,  p.  125.) 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


255 


well  knew  how  to  subdue  his  feel- 
ings,   sternly    repressed    the    tears 
which  moistened  his  eyelids.     The 
Prince  of  the  Apostles — a  frank  and 
impulsive  man — was  deeply  affected, 
and  strove  not  to  conceal  his  emo- 
tion;  St.  John  had  wrapped  a  fold 
of  his  Greek  mantle  around  his  head, 
but  his  sobs  betrayed  him.     There 
was  not,  in  all  the  crowd,  a  heart 
unmoved,  or  an  eye  unmoistened  by 
a  tear.     Mary,  sympathizing  in  the 
general  emotion,  and  almost  forget- 
ting the  splendor  which  awaited  her 
on  high,  in  order  to  wipe  away  the 
tears  of  those  who  loved  her,  applied 
herself  to  confirm  the  faith  of  her 
children,  to  revive  their  pious  hopes, 
and   to   inflame  their  charity;   she 
told  them  with  unequalled  eloquence 
of  those  mighty  and  sublime  things 
which  people  hold  their  breath  to 
hear,  which  raise  man  above  himself, 
and    render    him    capable    of   any 
undertaking.     Her  speech,  so  mild 
that  the  Scripture  has  compared  it 

*  St.  John  Damascene. 

f  Some  ancient  Fathers,  and,  amongst  others, 
St.  Epiphanius,  seem  to  doubt  whether  the 
Mother  of  God  really  died,  or  whether  she  re- 
mained immortal,  being  taken  body  and  soul  to 
heaven  ;  but  the  opinion  of  the  Church  is,  that 
the  Blessed  Virgin  did  really  die  according  to 


to  a  honeycomb,  became  gradually 
strong ;  the  daughter  of  David  and 
of  Solomon,  the  inspired  prophetess 
who    had    extemporaneously    com- 
posed the  triumphal  hymn   of  the 
Ma^nijicat,  soared  up  to  considera- 
tions so  high  that  the  listeners  forgot, 
in  their  ecstasy,  that  death  was  to 
close  that  mystic  strain.     But  the 
fatal  hour   approached.     Mary  ex- 
tended  her  protecting   hands  over 
the   poor   orphans   whom   she  was 
about  to  quit,  and,  raising  her  beau- 
tiful eyes  to  the  stars  which  shone 
brightly  in  the  firmament,  she  saw 
the  heavens  open,  and  the  Son  of 
man  extending  his  arms  towards  her 
from  amidst  a  luminous  cloud.*     At 
this  sight  a  roseate  flush  overspread 
her  face,  her  eyes  sparkled  with  ma- 
ternal love,  joy  attained  its  height, 
adoration  became  ecstatic,  and  her 
soul,  disengaging  itself  without  an 
effort  from  its  fair  and  virginal  cov- 
ering, fell  gently  into  the  bosom  of 
God.f 

the  condition  of  the  flesh,  and  this  opinion  is 
clearly  manifested  in  the  Mass  for  the  Feast  of 
the  Assumption.  The  Blessed  Virgin  died  dur- 
ing the  night  which  precedes  the  15th  of  August 
The  date  of  her  death  is  very  uncertain.  Euse- 
bius  fixes  it  in  the  year  48  of  our  era  ;  so  that^ 
according  to  him,  Mary  lived  sixty-eight  years ; 


SM 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VTROTN  AfARY. 


Mary  was  no  more,  but  her  coun- 
tenance, which  had  assumed  the  ex- 
pression of  a  tranquil  slumber,  was 
80  sweet  to  look  upon  that  it  seemed 
as  though  Death  hesitated  to  set  his 
seal  on  that  ti'ophy  which  he  was 
only  to  retain  for  a  day. 

The  death-lamp  was  lit ;  the  win- 
dows were  all  thrown  open,  and  the 
summer  breeze  made  its  way  into 
the  room  with  the  flickering  beams 
of  the  stare.  One  would  have  said 
that  a  miraculous  light  filled  the 
room  when  Mary  had  drawn  her 
last  sigh :  it  was,  perhaps,  the  glory 
of  Grod  which  surrounded  the  spot- 
less soul  of  the  predestined  Virgin. 
When  the  death  of  Mary  was  no 
longer  doubtful,  there  was  nothing 
heard,  at  first,  but  tears  and  lamen- 


bnt  Nicephorus  (b.  xi.,  ch.  21)  formally  says 
that  she  died  in  the  fifth  year  of  the  reign  of 
Claudius,  that  is  to  say,  in  the  3'ear  of  Rome  798, 
or  45  of  the  Christian  era.  Then,  supposing  that 
the  Blessed  "Virgin  was  sixteen  years  old  when 
the  Saviour  was  born,  she  would  have  lived  sixty- 
one  years.  Hippolytus  of  Thebes  states,  in  his 
chronicle,  that  the  Blessed  Virgin  became  a 
mother  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  and  died  eleven 
years  after  Jesus  Christ.  According  to  some 
other  authors,  the  Virgin  was  sixty-six  when  she 
died. 

*  "  All  the  host  of  heaven,"  says  St.  Jerome, 
*'  came  to  meet  the  Mother  of  God  at  the  mo- 
ment of  her  death,  singing  hymns  and  canticles, 


t  tations ;  then  the  funeral  chant 
arose  on  the  stillness  of  the  night ; 
the  angels  chimed  in  with  their 
golden  harps,*  and  the  echoes  of 
David's  mouldering  palace  sadly 
repeated  the  wail  over  the  tombs 
of  the  kings  of  Juda. 

On  the  following  day,  the  faithful 
brought  in,  with  pious  profusion, 
the  most  precious  perfumes  and  the 
richest  stuff's  for  the  burial  of  the 
Queen  of  Virgins.  They  embalmed 
her,  according  to  the  custom  of  her 
people,  but  her  blessed  remains  ex- 
haled a  sweeter  odor  than  the  per- 
fumed bands  wherewith  she  was 
bound.  The  preparations  being 
duly  completed,  the  sacred  body  of 
the  Mother  of  God  was  placed  in  a 
portable  litter  filled  with  aromatics,f 


which  were  heard  by  all  present.  Militiam 
ccelorum,  cum  suis  agminibus,  festive  obviam 
venisse  Genetrici  Dei  cum  laudibus  et  canticis, 
earaque  ingenti  lumine  circumfulsisse  et  usque 
ad  tronum  perduxisse." 

f  Coffins,  amongst  the  Jews,  in  Mary's  time, 
were  a  species  of  litter  so  contrived  that  it  was 
easy  to  carry  the  dead  body  ;  this  litter  was 
filled  with  aromatics.  Josephus,  describing  the 
interment  of  Herod  the  Great,  says  that  his 
litter  was  adorned  with  precious  stones,  that 
his  body  reposed  on  purple  cloth,  that  he  had 
the  jewelled  crown  upon  his  head,  and  that 
his  whole  household  followed  the  htter  to  the 
^    sepulchre. 


LIFE  OF  TEE  BLESSED  VIRGIHT  MARY. 


257 


and  covered  with  a  sumptuous  veil, 
and  the  Apostles  bore  it  on  their 
shoulders  to  the  Yalley  of  Josaphat.* 
The  Christians  of  Jerusalem,  bear- 
ing lighted  tapers,  and  chanting 
hymns  and  psalms,  followed  sadly 
and  reverently  the  remains  of  Mary. 
Arrived  at  the  place  of  sepulture, 
the  mom-nful  procession  stopped. 
Through  the  care  of  the  holy  women 
of  Jerusalem,  the  tomb  was  de- 
prived of  its  gloomy  aspect,  and 
the  sepulchral  cave  presented  to 
the  view  only  a  flowery  arbor,  f 
The  Apostles  gently  laid  down  the 
mortal  remains  of  Mary,  and,  doing 
so,  they  wept.  Of  all  the  pane- 
gyrics pronounced  on  that  occasion, 
that  of  Hierotheus  was  the  most 
remarkable.  St.  Denis,  the  Areo- 
pagite,  who  describes  the  scene  as 
an  eye-w4tness,  relates  that  as  he 
praised  the  Virgin,  the  orator  was 
almost  beside  himself.  J 

*  Metaphrastes  relates  that  the  Apostles  car- 
ried the  Blessed  Virgin  to  the  grave  on  their 
shoulders. 

t  Greg.  Tur.,  1.  i.,  de  01,  ch.  4. 

I  Books  of  Divine  Names,  chapter  3.  These 
books  of  St.  Denis,  the  Areopagite,  have  been 
rejected  by  Protestants,  but  are  not  the  less 
authorized  by  a  multitude  of  proofs  from  the 
most  ancient  Fathers  and  doctors  of  the  Church, 


For  three  days,  the  Apostles  and 
the  faithful  watched  and  prayed  be- 
side the  sepulchre,  where  they  heard 
distinctly  the  sacred  concert  kept 
up  by  the  heavenly  spirits,  §  as 
though  to  soothe  the  last  sleep  of 
Mary.  One  of  the  Apostles,  return- 
ing from  a  distant  country,  and  not 
having  been  present  at  the  death 
of  the  Virgin,  arrived  just  then,  iv 
was  St.  Thomas,  the  same  who  had 
placed  his  hand  in  the  wounds  of 
his  glorified  Master.  He  hastened 
to  take  a  last  look,  and  to  water 
with  his  tears  the  cold  remains  of 
the  privileged  woman  who  had 
borne  in  her  chaste  womb  the 
Supreme  Master  of  Nature.  Over- 
come by  his  tears  and  entreaties, 
the  Apostles  removed  the  block  of 
stone  from  the  door  of  the  sepul- 
chre ;  but  they  saw  within  only  the 
still  fresh  flowers  whereon  Mary's 
body  had   reposed,  and  her   white 

by  the  Third  CEcuinenical  Council  of  Constanti- 
nople, and  many  others. 

§  Juvenal,  patriarch  of  Jerusalem,  who  lived 
in  the  5th  century,  writing  to  the  Emperor 
Marcian  and  the  Empress  Pulcheria,  says  that 
the  Apostles,  reUeving  each  othei*,  passed  day 
and  night  with  the  faithful  near  the  tomb,  min- 
ghng  their  canticles  with  those  of  the  angels, 
who,  for  three  days,  were  constantly  heard  mak- 
ing the  most  divine  harmony. 


958 


LIFE  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


shroud  of  Eg}T^)tian  linen,  which 
shed  a  delicious  fragrance.  The 
pui'e  body  of  the  Immaculate  Virgin 
was  not  a  prey  for  worms.     During 

*  A  very  judicious  remark  of  Godescard 
comes  to  the  support  of  the  Assumption  :  it  is, 
that  "neither  the  Latins  nor  even  the  Greeks, 
so  greedy  for  novelty,  and  so  easily  persuaded 
in  rsgai'd  to  relics  and  legends  ;  no  people,  in  a 
word,  no  city,  no  church,  ever  boasted  'of  pos- 


her  life  earth  and  heaven  had  each 
a  share  in  that  wondrous  creature ; 
after  her  death,  heaven  took  all,  and 
glorified  all.* 

sessing  the  mortal  remains  of  the  Blessed  Vii- 
gin,  nor  any  portion  of  her  body.  Hence,  with- 
out prescribing  a  belief  in  the  corporal  assump- 
tion of  Mary  into  heaven,  the  Church  gives  us 
clearly  to  understand  the  opinion  to  which  she 
inclines."     (Godescard,  t.  xiv.,  p.  449.) 


'''    i:. 


.4 


>-?<?-V  ^^^ ^     <^i^M>         /U^^-t^C^y 


7  _  /  '-  ^ 


apewElIA  KJTnmpL  cl 


^^~  ^f  Mir^m  m}  Inkni  f 


A 


N 


V !  |;*  ^1  >    '4  V  lY, 


?,    D.D., 


iJET. 


HISTOH  Y 


OP    THE 


DEVOTION  TO  THE  BLESSED  VIKGIN  MAKY, 

Mot\}tx  of  (Bolt. 


CHAPTER   I. 

ORIGIN   AND    ANTIQUITY    OF    THE    DEVOTION    TO    MARY. 


HE  invocation  of  * 
Saints,  which 
heretics  impute 
to  us  as  idola- 
try, and  which 
a  Protestant 
minister  has 
been  pleased  to  set  down  as  "the 
malady  of  the  Christians  of  the 
fourth  century,"  is  so  far  from  being 
of  modern  date  that  it  may,  in  truth, 
be  regarded  as  of  Apostolical  tra- 
dition, and  of  Jewish  origin.  The 
Hebrews  sought  counsel  and  mira- 
culous cures  of  the  dead,  when  those 
dead  had  been  accredited  prophets 
of  the  Lord.  The  prophets  were 
their  saints,  and  saints  who  read  ^ 


the  future  clearly,  from  the  depths 
of  the  sepulchral  cave  where  they 
slept  beside  their  fathers.  Behold 
Saul  with  the  witch  of  Endor;  the 
ghost  of  Samuel,  though  conjured  up 
by  enchantments  which  the  law  of 
Moses  condemns,  appeared  by  God's 
permission  to  terrify  the  reprobate 
monarch.  The  prophet,  shrouded  in 
his  mantle,  emerges  slowly  from  the 
earth  in  awful  majesty ;  the  sor- 
ceress utters  a  cry  of  terror  at  sight 
of  the  illustrious  shade  which  she 
takes  for  a  god.  Saul,  bowing  down 
before  him  who  was  so  long  the 
supreme  judge  of  Israel,  questions 
him  on  the  issue  of  the  battle  which 
he  is  going  to  fight  with  the  Philis- 


262 


HISTORY  OF   THE  VJ^VOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED   VIRGIN  MARY. 


tines ;  aiid  the  prophet  answers  him 
in  a  voice  which  no  breath  of  life 
accompanies,  f . ;  his  body  is  at 
Kamatha,  mourned  by  all  Israel: 
"To-morrow,  thou  and  thy  sons  shall 
be  with  me :  and  the  Lord  will  also 
deliver  the  army  of  Israel  into  the 
hands  of  the  Philistines  1" 

The  Jews  believed,  then,  that 
their  saints  knew  the  future. 

In  the  fourth  book  of  Kings,  we 
see  a  dead  man  restored  to  life  by 
touching  the  bones  of  Eliseus. 

The  saints  of  Israel,  therefore, 
wrought  miracles. 

We  read  in  the  second  book  of 
Maccabees  that  the  high -priest 
Onias  and  the  prophet  Jeremiah 
were  seen,  after  their  death,  pray- 
ing for  the  people ;  and  we  find  in 
the  Gemare  that  Caleb  escaped 
from  the  hands  of  his  pursuers,  be- 
cause he  went  to  the  tomb  of  his 
ancestors  to  ask  them  to  intercede 
for  him,  that  he  might  escape.* 

Hence,  the  Jews  believed  that 
the  intercession  of  the  departed  just 
was  of  some  avail. 

From  the  earliest  times  of  their 
settlement  in  Palestine,  the  Israel- 


*  Wagenseil,  Excerpta  ex  Oem. 
f  Ecdes.,  ch.  xlix.,  v.  18. 


*  ites  visited  the  tomb  of  Rachel,  a 
primitive  monument  composed  of 
twelve  enormous  stones,  whereon 
every  pilgrim  inscribed  his  name ; 
the  tomb  of  Joseph,  the  saviour  of 
his  brethi'en — whose  bones  prophe- 
sied-f — was  likewise  a  place  of 
prayer. 

On  the  dispersion  of  the  tribes, 
such  immense  crowds  flocked  to  the 
sepulchral  cave  of  Ezechiel,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Chobar,  where  he  had 
had  his  divine  visions,  that  the 
Chaldeans,  fearing  lest  these  vast 
assemblages  might  conceal  under 
the  cloak  of  religion  some  political 
project,  resolved  to  take  the  pil- 
grims by  surprise,  and  disperse 
them  at  the  point  of  the  sword.  A 
massacre  would  inevitably  have  fol- 
lowed, if  the  dead  prophet  had  not 
wrought  a  miracle  to  save  his  peo- 
ple, by  dividing  the  waters  of  the 
Chobar.  J  This  sepulchre  of  a  saint 
of  Israel  was  surrounded  by  a 
superb  edifice,  and  before  it  burned, 
day  and  night,  a  golden  lamp,  which 
the  leaders  of  the  captive  people 
^vere  charged  to  keep  lit.§  It  is 
now  once  more  a  mere  cavern ;  but 

X  Benjamin  of  Toledo,  Itinerary,  p.  70-80. 
§  Epiphan.,  de  Vitis  Prophetarum,  v.  ii.,  p.  241 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


268 


still  it  is  visited  by  all  the  Jews  of 
Asia,  who  never  pass  through  Bag- 
dad without  turning  aside  to  pray 
there. 

At  the  foot  of  Orontes,  whose  rich 
foliage  waves  over  a  thousand  silvery 
streams  which  reflect  the  splendor  of 
the  Asiatic  sun,  there  is  a  city — once 
royal  and  magnificent — lying  extend- 
ed amid  ruined  columns,  prostrate 
temples,  and  mausoleums  of  red 
granite  with  inscriptions  written  in 
some  language  long  unknown :  it  is 
Ecbatana,  the  ancient  capital  of  the 
Medes,  now  the  obscure  Hamadan. 
At  one  of  the  extremities  of  the  fall- 
en city  rises  a  brick  monument,  the 
door  of  which,  according  to  the  old 
sepulchral  style  of  the  country,  is 
very  small  and  made  of  one  solid 
stone:  it  is  the  tomb  of  a  young 
queen,  fair  and  virtuous,  who  braved 

*  "  He  built  her  a  mausoleum  after  the 
manner  of  the  Iranians  (Iran  was,  before 
Cyrus,  the  true  name  of  the  vast  kingdom 
which  is  now  called  Persia),  filled  her  skull 
with  musk  and  amber,  wrapped  her  body 
in  Chinese  silk,  placed  her,  as  kings  are  placed, 
on  a  throne  of  ivory,  and  hung  her  crown 
above  her ;  then  they  painted  the  door  of  the 
tomb  red  and  blue."  (Firdousi,  Book  of  Kings, 
Kei  Khosrou. ) 

•f  Travels  of  Sir  Robert  Ker  Porter  in  Per- 
sia and  Armenia.  The  present  tomb  of 
Esther  and  of  Mardochai   occupies  the   same    ^ 


death  to  save  her  people — the  noble 
Esther,  who  was  laid  there  on  a  bed 
of  ivory  overlaid  with  gold,  embalm- 
ed in  musk  and  amber,  and  wrapped 
in  a  shroud  of  Chinese  silk,*  beside 
the  great  Hebrew  patriot  Mardo- 
chai. f  This  illustrious  tomb,  which 
the  Jews  of  Persia  regard  as  a  place 
of  peculiar  sanctity,  and  to  which 
they  repair  in  crowds  at  the  time  of 
the  Feast  of  Phurim,J  is  still,  and 
has  been  for  two  thousand  years,  the 
term  of  a  pilgrimage. 

In  the  Middle  Ages,  under  the  Sar- 
acen domination,  the  Arabs  having 
threatened  the  Jews  with  a  general 
massacre  during  a  grievous  drought 
which  prevailed  all  over  Syria  and 
Palestine,  if  rain  did  not  fall  on  a 
day  appointed,  they  gathered  in 
great  numbers  around  the  tomb  of 
Zachary,  which  is  still  to  be  seen  in 

place  as  did  the  old,  which  was  destroyed  by 
Tamerlane. 

\  This  festival,  which  was  instituted  at  Suza 
by  Mardochai  and  Esther,  was  solemnly  cele- 
brated on  the  14th  or  15th  day  of  the  month  of 
Ader,  which  is  our  February  moon.  The  Jews 
had  formerly  a  custom  of  making  a  wooden 
cross  on  which  they  painted  Aman,  and  dragged 
it  through  the  city,  so  that  every  one  might  see 
it.  They  afterwards  burnt  it,  and  threw  the 
ashes  into  the  river.  The  emperor  Theodosius 
forbade  them  to  play  this  comedy,  fearing  that 
it  might  have  reference  to  the  death  of  Christ. 


164 


BlSTOLl 


lUE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED   VIRGIN  MARY. 


the  vicinity  of  Jerusalem,  fasted  and  ^ 
piiiyed  for  Beveral  days  in  sackcloth 
and  allies,  in  order  to  obtain  from 
God,  through  the  intercession  of  that 
prophet,  that  he  might  save  them 
fi-om  certain  death  by  making  it  rain 
upon  the  earth. 

The  custom  of  applying  to  the  liv- 
ing the  merits  of  the  dead,  is  of  He- 
brew origin ;  the  proof  of  this  is 
found  in  a  liturgy  of  the  synagogue 
of  Venice.  In  the  office  entitled 
Mazir  nechamot  (remembrance  of 
smils),  we  hnd  a  prayer  conceived 
in  the  following  terms:  "Hear  us, 
0  Jehovah,  for  the  sake  of  those  who 
loved  thee  and  are  now  no  more; 
hear  us,  for  the  sake  of  Abraham, 
Isaac,  Jacob,  Sara,  Rachel,"  etc. 

The  invocation  of  saints  is  not, 
then,  a  CatJwlic  invention. 

Besides  the  saints,  the  Jews  pray- 
ed to  the  angels,  whom  the  ancient 
Ai*abs  also  invoked,  and  to  whom 


*  Amongst  the  Persians,  every  month  was 
under  the  protection  of  an  angel  ;  to  the  angels 
was  confided  the  care  of  seas,  rivers,  springs, 
pastures,  flocks,  trees,  herbs,  fruits,  flowers,  and 
seeds  :  they  also  guided  the  stars  ;  prayers  were 
oflfered  to  the  angels  soliciting  their  protection 
in  danger.  The  modem,  Persians  still  sacrifice 
to  the  angel  of  the  moon.  (Firdousi,  Book  of 
Kings. — Chardin,  Voyage  en  Perse.) 


the  Assyrians  ofi'ered  sacrifice,  at- 
tributing to  them  charming  functions 
on  the  earth.*  Jacob  confesses  him- 
self indebted  to  an  angel  for  deliver- 
ance from  the  evils  which  threatened 
him,  and  beseeches  him  to  bless  his 
children  :  Angelas  qui  eripuit  me  cle 
cundis  malis  henedicat  pueris  istis.f 
This  prayer  is  addressed  to  an  angel. 
It  is  even  thought  that  the  Jews 
carried  the  worship  of  the  angels  too 
far,  since  they  are  suspected  of  ador- 
ing them.  J  This  veneration,  or  wor- 
ship, never  ceased  amongst  the 
modern  Jews  till  the  time  of  the 
pretended  Reformation,  when  they 
abandoned  it  in  order  to  conciliate 
the  German  innovators.  There  exists 
in  the  Vatican  library  a  Hebrew 
manuscript,  containing  a  litany  com- 
posed by  R.  Eliezer  Hakalir,  wherein 
is  said  to  the  angel  Actariel:  "  De- 
liver Israel  from  all  affliction,  and 
quickly    procure    its    redemption." 

t  Genesis  xlviii.,  v.  16. 

X  The  author  of  the  Preaching  of  St.  Peltr, 
which  is  very  ancient,  cited  by  St.  Clement  of 
Alexandria,  makes  that  Apostle  say  that  wo 
must  not  adore  God  with  the  Jews,  because, 
although  they  profess  to  acknowledge  but  one 
God,  they  adore  the  angels.  (Clem.  Alex., 
^    book  v.) 


mSTORT  OF  TEE  DEVOTION  TO    THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


265 


Similar  favors  are  asked  of  Barachiel,  * 
Wathiel,  and  other  princes  of  the 
heavenly  court.  The  litany  ended 
by  saying  to  Michael,  "Prince  of 
mercy,  pray  for  Israel,  that  it  may 
be  greatly  exalted." 

The  tombs  of  the  martyrs  were 
early  venerated  by  the  Christians  of 
Asia ;  the  first  to  which  pilgrimage 
was  made  was  most  probably  that 
of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  which,  after 
the  Holy  Sepulchre  and  the  tomb  of 
the  Blessed  Yirgin,  is  the  most  re- 
spected by  Orientals  of  all  creeds. 
The  body  of  the  precursor  of  the 
mau-God  was  at  Samaria,  where 
it  was  visited  by  St.  Paula  in  the 
fourth  century,  and  his  head,  care- 
fully embalmed  by  his  disciples,  was 
at  Hems,  whence  it  was  transported 
to  Damascus  in  the  reign  of  Theo- 
dosius.  It  was  placed. in  a  superb 
church  bearing  the  title  of  St.  Zach- 
ary,  which  took,  thenceforward,  that 
of  St.  John.  The  caliph  Abdelmelek 
took    forcible    possession    of    this 

*  St.  Augustine  speaks  of  the  miraculous  cures 
wrought  by  dust  from  the  tomb  of  St.  John  the 
Evangelist.  There  is  now  seen  amongst  the 
ruins  of  Ephesus,  the  church  of  St.  John,  of 
which  the  Turks  had  made  a  mosque. 

f  The  history  of  the  martyrdom  of  St.  Poly- 
carp,  written  in  the  form  of  a  letter,  in  the  name 


church,  and  now  the  venerated  tomb 
of  him  who  was  a  prophet  and  more 
than  a  prophet^  is  inclosed  within  a 
Turkish  mosque;  but  it  is  neither 
solitary  nor  without  honor;  the  Mus- 
sulmans come  there  from  all  parts 
on  pilgrimage,  and  the  celebrated 
Saadi  himself  relates,  in  his  Gulistan, 
that,  going  to  pray  there,  he  met 
with  princes  from  Arabia.  At  the 
close  of  the  first  centmy,  the  faithful 
of  Asia  Minor  were  wont  to  repair 
in  great  numbers  to  Ephesus  to  visit 
the  tomb  of  St.  John  the  Evangelist, 
the  dust  of  which,  carefully  gather- 
ed, was  said  to  effect  marvellous 
cures.* 

St.  Stephen,  the  first  martyr,  whose 
relics  wrought  so  many  miracles,  as 
attested  by  St.  Augustine,  and  who 
died  before  the  Blessed  Virgin,  was 
likewise  very  early  invoked  by  the 
primitive  Christians,  who  also  ven- 
erated the  blessed  remains  of  St.  Ig- 
natius and  St.  Polycarp.f  St.  Aster 
of  Amasia  has  preserved  to  us,  in  a 

of  the  church  of  Smyrna,  by  those  who  had  them- 
selves witnessed  it,  and  addressed  to  the  church 
of  Philomel,  contains  these  words :  "  We  took 
from  the  fire  his  bones,  more  precious  than  gold 
or  jewels,  and  we  put  them  in  a  suitable  place, 
where  we  hope  to  assemble  every  year  to  cele- 
brate the  festival  of  the  Lord's  martyr,  to  the 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


sermon  on  the  martyrs,  the  prayer  ^ 
addressed  by  a  Christian  of  the  early 
days  to  a  saint  whose  tomb  she  vis- 
ited: "Thou  didst  invoke  the  mar- 
tjyrs  before  thou  wert  thyself  a  mar- 
tyr; thou  hast  sought  and  found ;  be 
then  liberal  of  the  blessings  which 
thou  hast  received." 

Eusebius  of  Caesarea,  who  flour- 
ished towards  the  end  of  the  third 
century,  defending  our  sacred  dog- 
mas against  the  sophisms  of  the  idol- 
aters, rests  on  the  honors  which  they 
paid  to  their  ancient  heroes  to  justify 
the  veneration  of  saints,  and  con- 
tinues in  these  terms:  "We  honor 
as  friends  of  God  those  who  have 
fought  for  the  true  religion ;  we  go 
to  their  tombs;  we  offer  them  our 
vows,  professing  to  believe  that 
through  their  intercession  with  God 
we  are  powerfully  succored."* 

These  words  of  Eusebius,  who,  in 
his  double  capacity  of  bishop  and 
historian,  must  necessarily  have 
been  well  informed,  clearly  indi- 
cate an  ancient  usage,  a  custom  lap- 
proved  by  the  Church  and  generally 

end  that  those  who  come  after  us  may  be  en- 
couraged to  prepare  for  similar  combats."  St. 
Poly  carp  consummated  his- sacrifice  in  the  year 
166,  on  the  23d  of  January,  on  which  day  the 


received.  On  the  other  hand,  Vig- 
ilantius  and  Arius,  enemies  of  the 
veneration  of  saints,  were  openly 
treated  as  innovators  and  heretics 
by  St.  Epiphanius,  St.  Jerome,  and 
St.  Augustine.  Now  is  it  to  be  pre- 
sumed that  these  great  doctors  would 
have  dared  to  set  down  as  heretics 
and  innovators  men  who  labored  but 
to  establish  in  its  native  purity 
the  ancient  doctrine  of  the  Church? 
The  word  innovators  explains  all ; 
and  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that 
Yigilantius  lived  at  a  period  so  near 
the  times  of  the  Apostles  that  there 
was  between  them  and  him  not 
more  than  three  generations! 

St.  Cyprian,  who  suffered  martyr- 
dom in  Carthage  in  the  year  261, 
shows  us  the  Christians  of  Africa 
crowding  to  the  glorious  tombs  of 
the  martyrs,  making  a  funeral  re- 
past there  on  the  day  of  their  anni- 
versary, and  so  eager  to  invoke  them 
that,  not  even  waiting  for  their 
death,  they  went  to  solicit  the  pray- 
ers of  those  imprisoned  confessors 
of  the  faith  who  had  as  yet  survived 

church  of  Smyrna  kept  his  festival  in  the  middle 
of  the  third  century,  as  we  see  by  the  acts  of 
St.  Peter. 

*  Prapar.  Evang.,  b.  xiii,  ch.  7. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


267 


their  torments.*  St.  John  Chrysos-  f 
torn,  on  his  side,  asserts  that  in  his 
time  the  tombs  of  the  martyrs  con- 
stituted the  fairest  ornament  of  royal 
cities;  that  the  days  which  were 
consecrated  to  them  were  days  of 
joy ;  that  the  great  men  of  the 
empire,  and  even  the  emperor  him- 
self, laid  aside  the  proud  insignia 
of  their  power  before  they  dared  to 
cross  the  threshold  of  the  sacred 
places  which  contained  the  revered 
sepulchres   of  the   servants  of  the 

crucified   God "How  much 

more  illustrious,"  exclaims  the  great 
Christian  orator,  "are  the  monu- 
ments erected  to  old  men  who  were 
poor  and  humble  while  on  earth, 
than  the  tombs  of  the  mightiest 
kings !  Around  the  tombs  of  kings 
reign  silence  and  solitude ;  here  do 
multitudes  throng  with  prayer  and 
homage."! 

Behold,  then,  the  worship  of  dulia 
(of  saints),  which  Protestants  style 
idolatrous  and  detestable — behold 
what  it  was  in  those  ages  which 
they  themselves  call  the  ages  by 
excellence,  the  pure  ages.\ 

As  to  the  worship  of  hyperdulia 

*  St.  Cyprian,  Epist.  28. 

f  St.  Chrysost.,  Horn.  66  ad  pop.  Antioch. 


(of  the  Blessed  Yirgin)  —  which, 
without  being  adoration  —  which 
God  forbid  ! — is  far  superior  to  that 
of  the  saints — it  commenced,  ap- 
parently, at  her  very  tomb.  The 
Jewish  doctors  have  preserved  to 
us,  in  the  Talmud,  a  historical  fact 
long  unknown,  which  establishes 
the  high  antiquity  of  this  pious 
veneration  so  much  blasphemed.  A 
tradition  of  the  Temple,  recorded  in 
their  Toldos — that  book  wherein 
the  Virgin  is  so  grossly  abused,  and 
which  they  early  circulated  through 
Greece,  Persia,  and  every  place 
where  it  could  at  all  injure  Chris- 
tianity— relates  that  the  Nazarenes 
who  came  to  pray  at  the  tomb  of 
the  mother  of  Jesus  underwent  a 
violent  persecution  from  the  princes 
of  the  synagogue,  and  that  a  hun- 
dred Christians,  kinsfolk  of  Jesus 
Christ,  were  put  to  death  for  having 
raised  an  oratory  over  her  tomb.§ 
This  act  of  barbarous  fanaticism  of 
which  they  boast,  being  quite  con- 
formable to  their  treatment  of  St. 
Stephen,  St.  James,  and  St.  Paul, 
and  the  oratory  erected  over  a  ven- 
erated tomb  being  in  no  way  ob- 

X  Dailld,  Latin  Traditions,  b.  iv.,  ch.  16. 
§  Toldos  Huldr.,  p.  115. 


168 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


noxious  to  their  customs  and  tradi- 
tions, this  fact,  it  seems  to  us,  may 
be  regaitied  as  authentic,  even 
without  any  very  great  stretch  of 
credulity. 

Tradition,  supported  by  religious 
monuments,  asserts  that  the  devo- 
tion to  Mary  is  of  Apostolic  tradi- 
tion. St.  Peter,  on  his .  way  to  Ah- 
tioch,  raised,  it  is  said,  in  one  of  the 
cities  of  ancient  Phoenicia,  an  ora- 
tory to  the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  gave 
it  a  solemn  consecration ;  St.  John 
the  Apostle  placed  the  beautiful 
church  of  Lydda  under  the  invo- 
cation of  his  adoptive  mother;  the 
first  church  of  Milan  was  dedicated 
to  Mary  by  St.  Barnabas  the  Apos- 
tle. Our  Lady  of  the  Pillar,  in 
Spain,  and  Our  Lady  of  Carmel,  in 
Syiia,  dispute  the  priority  with 
these  churches,  and  their  claims  are 
bolder,  but  more  contestable.  Ac- 
cording to  Spanish  tradition,*  the 
Blessed  Virgin  appeared  to  St. 
James,  before  her  death,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Ebro,  and  commanded 
him  to  build  a  church  on  that  spot. 
According  to  the  Syrian  tradition, 
the  prophet  Agabus,  the  same  who 
predicted   the    fa  nine   which  took 

*  Cronologia  sacra  .  .    .  cU  ano  35  de  Cristo. 


*  place  under  Claudius,  erected  also 
in  the  Virgin's  lifetime,  that  church 
which  is  seen  from,  so  far  at  sea, 
and  where  pilgrims  and  travellers 
of  all  religions  and  of  every  region 
receive,  in  the  name  of  Mary,  such 
affecting  hospitality.  Without  dis- 
puting the  antiquity  of  these  two 
sanctuaries,  very  venerable  indeed, 
and  justly  revered  by  all  nations, 
we  must  be  permitted  to  say  that 
it  is  very  unlikely  that  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  the  humble&t  of  the  daugh- 
ters of  Eve,  would  have  solicited 
the  Apostles,  during  her  lifetime,  to 
build  churches  in  her  honor.  That 
the  gratitude  of  nations  and  the 
piety  of  the  Apostles  may  have 
erected  them  after  her  death,  is 
both  simple  and  natural,  but  that 
she  gave  orders  for  any  during  her 
life,  is  extremely  doubtful. 

As  to  the  oratory  of  Carmel, 
Flavius  Josephus,  who  particularly 
mentions  the  disciples  of  Elias  in 
connection  with  Vespasian  (to  whom 
one  of  them  promised  the  empire), 
nowhere  says  that  they  were  then 
converted  to  Christianity,  and  the 
contrary  is  inferred  from  his  recital. 
This  negative  authority  is  very  im- 
portant. 


Jfirst  |Peri0ir  d  tlje  §thihn  k  Parj. 

BEFORE     CONSTANTINE. 


CHAPTER   II. 


THE      EAST IDOLS. 


|S  we  have  already  * 

observed,     the 

devotion  to  the 
« 

Mother  of  God 
had  its  origin 
at  her  very 
tomb,  and  the 
first  lamp  lighted  in  honor  of  Mary 
was  a  sepulchral  lamp,  aromid 
which  the  Christians  of  Jerusalem 
came  to  pray.  This,  it  would  seem, 
did  not  last  long  ;  the  Synagogue — 
oppressive,  like  .all  dominations  be- 
set by  the  fear  of  sudden  overthrow, 
and  suspicious,  like  all  who  are  con- 
scious of  evil-doing — became  alarm- 
ed at  the  simple  homage  rendered 
to  the  mother  of  the  young  prophet 
whom  it  had  not  only  refused,  after 
all  his  miracles,  to  acknowledge  as 
the  Messiah,  but  audaciously  cruci- 
fied, as  a  seditious  man  and  an  im- 
postor, between  two  thieves.  It  ex- 
tinguished the  lamps,  silenced  the  ^ 


hymns,  and  mercilessly  kiUed  the 
first  servants  of  Mary, — so,  at  least, 
we  are  informed  by  the  Synagogue 
itself,  and  we  know  that  it  was  very 
capable  of  doing  it.  This  was  done 
a  little  through  fanaticism,  a  little 
through  self-love,  and  a  little  through 
fear.  The  Jewish  authorities  would 
not  that  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth, 
whom  they  had  unjustly  condemned 
to  an  ignominious  death,  should 
arise,  he  and  his,  from  the  obloquy 
of  the  Golgotha.  It  was  annoying 
to  hear  that  the  Galilean  whom 
they  called  a  son  of  Belial,  and 
whose  miracles  they  treated  as  vain 
illusions,  was  truly  God,  and  his 
mother  a  great  Saint;  and  then  it 
feared  that  this  new  worship,  con- 
nected with  the  religion  of  the 
tombs,  and  supported  by  the  incon- 
testable miracles  wrought  by  the 
Apostles  in  Jerusalem,  might  oper- 
ate injuriously  on  the  fickle  mind 


270 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


of  the  multitude,  and  provoke  a  f 
dangerous  reaction  in  favor  of  the 
crucified '  prophet.  In  fine,  as  it 
fi-ankly  acknowledged  to  Peter  and 
John,  it  had  no  wish  to  be  called 
on  by  the  people  to  account  for  the 
blood  of  Jesus. 

For  all  these  reasons,  the  sena- 
tors and  chief  priests  took  another 
step  on  the  slippery  road  of  guilt, 
in  order  to  justify  the  abominable 
sentence  which  they  had  wrimg 
from  the  Roman  .^  and  they  openly 
boasted  of  having  stifled  in  the  bud 
the  devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin. 
Their  iniquitous  hopes  were  defeat- 
ed. The  most  furious  tyrants,  even 
when  most  implicitly  obeyed  in 
the  gloomy  caprices  of  their  cruel- 
ty, cannot  kill  remembrance — that 
flower  of  the  soul  which  blooms, 
mysterious  and  consoling,  in  the 
inaccessible  region  of  ideas,  and  is 
but  rooted  the  more  firmly  by  the 
wind  of  pei'secution.  The  memory 
of  the  Virgin -mother  resisted  this 
Jewish  huiiicane;  people  sang  no 
more  in  her  grotto,  but  they  went 
there  to  weep,  and  the  tears  which 

*  Most  people  are  familiar  with  the  sarcastic 
jest  of  that  courtier  of  Nero,  who,  being  scolded 
and  threatened  by  an  old  priestess  for  having 


devotion  sheds  are  equal  to  the  in- 
cense of  Saba,  which,  itself,  trickles 
like  tears  from  the  pierced  bark. 

Violently  uprooted  by  the  sacri- 
legious hands  of  the  princes  of  the 
reprobate  people  of  God,  the  ven- 
eration of  Mary  was  transplanted 
by  the  Apostles  to  the  still  idola- 
trous land  of  the  stranger.  In  their 
own  lifetime  they  saw  it  beginning 
to  appear  in  Syria,  Mesopotamia, 
Asia  Minor,  Egypt,  and  Spain.  It 
is  true  that  this  devotion,  so  ten- 
der and  so  poetical,  which  was  to 
replace  the  impure  and  seductive 
worship  of  the  divinities  of  Olym- 
pus, shone,  at  first,  but  like  a  small 
star  on  the  zenith  of  a  few  cities ; 
for  Christianity  was,  in  the  begin- 
ning, only  the  religion  of  cities,  and 
of  the  common  people  in  those 
cities.  Paganism,  repudiated  by  all 
serious  minds,  despised  by  philoso- 
phers, ridiculed  on  the  stage,  where 
men  publicly  read  "The  last  will 
and  testament  of  Jupiter,  deceased," 
and  scofi'ed  at  in  the  true  Voltairian 
style  by  the  young  Epicureans  of 
the  imperial  court,*  retained,  never- 

killed  one  of  her  sacred  geese,  threw  her  two 
gold  pieces,  saying,  "There,  you  can  buy  both 
gods  and  geese." 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


271 


theless,  an  incredible  number  of 
partisans;  connected  with  numer- 
ous interests,  defended  by  prejudice 
and  by  ancient  superstitions,  attrac- 
tive from  the  splendor  of  its  festi- 
vals, and  mingled  with  every  glo- 
rious recollection,  it  still  dazzled, 
though  on  its  decline.  Proud  of  its 
advantages,  it  did  not,  at  first,  con- 
descend to  fear  "the  carpenter's 
son"  and  the  young  "  spinner  of 
Nazareth."*  How  could  it  fear 
them?  it  saw  them  not.  The  re- 
ligion of  the  poor  God  and  his  holy 
Mother  advanced,  noiselessly,  by 
the  rough  and  toilsome  medium  of 
the  people ;  it  addressed  itself  espe- 
cially to  the  artisan,  the  woman,  the 
slave  —  to  all,  in  fine,  who  were 
weak  and  lowly,  and  oppressed  by 
pagan  society — that  society  so  pro- 
foundly selfish,  so  avaricious,  so  ef- 
feminate and  corrupt,  and  withal 
brilliant  and  cold  as  its  marble 
gods. 

It  was  soon  perceived  that  the 
moral  world — that  old  decrepit  Titan 
— was  growing  young  again  under 
the  mighty,  though  secret,  influence 
of  a  regenerating  charm.  What 
magician  had  restored  to  that  new 

*  See  Celsus. 


*  JEson  the  fresh,  warm  blood  of  its 
earlier  years?  What  new  Prome- 
theus had  scaled  the  heights  of 
heaven  to  bring  down  to  man,  fro- 
zen to  death  by  selfislmess,  a  spark 
of  the  sacred  fire  ?  For  there  was 
no  overlooking  the  fact  that  society 
was  pregnant  of  something  strange 
and  grand  which  was  to  restore  its 
pristine  loveliness  and  strength;  it 
was  becoming  again,  to  all  appear- 
ance, what  it  was  in  the  days  so 
lamented  by  Horace,  when  it  de- 
spised pomp,  honored  the  "gods,  and 
esteemed  poverty  as  an  honor.  In- 
visible, but  persevering  hands  seem- 
ed already  to  have  raised  from  their 
ruins,  where  they  lay  beneath  the 
grass  of  ages,  the  altar  of  chastity 
and  the  austere  temples  of  Faith, 
Honor,  and  Virtue.  Beneficence, 
long  unhonored  with  the  smoke  of 
sacrifice,  in  the  frantic  pursuit  of 
material  pleasures,  began  once  more, 
it  seems,  to  be  mysteriously  respect- 
ed. The  old  equality  of  the  age  of 
Saturn  re-appeared  here  and  there 
on  the  earth.  In  fine,  Humanity 
bore  in  her  arms  the  children  whom 
the  elegant  matrons  of  pagan  society 
exposed  on  the  banks  of  the  river, 
in  the  depths  of  the  forest,  and  on 


272 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


the  verge  of  the  precipice,  where 
the  eagles,  dogs,  and  wild  beasts  tore 
them  to  pieces.*  Charity,  sustain- 
ing with  one  vigorous  arm  the  old 
man  panting  under  his  load  of  toil, 
extended  the  other  to  the  infirm 
creatures  abandoned  on  the  steps 
of  the  temples.  0  gods  of  Greece! 
wandering  gods,  who  were  sheltered 
beneath  the  cottage-roof  of  Philemon 
and  Baucis,  did  you  again  traverse 
the  earth  to  restore  thereon  the  fair 
reign  of  virtue?  Not  so,  for  you 
were,  as  •  the  Scriptures  say,  deaf 
gods,  powerless  gods,  blind  gods, — 
or,  rather,  you  were  nothing. 

Behold  I  In  the  midst  of  that  so- 
ciety— luxurious,  efieminate,  crown- 
ed with  roses,  drinking  to  the  gods 
of  Olympus  from  golden  cups — there 
are  seen,  here  and  there,  groups  of 
persons  with  noble  aspect  and  au- 
stere demeanor,  who  avert  their  eyes 
from  those  pagan  orgies  with  indig- 

*  Philo  gives  details  of  this  abominable  custom 
of  exposing  helpless  abandoned  children,  which 
are  enough  to  make  one's  hair  stand  on  end.  It 
was  only  the  Jews  who  then  condemned  this 
barbarous  practice. 

fThe  vestals  bore  the  name  of  Amatce,  in 
memory  of  Amata,  the  first  Roman  virgin  who 
was  consecrated  to  the  worship  of  Yesta.  (Aulu- 
GelL,  b.  i.ch.  12.) 

X  The  austere  chastity  of  the  Christian  women 


t  nation  mingled  with  ridicule 

Can  these  be  Stoic  philosophers? 
No;  for  they  give  a  tear  of  pity  to 
the  supplicating  poor,  while  placing 
in  their  hand  the  liberal  alms,  con- 
cealing themselves  as  they  do  so. 
Can  that  be  a  vestal,  that  young 
maiden  who  walks,  with  folded 
hands  and  eyes  cast  down,  beside 
her  mother,  veiled  like  herself? 
No;  for  she  has  neither  the  em- 
broidered zone  nor  the  purple- 
bordered  robes  of  the  amatce,^  and 
modesty  is  her  only  ornament. 
Those  youthful  widows  who  light 
no  more  the  hymeneal  torch,J  whilst 
the  great  ladies  of  paganism  reck- 
on their  divorces  by  consulates, § 
whence  come  they?  And  those 
young  men  who  bow  with  reverence 
before  the  aged,  blush  like  young 
maidens,  and  yet,  in  war,  are  brave 
as  lions,  who  are  they?  They  are 
not  seen  in  the  theatre,  they  fre- 

excited  the  admiration  of  the  pagans  themselves. 
St.  John  Chrysostom  mentions  that  the  famous 
sophist  Libauius,  from  whom  he  took  lessons  in 
oratory,  hearing  from  him  that  his  mother  had 
been  left  a  widow  at  twenty,  and  would  never 
take  a  second  husband,  exclaimed,  turning  to  his 
idolatrous  audience,  "  O  gods  of  Greece  1  what 
women  are  found  amongst  these  Christians ! '' 
{Sancti  Chrysosiomi vita.) 
§  Seneca,  Treatise  on  FUvors,  b.  iii. 


HISTORY  OF  TEE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY.  273 


quent  not  the  circus,  they  figure  not 
in  the  pagan  festivals  with  garlands 
of  flowers  or  baskets  of  sacred  fruit 
on  their  heads,  and  pass  by  the 
stately  temples  of  Greece  and  Rome 
without  entering.  The  sight  of  a 
sacrifice  makes  them  fly,  and  they 
quickly  shake  off  from  their  dark 
cloaks  the  drops  of  purifying  water 
which  fall  on  them  by  chance.  Fi- 
nally, they  prefer  to  die  rather  than 
touch  the  meats  offered  to  the  gods. 
Can  these  men  be  impious,  they 
whose  hands  close  with  gold  the 
gaping  wounds  of  misery,  whose 
lives  are  the  mirror  of  propriety? 
No ;  for  they  assemble  thrice  in  the 
day,  and  sometimes  in  the  night,* 
to  pray  in  common,  with  uplifted 
hands,  to  an  unknown  God ;  and, 
on  the  altar  of  their  ancient  house- 
hold deities,  where  the  lamp  still 
burns,f  may  be  seen  the  graceful 

*  The  first  Christians  met  to  pray  at  the 
house  of  Terce,  Sext,  and  None,  as  mentioned  in 
the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  ;  they  passed  the  night 
in  prayer  on  the  eve  of  great  festivals,  singing 
hymns  in  honor  of  Jesus  Christ,  as  St.  Basil  jmd 
Socrates  testify. 

■f  The  gods  that  were  indiscriminately  named 
Lares  or  Penates  were  the  tutelary  gods  of 
houses.  They  had  their  own  distinct  worship. 
Wine  and  incense  were  offered  to  them  ;  they 
were  crowned  with  flowers,  and  a  lamp  was  kept    ^ ; 


image  of  a  young  Asiatic  woman, 
half- veiled  in  a  light  blue  drapery,  J 
holding  in  her  arms  a  Divine  In- 
fant. That  woman,  with  the  calm, 
deep  eyes,  is  the  Inspirer  of  chas- 
tity, modesty,  devotion,  mercy;  the 
Guardian  of  honor,  the  Protectress 
of  home — in  a  word,  that  sweet 
Virgin  Mary  to  whom  the  Greeks 
have  given  the  beautiful  name  of 
Panagia,  which  means  all  holy. 

Asia  claims  the  honor  of  having 
placed  the  first  oratory  and  chapel 
under  the  invocation  of  Mary.  The 
most  ancient  of  these  shrines  was 
Our  Lady  of  Tortosa,  which  St. 
Peter  himself  founded,  according  to 
the  Eastern  traditions,  on  the  coasts 
of  Phoenicia.  These  early  Syrian 
churches  were,  at  first,  but  very 
simple  structures,  with  cedar  roofs 
and  latticed  windows.  The  altar 
was  turned  towards  the  west,  like 

burning  before  their  little  statues.  There  was 
found,  under  ground,  in  Lyons,  in  1506,  a  copper 
lamp  with  two  sockets,  the  chain  sealed  in  a 
piece  of  marble,  bearing  this  inscription  : 

Laribus  sacrum. 

P.  F.  Eomum — 
which  signifies,  Puhliccefelicitali  Romanorum. 

X  In  the  oldest  pictures  of  the  Virgin,  being 
those  painted  on  wood,  whose  high  antiquity 
is  indisputable,  she  wears  almost  always  a  bhie 
veil. 


274 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


that  of  Jerusalem,  and  during  the  f 
day  a  wooden  screen  concealed  the 
sanctuary,  in  memory  of  the  famous 
veil  of  the  Holy  of  Holies.  There 
were  A'osses  in  those  churches ;  and 
there  were  also,  at  a  very  early  pe- 
riod, pictures  of  Mary;  for  tradition 
relates  that  her  image  was  painted 
on  one  of  the  pillars  in  the  beautiful 
church  of  Lydda,  which  had  been 
dedicated  to  her  by  her  adopted  son, 
and  that  St.  Luke  presented  to  the 
cathedral  of  Antioch  a  portrait  of 
the  Virgin  painted  by  himself.  This 
image,  to  which  the  Mother  of  God 
was  believed  to  have  attached 
signal  graces,  became  so  famous 
that  the  Empress  Pulcheria  had  it 
brought  to  Constantinople,  where 
she  built  a  magnificent  church  to 
place  it  in. 

Edessa,  the  capital  city  of  that 
king  Abgarus  who  was  on  the  point 
of  making  war  on  the  Jews  to  re- 
venge the  death  of  our  Lord,  and 
who  was  only  prevented  from  doing 
so  through  fear  of  the  Komans,  their 
masters,  as  Eusebius  tells  us,  had 
also,  in  the  1st  centuiy,  its  church 
of  Our  Lady,  adorned  with  a  mirac- 

*  The  worship  of  Mithya,  before  it  reached 
Greece  or  Rome,  had  passed  from  Persia  into 


ulous  image.  Egypt  boasts  of  hav- 
ing had,  about  the  same  time.  Our 
Lady  of  Alexandria,  and  Saragossa, 
in  Spain,  then  called  Caesar  Augus- 
ta, its  famous  shrine  of  Our  Lady  of 
the  Pillar.  But  nowhere  was  the 
devotion  to  Mary  canied  on  with 
such  enthusiastic  fervor  as  in  Asia 
Minor.  Ephesus,  where  the  memory 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin  was  still  fresh 
and  vivid,  soon  built  in  honor  of 
Mary  the  Miriam,  a  superb  cathe- 
dral, wherein  was  held,  in  the  5th 
century,  the  famous  council  which 
confirmed  her  proud  title  of  Mother 
of  God. 

This  example  was  followed  from 
one  end  of  the  immense  Roman 
provinces  to  the  other.  Phrygia, 
having  become  Christian,  consigned 
to  oblivion  those  Trojan  gods  sung 
by  Homer;  Cappadocia  suffered 
those  sacred  fii^es  to  die  away  which 
the  Persians  had  kindled  side  by 
side  with  the  elegant  temples  of  the 
Grecian  deities ;  and  the  caverns 
whose  gloomy  vaults  had  so  recently 
witnessed  the  bloody  mysteries  of 
Mithra*  became,  during  the  religious 
persecutions — which  nowhere  broke 

Cappadocia,  where  Strabo,  who  travelled  there, 
says  that  he  saw  a  great  number  of  the  priests 


mSTORT  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO    THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


275 


out  with  greater  fury  than  amongst 
those  Greek  colonies — a  place  of 
refuge  for  the  Christians  and  their 
proscribed  God.  At  length,  the 
gods  of  Greece,  those  indigenous 
deities,  sprung  from  the  sparkling 
foam  of  the  .^gean  sea,  born  under 
the  still-existing  palms  of  the  Cycla- 
des,  or  cradled  in  the  shade  of  the 
woods  which  crown  the  lofty  moun- 
tains of  Crete — were  abandoned  for 
the  God  who  died  on  Calvary,  and 
the  humble  Virgin  of  Nazareth ;  so 
truly,  so  entirely  abandoned,  that 
Pliny  the  younger,  on  his  arrival  iu 
Bythinia,  of  which  province  he  had 
been  named  governor,  wrote  to  Tra- 
jan that  Christianity  had  not  only 
invaded  the  cities,  but  the  rural 
districts,  so  much  so  that  he  had 
found  the  temples  of  the  gods  of  the 
empire  completely  deserted.* 

Asia  Minor  possessed,  from  the 
earliest  times,  miraculous  images  of 
Our  Lady.  The  two  most  famous 
were   that  of   Didynia,   where    St. 

of  Mithra.  The  mysteries  of  Mithra,  ifrhich 
were  celebrated  in  the  depth  of  caverns,  were 
something  horrible,  according  to  the  holy- 
Fathers,  Human  victims  were  there  sacri- 
ficed, as  appears  from  a  fact  mentioned  by 
Socrates  in  his  "Ecclesiastical  History,"  viz., 
that    the     Christians    of    Alexandria    having    ^ 


*  Basil,  during  the  reign  of  Julian, 
went  to  pray  for  the  afflicted 
Church,  and  that  of  Sosopoli,  an 
image  painted  on  wood,  from  which 
there  oozed  out  a  marvellous  oil, 
which  effected  the  astonishing  cures 
referred  to  in  the  second  Council  of 
Nice. 

Greece,  that  brilliant  land  of  arts 
and  letters,  was  not  more  tardy  in 
honoring  Mary.  In  the  time  of  St. 
Paul,  Corinth — where  Greek  liberty, 
like  an  expiring  lamp,  had  given 
one  last  brilliant  flash — was  con- 
verted almost  entirely  to  Christi- 
anity. The  faithful  met,  at  first,  in 
the  spacious  halls  of  private  houses, 
where  the  Virgin  was  solemnly  in- 
voked. By  degrees  the  temples  of 
Paganism  were  deserted,  and  after 
the  lapse  of  a  hundred  years  the 
curious  traveller  made  his  way 
alone  up  the  steep  sides  of  the 
Acro-Ceraunes  to  visit  the  Temple 
of  Venus,  whose  lofty  porticoes,  ris- 
ing above  the   smrounding   sea  of 

discovered  a  den  which  had  been  long  closed 
up,  and  in  which  the  Mithraic  mysteries 
were  said  to  have  been  formerly  celebrated, 
they  found  therein  human  skulls  and  bones, 
which  they  took  out  to  show  to  the  people  of 
that  great  city. 

*  Pliny,  lib.  x.,  Epist.  97. 


276 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


green  foliage,  were  traced  on  the 
Grecian  sky,  so  deeply,  darkly  blue. 
The  protecting  goddess  of  the  Cor- 
inthians had  been  dethroned  by  the 
holy  woman  who  re-established  in 
that  effeminate  country  modesty,  so 
long  unknown,  and  maternity,  so 
long  despised.  Thanks  to  her,  the 
pure  pleasures  of  the  domestic  cir- 
cle, the  touching  joys  of  home,  were 
easily  substituted  for  the  shameful 
disorders,  the  gigantic  orgies,  the 
depraved  morals  of  that  small  re- 
public which  had  ever  led  the  van 
in  the  march  of  corruption.  Cor- 
inth ti-anstigured  became  a  Chris- 
tian Sparta,  and  the  eulogy  pro- 
nounced on  its  Church  by  St. 
Clement,  the  pope,  towards  the  end 
of  the  1st  century,  gives  a  marvel- 
lous idea  of  its  fervor. 

Arcadia,  whose  forests  were  peo- 
pled with  rural  gods — and  where 
eveiy  grotto,  every  murmuring 
spring  had  its  altar — likewise  ab- 
jured, though  not  so  promptly,  the 
worship  of  Pan  and  the  Naiads  for 
the  veneration  of  the  humble  Vir- 
gin, whose  divine  Child  was  pleased 
to  receive  his  first  homage  from 
simple  shepherds.  But  as  ancient 
superstitions   are   more   difficult  to 


t  eradicate  from  rural  districts  than 
from  any  other  places,  it  was  long 
believed  in  the  Arcadian  hamlets 
that  Diana  still  followed  the  chase 
in  the  depth  of  the  great  woods  of 
Menales  and  Lyceum.  Young  and 
credulous  shepherdesses,  divided  be- 
tween the  Christian  faith  and  their 
ancestral  superstitions,  sometimes 
imagined  that  they  saw,  by  the  flick- 
ering light  of  the  moon,  fair  white 
Dryads  amongst  the  trees,  Naiads 
bending  pensively  over  the  springs, 
or  playful  elves  dancing  on  the  but- 
tercups and  daisies  in  the  meadows. 
But,  about  the  time  of  Constantino, 
the  Blessed  Virgin  had  definitely 
prevailed  over  deified  nature;  and 
the  numerous  churches  bearing  her 
name,  which  still  adorn  the  rustic 
scenes .  of  the  land  of  the  ancient 
Pelages,  attest  the  profound  devo- 
tion of  the  Arcadians  to  the  Virgin- 
mother. 

Elida,  too,  very  early  built  a 
church  in  honor  of  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin on  the  banks  of  its  romantic 
rivei*,  the  Alpheus,  and  as  it  was 
surrounded  by  noble  vineyards,  it 
received  the  name  of  Our  Lady  of 
Grapes. 

Macedonia  preceded  Greece  prop- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


277 


er  in  the  veneration  of  Mary.  Thes- 
salonica  had  a  bishopric  even  in  the 
time  of  the  Apostles,  and  its  church 
was  a  superb  edifice  with  jasper 
cokimns,  dedicated  by  the  pious 
Macedonians  to  the  Blessed  Virgin ; 
this  structure  is  still  to  be  seen,  but 
the  Turks  have  converted  it  into  a 
mosque.* 

Nero,  travelling  in  the  Pelopon- 
nesus, did  not  dare  to  cross  the  fron- 
tiers of  Laconia ;  the  stern  gloom 
of  Sparta  inspired  him  with  fear. 
The  mild,  sweet  Virgin  of  Galilee 
was  more  valiant  than  Csesar;  she 
passed  the  Eurotas,  which  hides  its 
waves  under  rose-bays,  and  pre- 
sented herself  to  the  people  of  Le- 
onidas,  whose  ancient  virtue  was 
preserved  in  the  bitter  but  invigor- 
ating waters  of  poverty.  She  was 
welcomed  with  enthusiasm,  and  that 
brave  people  hastened  to  build  the 
fairest  church  of  Greece  in  honor  of 
that  young  foreign  Virgin  who  came 
to  teach  the  daughters  of  Sparta  to 
cast  down  their  eyes. 

Ever  since  that  time  Mary  rei§ns 
in  Sparta  with  absolute  power ;  for 
her  are  culled  the  earliest  violets 
that  bloom  by  the  Eurotas'  stream ; 

*  Wheeler's  Travels. 


*  it  is  before  her  image,  rudely  painted 
in  red  and  blue  on  the  walls  of  their 
dwellings,  that  the  young  Lacede- 
monians nightly  light  a  lamp  of  clay 
or  bronze ;  a  pious  act  which  is  duly 
noticed  when  the  Grecian  women 
pronounce  the  funeral  eulogium  of 
the  dead.  Finally,  the  inhabitants 
of  Laconia  substituted  the  name  of 
Christ  and  the  Virgin  wherever  their 
ancestors  introduced  the  name  of 
Jupiter  in  affirmation,  and  this  oath 
has  become  of  such  common  use  that 
even  the  Turks  of  Misistra,  prior  to 
the  Greek  revolution,  instead  of 
swearing  by  Allah  and  by  Mahomet, 
like  the  other  Mussulmans,  swore, 
like  the  Greeks  of  Sparta,  by  the 
Blessed  Virgin.f 

Athens,  the  elegant  and  learned, 
celebrated  for  its  monuments,  the 
finest  in  the  world,  and  its  schools, 
which  were  frequented  by  the  flower 
of  the  studious  youth  of  Europe  and 
Asia — Athens  was  slower  in  being 
converted  to  Christianity  than  the 
other  countries  of  Greece.  From 
the  earliest  times,  however,  it  had 
had  a  bishop  and  a  church  dedicated 
to  Mary,  Our  Lady  Spiliotissa,  or 
Our  Lady  of  the  Grotto ;  but  Poly- 

t  Pouqueville,  Voyage  en  Moree,  t.  ler. 


278 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


theism  was  sheltered  under  the  bril-  * 
liant  aBg's  of  Minerva,  and  Athens 
was  at  the  same  time  full  of  Chris- 
tian churches  and  of  idols.  It  was 
in  one  of  these  churches  that  Julian 
filled  the  office  of  Lector,  by  com- 
mand of  the  Emperor  Constantius ; 
but  it  was  in  the  Parthenon  that  he 
was  to  plan  the  revival  of  idolatry, 
while  reading  Homer. 

That  the  devotion  to  the  Blessed 
Virgin  had  a  powerful  influence  on 
the  spread  of  the  Gospel  in  Greece 
and  in  Asia,  is  a  fact  which  the 
habits  and  tastes  of  the  Levantines 
would  have  rendered  probable  even 
were  it  not  attested,  before  all  the 
bishops  of  the  East,  by  St.  Cyril, 
at  the  first  Council  of  Ephesus,  in 
a  discourse  which  is  still  extant. 
"Hail,  Mary,  Mother  of  God !"  said 
that  holy  and  learned  bishop ;  "  it 
is  through  you  that,  in  the  cities^ 
the  towns,  and  the  islands  of  those 
who  have  received  the  true  faith, 


*  S.  Cyr.  Alex.  Oper.,  t.  v.,  p.  2. 

f  Whilst  the  sun  is  above  the  horizon, 
and  as  the  heat  is  excessive  in  their  climate, 
the  Arabs  most  generally  prefer  to  remain 
under  their  tents.  They  go  out  at  the  ap- 
proach of  sunset,  and  then  enjoy  the  charms  of 
a  lovelier  sky  and  cooler  air.  The  night  is  partly 
for  them  what  the  day  is  for  us.     Hence  their 


numerous  churches  have  been  found- 
ed!"* 

Beyond  the  great  sea,  several 
tribes  of  Arabs  were  converted  to 
Christianity,  and  greatly  honored 
Mary,  the  Sultana  of  Heaven,  as 
they  still  call  her.  Seated  in  the 
shade  of  the  date-trees  or  tamarinds, 
which  flourish  best  on  the  margin 
of  brackish  streams,  and  inhaling 
with  delight  the  freshness  which  the 
night  brings  in  those  burning  re- 
gions,! the  story-tellers  of  the  Chris- 
tian ti-ibes,  by  the  light  of  those 
eternal  lamps  of  God  which  they 
suppose  fastened  by  chains  of  gold 
to  the  vault  of  the  firmament, J  re- 
lated the  principal  facts  in  the  life 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  coloring  them 
with  that  marvellous  tint  so  pleas- 
ing to  the  sons  of  Ishmael.  They 
told,  according  to  the  Arab  gospel 
of  the  holy  childhood  and  the  tradi- 
tions of  the  desert,  how  the  holy 
angels  came  to  bring  to  the  Virgin, 


poets  never  extol  the  charms  of  a  fine  day  ;  but 
the  Words,  "Leili!  leiU!  O  night !  O  night  !"aro 
repeate(f  in  all  their  songs.  (Sav.,  note  on  the 
7th  eh.  of  the  Koran. ) 

\  The  first  sky  is  of  pure  silver  ;  it  is  from  its 
beautiful  vault  that  the  stars  are  suspended  with 
strong  chains  of  gold.     {Koran,  the  Legend  of 
^    Mahomet,  by  Savary,  p.  15.) 


EISTOBY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


279 


in  the  temple  where  Zachary,  her 
guardian,  had  placed  her,  delicious 
dates,  amber   grapes,    figs   sweeter 
than    honey,    and   odorous    flowers 
gathered   in   the   celestial    gardens 
where   limpid   streams    and    green 
trees  abound  ;  for  Paradise,  in  warm 
climates,   is    always    composed   of 
fresh  waters  and  cool  shades.     And 
there,  they  recite,  in  their  own  pecu- 
liar style,  the  prodigies  of  the  birth 
of  Jesus,  which  they  still  call  (Mus- 
sulmans as  they  have  since  become) 
al  Milad — the  hirth  by  excellence. 
They  placed  the  scene  in  the  desert, 
on  the  banks  of  a  stream  and  at  the 
foot  of  a  withered  palm-tree,  which 
was  suddenly  covered  with  leaves 
and  fruit  at  the  bidding  of  the  angel 
Gabriel,  whom  God  had  sent  to  con- 
sole Mary.     These  marvellous  tales 
increasing  their  veneration  for  the 
Blessed   Yirgin,    they   believed,   in 
time,  that  they  might  adore  in  heav- 
en her  whom  angels  had  served  on 
earth,  and  they  offered  her,  in  fact, 
oblations  of  cakes  made  of  flour  and 


*  Geladeddin,  note  on  the  16th  ch.  of  the 
Koran. 

•\  The  idolatrous  Arabs  had  several  she-camels 
consecrated  to  the  gods  of  the  Caaba  ;  the 
cream  of  their  milk  served  to  make  libations. 


*  honey ;  hence  their  name  of  coUyri- 
dians,  from  the  Greek  word  coUyre 
(cake).  St.  Epiphanius  warmly  re- 
bukes them  for  this  worship,  which 
exceeded  the  prescribed  limits,  ex- 
plaining to  them  that  oblation  and 
sacrifice  are  only  to  be  offered  to 
God. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  idolatrous 
Arabs  had  placed  the  image  of 
Mary  in  the  Caaba,  amongst  the 
angels,  whom  they  represented  un- 
der the  figure  of  young  women,  and 
called  the  daughters  of  God.^  Mary, 
whom  they  had  made  the  sister  of 
those  pure  spkits,  came  in  for  a 
share  of  the  divine  honors  paid  to 
them.  They  sacrificed  to  her  vic- 
tims adorned  with  leaves  and  flow- 
ers ;  thay  offered  to  her  the  first  of 
their  crops,  together  with  the  first 
dates  from  their  trees,  and,  in  gold- 
en vases,  the  frothy  milk  of  the 
sacred  camels.f  The  image  of  the 
Blessed  Yirgin  with  the  Divine 
Child  in  her  arms  remained  in  the 
Temple  of  Mecca  till  the  time  of 


(Savary,  in  a  note  on  the  5th  ch.  of  the  Koran.) 
The  inhabitants  of  Mecca  oflfered  one  portion 
of  their  fruits  and  of  their  flocks  to  God,  an- 
other to  their  idols.  (Geladeddin,  note  on  the 
6th  ch.  of  the  Koran.) 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


Mahomet,  who  had  it  removed  with 
the  genii  and  the  angels. 

The  holy  name  of  Mary  began 
to  be  invoked  amongst  the  nations 
who  dwell  between  the  Caspian  and 
the  Euxine  seas;  but  the  shrines 
of  Judea  and  the  scenes  of  the 
Redemption    were,   alas!    profaned 


*  by  Greek  and  Syi-ian  idols  which 
were  only  overthrown  mider  Con- 
stantino. The  statue  of  Jupiter 
was  sacrilegiously  raised  on  the 
spot  where  the  weeping  Maiy  saw 
Jesus  crucified,  and  it  was  to 
Adonis   that    sacrifice   was   offered 

¥  in  the  cave  of  Bethlehem. 


CHAPTER   III. 


THE    WEST THE    CATACOMBS. 


HE  sacred  vine 
of  Christianity 
ah-eady  flour- 
ished in  Asia 
so  as  to  extend 
its  branches 
over  a  multi- 
tude of  nations;*  but  it  did  not' 
take  root  so  quickly  in  the  West. 
Rome,  thoroughly  idolatrous — Rome, 
drunk  with  the  blood  of  martyrs, 
which  she  shed  like  water — Rome 


*  protected  Polytheism  with  all  her 
power,  and  her  power  extended 
over  an  entire  world !  In  the  East, 
a    mysterious    sign,    which    made 

Satan  tremble  in  the  depth  of  the 
fiery  abyss,  announced  that  the 
kingdom  of  God  was  near;  but  in 
Italy  and  the  regions  beyond  the 
Alps,  Christianity  was,  as  yet,  in 
the  condition  of  a  secret  society; 
people  were  received  into  its  ranks 
wi%    aU    manner   of   caution   and 


*  We  learn  from  Arnobus  and  Eusebius  that 
the  Gospel,  during  the  three  first  centuries,  had 
spread  far  beyond  the  limits  of  the  Roman  em- 
pire, amongst  the  Persians,  the  Parthian  s,  the 


Scythians,  and  many  other  nations  whom  they 
do  not  name.  (Arnob.,  Adv.  Gentes,  lib.  ii., 
chapter  12.  —  Euseb.,  Demonstr.  Evang.  L  lii., 
ch.  5. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY.  281 


even  mystery;  its  members  recog- 
nized each  other  by  certain  signs; 
and,  doubtless,  the  sign  of  the  Cross, 
the  origin  of  which  is  unknown, 
was  one  of  those  mysterious  signs, 
which  revealed  an  unknown  Chris- 
tian to  his  brethren  scattered 
through  the  crowd.  It  was  not  that 
the  Christians  were  so  few  in  the 
regions  of  the  West ;  they  were  al- 
ready sufficiently  numerous  to  form 
armies;  but  persecuted  by  idola- 
trous governors,  tracked  like  wild 
beasts,  and  finding  no  protection  in 
the  Roman  laws,  which  recognized 
only  to  punish  them,  they  lived  iso- 
lated "as  drops  upon  the  grass,  as 
a  dew  from  the  Lord,  which  waiteth 
not  for  man,  nor  tarrieth  for  the 
children  of  men."* 

The  first  Latin  churches  were 
domestic  chapels,  and  the  first  al- 
tars,  portable   wooden   chests   like 

*  Micheas,  ch.  v.,  v.  7. 

f  One  of  these  altars,  whereon  St.  Peter  was 
thought  to  have  celebrated  the  divine  mysteries, 
and  which  Pope  St..  Sylvester  inclosed  under 
the  high  altar  of  St.  John  of  Lateran.  ivaS  ex- 
amined on  the  29th  of  March,  165.8,  under  Alex- 
ander VII.,  by  the  Chevalier  Baromini,  in  con- 
cert with  the  chief  sacristan  of  the  church;  it 
is  four  palms  long,  by  eight  wide.  Its  form  is 
that  of  a  chest.  The  altar  was  moved  from 
place  to  place  by  means  of  several  ringfs. 


*  the  Ark,  having  the  same  form  and 
the  same  kon  rings.f  Those  primi- 
tive churches  of  Rome,  which  were 
in  existence  before  the  an-ival  of 
St.  Paul,  were  composed  chiefly  of 
Greeks  and  converted  Jews;  but 
the  Roman  people  soon  heard  speak 
of  that  new  law  which  said  that 
all  men  are  brethi-en,  that  they  are 
all  equals,  and  ought  to  love  each 
other.  They  fomid  this  holy  law 
both  fair  and  good;  they  wished 
to  follow  it,  and  came  in  crowds  to 
receive  the  regenerating  waters  of 
baptism.  "  It  was  then  perceived," 
says  Tacitus,  "that  Rome  contain- 
ed an  incredible  number  of  Chi-is- 
tians."J  The  pagan  priests  were 
troubled ;  Nero,  emperor  and  su- 
preme pontifi",  took  the  alarm,  and 
the  persecutions  commenced.  § 

They  assembled,   at  first,  where- 
^ver  they  could,  as   St.  Justin  the 


I  Tacitus,  Anncd.,  lib.  xv.,  ch.  44. 
§  This  first  persecution  had  for  a  pretext  the 
burning  of  Rome,  of  which  Nero  accused  the 
«  Christians,  though  it  was  his  own  act;  it  was 
extremely  cruel  ;   they  clothed   the  Christians 
'  with  garments  soaked  in  pitch,  or  some  other 
combustible  matter;  they  then  set  fire  to  them, 
so  that  they  served  as  torches  during  the  night, 
Nero  had  a  festival  on  the  occasion,  in  his  gar- 
dens, where  he  drove  his  chariots  by  the  light  of 
i    those  fatal  flames.    (See  .fibc/es.  5w<.,  v.  i.,  p.  98.) 


282 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


Martyr  said  when  asked  by  the  pre-  * 
feet  of  Rome  where  the  Christians 
were  accustomed  to  meet;  but  the 
halls  and  upper  chambers  of  private 
houses  becoming  too  small,  and  the 
scrutiny  of. the  senate  daily  more 
rigorous,  it  became  necessary  'to 
seek  a  ,temple  vast  enough  to  con- 
tain a  great  multitude  of  people, 
and  so  hidden  as  to  escape  the  eyes 
of  that  host  of  spies  wliich  then,  in- 
fested the  empire,  not  unlike  on6  of 
the  plagues  of  Egypt.  Somerbold,- 
hearted  Christians  proposed  the 
Catacombs,  ^'''herein  were  found  ^ 
vast  and  gloomy  halls,  interminable 
avenues,  "where  the  darkness  was 
so  profound,"  says  St.  Jerome,  "  that 
it  seemed  as  though  one  went  down 
alive  into  the,  sepulchre,  and  the 
walls  around  •  were  --  sheeted  with 
mouldering  bodies,"  This  labyrinth 
of  cofi&ns,  from  which  there  appeare^ 
^  no  egress,  .and  where  any  one  ven- 
tm-ing  in  without  a  guide  Was  sure 
to  perish  —  those  di-ea'ry  vaults, 
where  all  was  silence,  fear  and  ^ 
death,  had  no  terrors  for  the  first 
Chiistians  of  Rome.  On  the  sabbath- 
day,  then  fii'st  called  Sunday,  they 
assembled  in  that  dismal  metropoli- 
tan church  to  read  the  writings  of  | 


the  Apostles  or  the  Prophets ;  then, 
they  offered  up,  on  an  altar  of  un- 
hewn stone,  the  sacrifice  of  bread 
and  wine,  which  was  preceded  by  a 
sermon,  and  followed  by  a  collection 
for  the  poor."  *  Some  rude  frescoes, 
representing  the  Saviour  or  Mary, 
which  are  still  to  be  seen,  half  ef- 
faced, jn  the  Catacombs  of  Naples 
and  of  Rome,  were  the  sole  decora- 
tion of  this  place  of  prayer,  whose 
congregation  consisted  of  ten  dead 
and  one  living  generation.  What  a 
temple!  Instead  of  golden  vases, 
there  were  wooden  cups !  instead  of 
the  Roman  lamps  of  massive  silver, 
th^  were  fiafiiig  torches !  instead 
of  martial  spoils,  there  were  the 
fearful  trophies  of  the  angel  of 
death!  Behind,  before,  and  all 
around  the  spot  where  the  faithful 
assembled,  were  endless  subterrane- 
ous avenues,  where  distant  torches 
gleamed  from  time  to  time,  and 
veiled  figures  were  seen  moving, 
looking  more  like  spectres  than  hu-* 
man  beings !  Beneath  was  the  dust 
o^^'fgpublic  which  had  carried  off 
its^.virtues  in  the  folds  of  its  great 
shroud :  terror  within ;  and  without, 
in  case  of  discovery,  was  the  amphi- 

*Apolog.  S.  Just. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


283 


theatre,  red  with  the  blood  of  mar- 
tyred Christians! 

When  we  come  to  reflect  on  these 
things,  we  ask  ourselves  in  amaze- 
ment, what  intrepid  heroes  wei-e 
they  who  braved  these  horrors  ?  .  .  . 
Those  heroes,  who  thus  braved  death 
and  terror,  were  ignorant  men  who 
had  grown  up*  amid  the  auguries, 
the  signs,  and  the  thousand  super- 
stitious fears  of  paganism ;  they 
were  timid  virgins,  wo7}t  to  hloomfar 
from  the  world  like  solitary  roses  ;  *' 
fair  and  rich  patricians,  s^ved  by 
legions  of  slaves,  who  slept  on  beds 
of  massive  gold,  eat  from  tables  ^- 
citron-wood,  inhabited  apartments 
ceiled  with  ivory,  and  trod  but  on 
flags  of  marble  strewed  with  gold  or 
silver  dust ;  young  men,  wrapt  up  in 
rich  scarlet  cloaks,  and  bearing%uch 
names  as  Anicius,  Olib7'ius,  Probus, 
Gracchus  ^ — in  a  word,  the  flower 
of  the  lloman  patricians ;  knight, 


*  S.  Ambr.,  de  Virg.,  lib.  i.,  ch.  6. 

f  See  Prudentius  jn  his  two  books  against 
Symmachus,  According  to  that  author,  the 
family  of  Anicius  was  the  first  patrician  family 
that  embraced  Christianity  in  Rome. 

I  Fiavius  Clement,  cousin-germain  of  Domi- 
tian,    whose    two    sons    had    been    appointed 
by    the    Emperor    himself   as    his    successors^ 
was  put  to  death  as  a  Christian  shortly  after 


^  who  might  be  known  by  their  eques- 
ti'ian  ring,  great  ofl&cers  of  the  pal- 
ace, tribunes  of  the  people,  favorites 
and  kinsmen  of  Caesar,  whose  sons 
were  appointed  to  succeed  him  in 
the  empire. J  •  •  •  .  Who  else?  Im- 
perial princesses  who  traversed  by 
night,  escorted  by  some  feithful 
slaves,  the  ati^iuin  of  their  «gilded 
palace  on  Mount  Palatine,  and  glid- 
ed like  spirits  out  of  the  city  of 
Komulus,  to  go  worship  the  Galilean 
in  the  Catacombs — the  Galilean 
so  d.€spised  arid  ridiculed  py  the 
haughty  pagan  arisfeicracy-^^and  to 

i^  invoke  that  sweet  Virgin  Mary  for 
whom  the  noble  descendants  of  the 
Gracchi  and  the  Scipios  abandoned 
their  favorite  temple  of  Juno  Lu- 
cina.  § 

V  If  the  Tiber  overflowed,  or  the 
rain  failed,  or  ^  an  earthquake  hap- 
frened,  and^  the  -Koi^an  people,  to 
avert  these  disasters,'  cried  out,  ac- 


the  expiration  of  his  consulate.  The  princess 
Domitilla,  his  wife,  a  Christian  like  himself, 
was  banished  to  an  island.  (Hist.  Eccles.,  t.  i., 
p.  105.) 

§  The  temple  of  Juno  Lucina  was  frequented 
in  preference  to  any  other  by  the  great  ladies  of 
Rome  ;  prostitutes  were  forbidden  to  enter  ;  it 
was  in -this  temple  that  mothers  prayed  especially 
for  the  advantageous  marriage  of  their  daughters. 


264 


BlSTOlil    01'   TUK  DEVQTKm  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRQIN  MARY. 


cording  to  ci  stom,  "  The  Christians  f 
to  the  lions  I  '  *  they  brought  before 
the  altar  coffins  filled  with  bones 
gathered  in  the  amphitheatre.  There- 
upon, a  song  of  tiiumph,  softly  chant- 
ed, arising  from  the  bosom  of  the 
earth,  went  up  to  mingle  with  the 
continued  noise  of  the  waters  brought 
in  by  the  aqueducts  over  the  walls 
of  Rome,  and  the  low,  sweet  murmur 
of  the  tall  Italian  poplars,  which 
sounds  like  the  rippling  of  streams. 
Often  would  the  bishop,  a  saintly 
old  man,  leaning  on  a  crooked  stick 
— true  emblem  of  his  pastoral  charge 
— rebuke  the  deserters  who  came 
over  from  the  camp  of  wealth  to 
worship  the  poor  King,  for  a  linger- 
ing attachment  to  Roman  luxury.  He 
told  the  great  ladies,  who  stood  pen- 
sively listening,  that  it  became  not 
Christian  women  to  wear  in  rings 
and  in  bracelets  "  the  substamja 
of  a  thousand  poor."  Some  days 
after,  a  daughter  of  the  Anicii  was 
asked  what  had  become  of  her  j^- 
els;  tTie  poor  of  her  neighborhood, 
both  pagan  and  Christian,  might 
have  answered,  showing  bread  and 
gold!  Or  perchance  he  spoke  of 
Blaveiy;    and,    on    the    morrow,   it 

*  Apolog,  Tertullian. 


was  everywhere  told  in  wonder 
that  a  prefect  of  the  palace  had 
just  set  free  fifteen  hundred  slaves. 
There  it  was  that  charity  was  taught; 
and  what  charity  that  was  !  "  Alms- 
giving is  a  mystery,"  said  the  priest 
of  Jesus  Christ  ;*"  when  you  do  it, 
close  your  doors." 

And  then,  on  going  forth  from 
these  assemblies  where  fervor  was 
renewed,  poor  toiling  women  went 
and  took  up  from  off  the  banks  of 
the  Tiber  the  helpless  infants  left 
there  by  pagan  ladies  of  rank ;  the 
patriciahs  set  apart  a  portion  of 
their  palaces  tor  hospitals ;  and  the 
young  Christian  nobles  undertook 
distant  voyages  to  succor  their  breth- 
ren in  Africa  or  Asia.  These  acts  of 
charity,  of  abnegation,  of  devotion, 
a^t()nished  the  pagans,  to  whom  they 
were  wholly  unaccountable.f 

The  noble  matrons  of  Rome  then 
wore  images  of  Mary  engraved  on 
emeralds,  cornelians,  or  sapphires, 
and,  dying,  bequeathed  them  to 
their  daughters  as  symbols  of  their 
faith.  Galla,  the  widow  of  Syinma- 
chus,  had  a  superb  church  erected, 
long  after,  to  deposit  therein  one  of 
these  precious  stones,  the  relic  of  a 

*  Lucianus,  de  Morle  Peregrini. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


283 


persecuted  faith;  the  workmanship 
of  this  stone  was  so  fine  that  it  Avas 
thought  to  have  come  from  a  hand 
more  than  human,  and  was  vener- 
ated as  a  gift  from  heaven.* 

Besides  these  religious  ornaments 
which  served  those  Christian  women 
as  distinctive  marks,  they  exposed, 
amid  flowers,  on  the  domestic  altar 
where  the  lares  had  so  long  reigned, 
miniature  figures  in  gold  or  silver, 
representing  Jesus  Christ,  the  Vir- 
gin, and  the  Apostles.  These  statu- 
ettes, the  discovery  of  which  brought 
a  whole  family  to  the  ampBitheatre, 
were  usually  so  small  that  they  could 
be  put  out  of  sight  on  the  first  alarm, 
and  even  concealed  on  the  person.f 

A  little  later,  private  chapels  re- 
ceived the  bodies  of  martyrs,  which 
were  clothed   in   costly  white  gar- 

*  Astolfi,  Delle  Imagini  Miracolose. 

f  M.  Kaoul-Kochette  attributes  the  invention 
of  these  little  statues  to  the  Gnostics  ;  but  the 
Gnostics  themselves  make  them  go  back  much 
farther  than  their  sect.  According  to  all  appear- 
ance, this  custom  was  established  amougst  the 
patricians  of  Rome  first  converted  to  Christian- 
ity. The  images  of  Jesus  Christ,  of  the  Virgin, 
and  the  Apostles,  were  substituted  for  those 
of  Fortune  and  several  other  divinities,  which 
were  placed,  crowned  with  flowers,  on  the  altar 
of  the  Lares  ;  they  were  small  enough  to  be  con- 
cealed about  the  person  in  case  of  necessity. 
One  of  these  statuettes,  representing  Harpoc- 


^  ments  and  inclosed  in  magnificent 
marble  tombs.  During  the  last 
persecutions,  Aglad,  a  fair  and 
wealthy  Roman  matron,  sent  for 
these  holy  relics  as  far  as  Bithynia, 
where  the  Roman  governors — who 
traded  in  every  thing,  even  dead 
bodies — sold  them  at  a  high  price.  J 
In  the  interval  between  one  per- 
secution and  another,  the  Christians 
gathered  their  dead  into  cemeteries 
outside  the  walls  of  Rome,  and 
went  thither  frequently  to  pray. 
The  walls  of  these  cemeteries  paint- 
ed in  fi'esco,  represented  Jesus 
Christ  on  his  tribmial,  in  the  ma- 
jestic and  severe  attitude  which 
becomes  the  -sovereign  Judge  of 
men;  near  him,  Mary,  veiled  in 
the  Roman  style,  stood  ready  to 
implore  his  mercy  for  sinners.  § 


rates,  god  of  Silence,  has  been  found  in  Bro; 
tagne  ;  it  was  of  gold,  an(f':about  two  inches  in 
height. — (See  Hist.  Eccles.  de  Bretagne,  t.  iif,, 
page  358.)  We  know,  moreover,  that  the 
ancients  hung  around  their  neck,  or  fastened  to 
their  clothes,  little  imag-es  of  Fortune.  Hence  came 
the  custom  of  wearing  madonnas,  crosses,  and 
other  sacred  images  in  gold  or  precious  stones. 
Being  unable  to  destroy  this  ancient  cuotom,  the 
Church,  in  her  wisdom,  changed  its  object. 

I  Simplician,  governor  of  Cilicia,  sold  to  the 
servants  of  the  martyr  Bonifaciii*,  the  body  of 
their  master  for  five  hundred  gold  crowns. 

§  A  very  ancient  painting  in  the  cemetery  ol 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO    TUE  BLESSED   VJliGlN  MARY 


During  the  halcyoi.  days  of  the  ^ 
iciuu  of  Alexander  Severus,  the 
Christians  of  Home,  Imowing  that 
that  prince  honored  Jesus  Christ, 
whose  image  he  had  placed  in  his 
laraHum,  amongst  the  holy  souls,* 
and  counting  on  the  support  of  his 
mother,  the  Empress  Mamea,  who 
was  a  Christian,  demanded  and  ob- 
tained, notwithstanding  the  clamor- 
ous opposition  of  the  pagan  priests, 
permission  to  erect  a  church  on  a 
waste  spot  which  had  long  been 
encumbered  with  mouldering  ruins. 
This  was  the  first  that  reared  its 
cross  beside  the  marble  fanes  of  the 
gods  of  the  empire;  it  was  dedi- 
cated to  Mary,  and  'took  the  name 
of  Om-  Lady  beyond  the  Tiber. 

Christianity,  violently  oppressed 
in  Italy,  was  cruelly  persecuted  in 
the  Gauls,  where  it  progressed  but 
very  slowly,  according  to  Sulpicius 
Severus,  who  wrote  in  the  4th  cen- 
tury. Nevertheless,  there  were  a  few 
bishoprics  established  so  early  as  the 
3d  century,  amongst  others  that  of 
Lyons,  where  St.  Pothin  had  intro- 
duced the  veneration  of  Mary  ;  and 

St.  Calixtus,  in  Borne,  still  represents  the  Bless- 
ed Virgin  in  this  costume. 

*  Lamprid.,  in  Alex  Sev.,  ch.  29-31. 


missionaries,  amongst  whom  were 
even  Roman  knights,  went  all  over 
the  Gauls.  But  these  sowers  of  the 
Gospel  often  fell  beneath  the  impi- 
ous sword  of  the  idolatrous  govern- 
ors— who  hmited  them  like  wild 
beasts  f — before  their  task  was  lully 
accomplished.  Their  labors,  how- 
ever, though  unfinished,  were  not 
lost;  their  generous  blood  fertiliz- 
ed the  soil  which  they  had  cleared, 
and  in  after  times  other  laborers 
came  in  to  reap  what  they  had 
sowed. 

The  fsland  of  Britain  boasts  of 
having  preceded  the  Gauls  in  its 
conversion  to  Christianity,  and,  if 
we  may  believe  its  most  ancient 
chronicles,  it  had  the  first  Christian 
king.  Venerable  Bede  relates  that, 
in  the  time  of  the  emperors  Marcus 
Aurelius  and  Commodus,  a  prince 
named  Lucius  asked  of  Pope  Eleu- 
tlierus  two  Italian  missionaries  to 
evangelize  the  little  kingdom  which 
he  governed  for  the  Romans.  His 
request  was  graciously  received, 
and  two  apostolic  men,  to  whom 
the  Gauls  subsequently  erected  al- 

f  "  You  have  escaped  us,  then,  if  yo  ii  be  a 
Christian,"  said  HeracUus  to  St.  Sj'mphoiiau, 
"  for  but  few  of  them  now  remain." 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


287 


tars,*  went  to  preach  the  Gospel  to 
the  native  tribes  of  Great  Britain, 
then  divided  between  Druid  ism — 
still  in  its  prime — and  the  gods  of 
the  Ccesars.  God  blessed  their  ef- 
forts :  the  Britons,  still  in  a  semi-bar- 
barous state,  went  forth  in  crowds 
from  their  bee-hive-like  huts  to  hear 
them.  Sometimes,  in  the  midst  of 
the  desert  and  stony  heath  where 
they  went  to  seek  the  sectaries  of 
Esus,  collected  by  the  pale  moon- 
light f  for  some  secret  sacrifice,  a 
young  priestess  of  the  Celts  having 
listened  attentively  to  the  divine 
doctrine,  leaning  against  an  aged 
oak,  suddenly  let  fall  the  golden 
sickle  that  was  to  have  cut  the  mis- 
tletoe—  that  sacred  plant  which 
grew  out  of  the  furrowed  bark  of 
the  oak — and  bowing  down  before 
the  minister  of  Christ,  her  fair 
tresses  still  bound  with  the  sacer- 
dotal wreath,  she  cried  out  in  trem- 
bling accents,  "  I  am  a  Christian ! " 
whereupon,  the  priest,  taking  water 
from  the  still  worshiped  spring,  ad- 


*  Harpisfield,  Hist.,  lib.  i.,  ch.  3. 

f  The  Gauls  and  the  insular  Britons  assem- 
bled only  by  night  in  their  temples,  when  the 
moon  was  in  her  first  quarter,  or  at  her  full  ; 
this  traditional  custom  dates  from  the  most  re- 


^  ministered  the  regenerating  sacra- 
ment of  Baptism  to  the  young  and 
stately  neophyte,  who  gave  up  her 
proud  title  of  Uheldeda  (sublimity) 
for  the  sweet  strange  name  of 
Mary.+ 

During  the  persecution  of  DIocIq- 
sian,  according  to  the  best  authori- 
ties, Christianity  crossed  the  double 
wall  which  separated  the  Britons, 
politically  enervated  by  their  con- 
querors, from  their  wild  and  restless 
neighbors  of  the  North.  The  island 
of  Britain,  where  Roman  civiUzation 
flourished  like  a  pale  and  forced  ex- 
otic, had  cities  adorned  with  baths, 
palaces  of  marble,  temples  radiant 
with  gold,  side  by  side  with  dreary- 
wastes  of  sand  and  rock,  and  thick 
primeval  woods;  but  Caledonia, 
whither  the  eagle  of  the  Caesars  had 
not  yet  penetrated,  was  still  the 
land  of  foam  and  flood,  of  rock  and 
torrent,  having  no  other  worship 
than  a  half-efi'aced  Druidism,  min- 
gled with  German  superstitions. 
All  was  hazy  and  indistinct,  like 


mote  antiquity.     {Hist.  Eccles.  de  Bret.,  i'  iv.,  p. 
540.) 

\  The  Venerable  Bede  asserts  in  his  Ecclesias- 
tical History,  that,  at  this  remote  period,  a  great 
number  of  Druids  became  Christians. 


Bluiuiii   OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


a  landscape  veiled  in  mist.  The 
Druids,  having  had  a  misiinder* 
standing  with  the  great  chiefs,  had 
been  expelled  in  the  4th  century,* 
and  their  notions  relating  to  the  one 
God  were  gradually  almost  forgot- 
ten ;  but  the  people  believed  in  the 
spirit  of  the  waters,  and  the  spirit 
of  the  mountains,  and  in  a  certain 
aerial  dwelling  where  the  shades  of 
their  ancestors,  wandering  by  night 
on  their  cloudy  chariots,  their  white 
drapery  glittering  in  the  moon- 
beams, and  their  transparent  hands, 
holding  by  way  of  sword,  a  half- 
extinguished  meteor.f  The  Chris- 
tian apostles  of  these  regions,  then 
almost  unknown,  took  possession  of 
the  caves  which  the  Druids  had 
abandoned,  J  and  established  them- 
selves on  the  margin  of  stieams,  in 
the  depth  of  forests,  or  on  the  steep 
hill -side.  It  sometimes  chanced 
that  the  Highland  hunter,  careless 
of  pui"suing  farther  over  the  moor 
the  red  deer  or  the  roe,  came  to  seat 
himself  on  the  gray,  mossy  stone 
which  marked  the  grave  of  a  war- 
rior, in  order  to  converse  with  the 

♦  Poems  of  Ossian.     Dissertation  on  the  Era  of 
t  See  Ossian. 


old  man  of  the  cave,  the  Christian 
Cnldee,^  who  told  him  of  Christ  and 
his  Mother.  With  one  aim  thrown 
over  his  unbent  bow,  and  the  other 
resting  on  the  head  of  his  favorite 
hound  lying  at  his  feet,  the  Scottish 
chief  listened,  with  respect  and  at- 
tention, to  the  grave  discourse  of  the 
solitary ;  then,  when  the  sanctity  of 
the  Gospel  had,  at  length,  touched 
his  heart ;  when,  with  clasped  hands 
and  kindling  eyes,  lie  said,  "I  be- 
lieve ! "  his  entire  clan  repeated  like 
a  faithful  echo,  "  We  also  believe  1 " 
Not  content  with  having  spread 
their  doctrine  over  hill  and  dale,  the 
priests  of  Christ  would  fain  pursue 
the  old  idolatiy  even  to  its  most  an- 
cient and  remote  sanctuaiies.  The 
isle  of  lona,  one  of  the  islands  of  the 
Scottish  archipelago,  surrounded  by 
a  green  and  turbulent  sea,  was  a 
sacred  place  for  the  lords  of  the  isles 
and  the  mountain  chiefs,  who  came 
to  swear  peace  on  an  ancient  block, 
which  they  called  the  stone  of  power. 
The  stone  quickly  disappeared,  and 
in  its  stead  arose,  amid  the  pictur- 
esque rocks,  the  most  ancient  and 


♦ 


X  Ibid. 

§  Gxildee,  in  G-elic,  Culdich,  a  hermit,  a  soli- 
tary. 


HISTORY  OF   THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


289 


the  most  venerated  abbey  in  Scot-  f 
land :    alas !    its  cloisters   are  now, 
and  have  long  been,  roofless,  though 
they  cover  the  ashes  of  a  race  of 
kings. 

Four  centuries  had  passed  away, 
and  Christianity  had  already  spread 
from  east  to  west.  "  We  are  but  of 
yesterday,"  said  TertuUian  to  the 
senate  of  pagan  Rome,  "  and  yet  we 
fill  your  palaces,  your  cities,  your 
fortresses,  your  armies,  both  by  land 
and  sea;  we  leave  you  only  your 
temples !  "  It  was  true ;  but  what 
torrents  of  blood  had,  during  all  that 
time,  reddened  the  great  standard  of 
the  Cross !  The  last  persecution  was 
meant  to  eradicate  Christianity : 
Dioclesian  either  levelled  or  closed 
up  all  the  churches,  and  put  Chris- 
tian cities  to  the  sword,*  promising 
the    most  magnificent    rewards  to 


apostacy,  which,  however,  was  very 
uncommon,  notwithstanding  the  im- 
perial encouragement,  the  Christians 
of  those  times  generally  preferring 
martyrdom.  Men  thought  that  it 
was  all  over  with  Christianity :  the 
idolaters  clapped  their  hands  in  ex- 
ultation over  its  approaching  down- 
fall, and  hell  was  heard  to  bellow 
out  its  shouts  of  triumph ;  but  the 
holy  angels,  looking  on  with  a  smile, 
said  amongst  themselves :  "  Christ 
is  about  to  gain  the  victory ;  bless- 
ed be  His  name !"....  A  young 
maiden  of  Bithynia,  named  Helena, 
whom  the  Emperor  Constantius 
Chloris  had  married  for  her  rare 
beauty  and  virtue,  had  just  given 
birth  to  a  son,  who  was  named  Con- 
stantine. 


^       *  Eusebius,  Eccles.  Hist. — Sulpicius  Severus. 


Mr-^. 


'tronlr  ^nioi  of  tjjt  gthtion  U  P^arj. 


FROM  CONSTANTINE  TO  THE  MIDDLE  AGES. 


CHAPTER   lY. 

THE     EAST THE     ICONOCLASTS. 


N  the  delightful 
banks  of  the 
Bosphorus,  in 
Thrace,  within 
sight  of  the  dis- 
tant mountains 
of  Abia  Minor,  whose  lofty  summits 
are  at  evening  tinged  with  the 
richest  gold  and  crimson,  the  coast 
of  Europe  is  indented  by  a  large 
bay  of  incomparable  beauty,  and 
over  its  sheet  of  bright  blue  waters 
rises  a  vast  city,  all  white  and  all 
Christian;*  it  is  Constantinople, 
which  the  son  of  Helena  and  of 
Constantius  Chloris  has  just  dedi- 
cated solemnly  to  Mary;  for  the 
master  of  the  world,  still  treated 
as  a  god  in  idolatrous  Rome,  be- 
longs himself  to  Jesus  Christ ;  and 
the  cross  whereby  he  has  conquered 
decorates   his   banners,   glitters   on 

*  CoDstautine  would  have  it  so  that  there  was 
not  a  single  idolater  in  Constantinople;  he  left 


*  his  coin,  and  surmounts  the  sump- 
tuous basilica  which  he  has  placed 
under  the  invocation  of  St.  Sophia, 
the  Virgin,  and  the  twelve  Apos- 
tles. 

Idolatry  is  still  erect,  but  it  is 
a  withered  palm-tree,  whose  lofty 
branches  are  ah-eady  lifeless. 
Nought  is  seen  but  deserted  altars, 
over  whose  steps  reptiles  crawl; 
birds  begin  to  nestle  in  the  arches 
of  the  temples  where  spiders  spin 
their  webs ;  the  wild  vine  spreads 
its  green  branches  over  their  walls 
of  polished  marble,  and  the  travel- 
ler profanely  cuts  a  walking-stick 
in  those  sacred  groves  from  which 
it  was,  formerly,  death  to  pull  a 
single  branch.  The  ceremonies  of 
pagarj  worship  have  ceased  in 
Greece;  the  most  venerated  idols 
serve  only  for  ornament  in  the  pub- 
idols  only  in  profane  places,  to  serve  as  orna- 
ments. •  {Eecles.  Hist.,  vol.  i.,  p.  523.) 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


291 


lie  places  of  Constantinople;  but 
no  one  is  forced  to  enter  the  church; 
for,  though  Polytheism  be  a  relig- 
ion essentially  bad  and  supremely 
absm'd,  yet  the  emperor  respects 
that  liberty  of  conscience  which  the 
pagans  so  badly  understood  when 
they  abused  the  dread  right  of  the 
strongest.  Lactantius,  one  of  the 
brightest  luminaries  of  Christianity, 
lays  down  as  a  principle,  in  a  fam- 
ous contemporary  work,  that  nihil 
est  tarn  voluntarium  quam  religio.^ 
It  is  such  moderation  as  this  that 
gains  success  for  a  holy  cause. 

It  was  not  merely  by  dedicating 
to  her  the  new  Rome  that  Constan- 
tine  testified  his  respect  for  Mary; 
at  his  request,  the  Empress  Helena, 
converted  by  him,  set  out  for  Pal- 
estine, and  covered  that  holy  land 
with  sacred  monuments,  in  which 
Mary  had  her  full  share.  The 
grotto  of  the  Nativity,  sheeted  with 
marble  and  lit  up  with  golden 
lamps,  was  surrounded  by  a  mag- 
nificent chm*ch,  which  bore  the 
name  of  St.  Mary  of  Bethlehem. 
St.  Mary  of  Nazareth,  erected  on 
the  site  of  the  humble  dwelling  of 
the  Holy  Family,  was  long  consid- 
ered one  of  the  finest  chm-ches  in 


*  Asia.  The  sepulchral  cave  in  tlie 
valley  of  Josaphat  was  consider- 
ably enlarged,  and  adoraed  with  a 
superb  staircase  of  marble;  silver 
lamps  were  suspended  around  the 
Virgin's  tomb.  Finally,  two  sump- 
tuous churches  commemorated  the 
Visitation  of  Mary  and  her  swoon 
near  the  rock  from  which  the  Naz- 
arenes  would  have  cast  Jesus. 

The  successors  of  the  first  By- 
zantine emperor  showed  themselves 
in  general  very  devout  towards 
the  Blessed  Virgin.  Theodosius  the 
Younger,  having  learned  that  a 
great  concourse  of  Christians  from 
all  parts  of  Europe  and  Asia,  flock- 
ed to  the  tomb  of  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin, had  a  stately  Byzantine  church 
erected  there,  which  was  called  by 
the  Arabs  la  Giasmaniah  (the  church 
of  the  body) ,  Kosrou-Paviz  (Cosroes 
11.)  tluew  down  this  church  at  the 
instigation  of  the  Jews,  in  his  in- 
vasion of  Syria  and  Palestine ;  but 
subsequently  repenting  of  that  act 
of  violence,  for  which  he  was  tear- 
fully reproached  by  Sira,  his  Chris- 
tian wife,  the  follower  of  Zoroaster 
built  a  church  himself  to  the  Bless- 
ed Virgin,  in  his  city  of  Miafarc- 

*  Lactantius,  InatiiiU.,  v.  20. 


m 


mSTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   TEE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


kin.*  The  Empress  Piilclieiia, 
daughter  of  Theodosius  and  wife 
of  the  Emperor  Marcian,  had  her- 
self no  less  than  three  -churches 
constructed,  under  the  invocation 
of  the  Panagia,  within  the  limits 
of  Constantinople.  Being  unable 
to  enrich  them  with  relics  of  the 
Mother  of  God,  since  the  body  of 
Mary  is  in  heaven,  she  tried  to 
make  up  the  deficiency  by  some  of 
her  garments,  sent  by  the  faithful 
of  Jerusalem.  The  beautiful  church 
of  the  Blaquernes  had  her  robe, 
that  of  Chalcopratee,  her  girdle ; 
but  that  of  the  Guides  obtained  the 
best  of  all.  Therein  was  placed  on 
an  altar  glittering  with  gold  and 
embellished  with  columns  of  jasper, 
a  portrait  of  Mary  sent  from  An- 
tioch,  said  to  have  been  painted  by 
St.  Luke  during  the  life-time  of  the 
Virgin,  and  to  which  she  had  at- 
tached graces.f 

This  portrait  was  considered  as 
the  palladium  of  the  empire ;  and 
the  emperors — amongst  others  John 
Zimisces  and  the  Comneni— con- 
veyed it  to  the  army,  whence  it 
was  brought  back  on  a  ti'iumphal 
car    drawn    by    magnificent   white 

*  D'Herbelot,  Bibliotheque  Orientate. 


*  horses.  In  great  solemnities,  this 
miraculous  image  was  taken  from 
the  church  of  the  Guides,  where  it 
was  usually  kept  with  the  most 
reverential  care.  The  people  al- 
ways hailed  its  presence  with 
shouts  of  joy  and  canticles  of 
praise.  The  fate  of  this  image  re- 
mains doubtful.  Some  hold  that  it 
was  this  image  which,  after  the 
taking  of  Constantinople  by  the 
Latins  in  1204,  was  brought  to 
Venice  by  the  doge,  Henry  Dandolo; 
others  maintain  that  it  was  the  one 
found  by  the  Turks  when  sacking 
the  city  of  Constantino,  and  by 
them  contemptuously  trampled  un- 
der foot,  after  being  stripped  of  the 
jewels  and  gold  wherein  it  was  set. 
Leo  the  First  built,  in  460,  a 
superb  basilica,  which  he  dedicated 
to  Our  Lady  of  the  Fountain,  in 
gratitude  for  that  the  Holy  Virgin 
had  appeared  to  him  on  the  mar- 
gin of  a  lonely  spring,  whither  he 
had  led  a  blind  old  man,  and  prom 
ised  him  the  empire,  though  he  was 
then  but  a  young  Thracian  soldier. 
The  diadem  of  the  Caesars  no  sooner 
encircled  his  brow,  than  he  set 
about  perpetuatino-  by  this  monu- 

f  Niceph.,  Mist.  Eccles.,  1.  xiv.  and  xv. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


293 


nient,  the   remembrance  of  Mary's 
protection  "•= 

The  Emperor  Zeno,  son-in-law  of 
Leo  L,  was  not  less  devoted  to  Mary 
than  his  father-in-law  had  been ;  he 
built  her  a  church  on  Mount  Gari- 
zim — the  sacred  mountain  of  the 
Samaritans — and  as  that  restless 
people,  then  in  open  rebellion,  had 
spoiled  some  images  of  Mary,  he 
surrounded  the  mountain  with  a 
wall,  whereon  he  placed  a  garrison 
of  soldiers  to  prevent  the  renewal 
of  these  sacrileges. 

The  Emperor  Justin  rebuilt,  with 
increased  splendor,  in  Constanti- 
nople, the  church  of  Our  Lady  of 
Chalcopratee,  overthrown  by  an 
earthquake.  Two  churches  built  at 
Jerusalem  in  honor  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  St.  Mary  the  New,  and 
another  on  the  Mount  of  Olives, 
with  a  monastery  erected  on  a  shelf 
of  Mount  Sinai,  and  in  Africa,  a 
sumptuous  basilica,  with  the  name 

*  Niceph.,  1.  XV.,  ch.  25.  This  church,  built 
with  much  magnificence,  had  windows  of  stained 
glass,  but  not  representing  historical  subjects. 
At  the  end  of  the  5th  century,  painting  on 
glass  was  still  a  new  art. 

■j"  Leo  rV.,  son  of  Constantine  Copronymus, 
having  taken  from  the  church  of  St.  Sophia  one 
of  the  crowns  of  gold  which  the  Emperor  Mau- 
rice had  consecrated  to  the  Virgin,  his  death, 


*  of  Our  Lady  of  Carthage,  were  last- 
ing testimonies  of  the  devotion  of 
the  Emperor  Justinian  to  the  Mother 
of  our  Lord.  Not  content  with 
building  temples  to  her,  the  Caesars 
of  Constantinople  piously  venerated 
Mary  in  their  private  chapels ;  they 
offered  her  splendid  crowns  of  gold,f 
and  wore  on  their  persons  a  little 
figure  of  her  carved  in  the  same  pre- 
cious metal.|  .  They  brought  from 
the  monastery  Hodegium,  to  the 
imperial  palace  of  Constantinople, 
the  celebrated  image  of  the  Virgin 
HocUgetrie  (conductress),  during  the 
last  days  of  Lent,  and  it  remained 
there  till  the  second  Easter-holiday. 
It  was  to  the  Virgin,  too,  that 
Michael  Paleologus  did  homage, 
when  he -had  succeeded  in  expelling 
the  race  of  Courtenay  from  Con- 
stantinople. § 

The  Greek  people  were  not  slow 
in  following  the  example  of  their 
emperors ;  the  lares  and  the  Olympic 

which  occurred  soon  after,  was  attributed  to 
that  sacrilege.     (Blond.,  1.  xxi.,  decad.  2.) 

I  The  Emperor  Andronicus  II.  usually  wore 
round  his  neck  one  of  these  statuettes  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  ;  it  was  of  gold,  and  so  small 
that  he  put  it  in  his  mouth,  in  liexi  of  other 
viaticum,  at  the  moment  of  death. 

§  Antiquities  of  the  chapel,  &c.,  of  the  King 
of  France. 


894 


HISTORY  OF  THE  JJEyuiiON  TO   THE  BLESSED   VIHUIN  MAHl. 


idols  were  almost  everywhere  re- 
placed by  the  Paimgia,  The  altars 
of  Bacchus  were  overthrown  with 
their  green  garlands  of  ivy,  and  Our 
Lady  of  Grnpes  received  amid  the 
vineyards  the  homage  of  the  vinta- 
gers; Ceres  herself  began  to  be 
forgotten  in  the  ruins  of  her  myste- 
rious shrine  at  Eleusis,  destroyed 
by  the  Goths  in  the  third  century, 
together  with  the  temples  of  Del- 
phos,  Corinth,  and  Ephesus;  finally, 
Mount  Athos,  the  mountain  of  Ju- 
piter, had  become,  since  the  time 
of  Constantine,  a  little  colony  of 
hermits  and  solitaries,  of  which 
Mary  was  proclaimed  the  queen. 
The  Gospel  facts  of  her  life  were 
reproduced  in  frescoes,  grounded  on 
gold,  on  the  ceilings  of  an  infinite 
number  of  chapels  built  in  her 
honor  amongst  the  vines  and  olives 
wliich  clothe  the  sides  of  that  lofty 
mountain,  whose  shadow  extends 
across  the  sea  to  the  distant  isle 
of  Lemnos. 

Who  would  believe  that  it  was 
amongst  those  very  Greeks,  so  de- 

*  Lfto  the  Isauriau  was  exceedingly  cruel. 
Having  failed  in  imparting  his  own  hatred  of 
images  to  the  learned  men  charged  with  the 
care  of  the  public  library,  he  had  them  shut  up 
within  it,  surrounded  the  building  with  wood 


*  vout  to  the  Blessed  Virgin,  that  the 
ideas  most  opposed  to  her  personal 
dignity  and  the  perpetuity  of  her 
reign  had  their  rise.  It  was  with- 
in the  walls  of  Constantinople  that 
the  heresy  of  Nestorius  was  first 
broached,  disputing  her  right  to  be 
called  the  Mother  of  God ;  and  also 
that  of  the  Iconoclasts,  who  dragged 
her  images  through  the  mire,  and 
burned  them  in  the  streets.  Under 
Leo  the  Isaurian,  who  had  acquired, 
it  is  said,  amongst  the  Jews,  a  furi- 
ous hatred  for  all  religious  painting 
and  statuary,  faithful  Catholics  were 
seen  thrown  in  heaps  into  the  Bos- 
phorus,  or  beaten  to  death  with 
rods,  for  having  lit  lamps  before  a 
domestic  Madonna,  prayed  at  the 
foot  of  a  crucifix,  or  bent  the  knee 
in  passing  the  statue  of  a  saint* 
Constantine  Copronymus,  successor 
of  this  wicked  prince,  even  surpass- 
ed him  in  cruelty,  and  Leo,  his  son, 
walked  in  the  ways  of  both;  but 
Irene,  sincerely  attached  to  Catho- 
licity, had  the  second  council  of 
Nice  convoked,  when  the  veneration 

and  combustible  matters,  and  then  set  fire  to  it. 
Medals,  numberless  pictures,  and  more  than 
three  thousand  manuscripts  wore  consumed  in 
that  conflagration. 


^ 


-lOUS  [);; 
'  —-\     '  ■ 

J  in 'J     ti- 

^  deatli    ^» 

•  ),  his  8"-^ 


L 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


295 


of  images  was  solemnly  reestablish- 
ed,* and  the  Empress  Theodora, 
aided  by  the  patriarch  Methodus, 
consolidated  the  pious  work  of 
Irene. 

If  the  insult  had  been  great, 
the  reparation  was  complete ;  the 
Greeks,  thenceforward,  endeavored 
to  honor  Mary  by  every  imaginable 
means.  They  decreed  her  crowns 
of  gold ;  they  ever  after  represented 
her  with  the  imperial  purple,  the 
tiara  of  pearls,  and  the  diadem  of 
the  empresses ;  f  they  stamped  her 
image  on  their  coins ;  they  struck 
medals  in  her  honor,  and  fought 
under  her  auspices.  "  Eomans," 
said  Narses,  when  about  to  offer 
battle  to  the  Goths  at  Taginas, 
"  Eomans,  fight  bravely,  the  Virgin 
is  with  us ;  fail  not  to  invoke  her 
during  the  combat ;  for  she  beholds 
our  cohorts,  and  will  deliver  to  us 
the  wretches  who  dispute  her  title 
of  Mother  of  Godr  \  It  was  quickly 
rumored  through  the  ranks  that  the 
Paiia^ia^  to  whom  JSTarses  was  very 

*  Protestants  have  protested  loudly  against 
this  council,  which  explains  so  clearly  the  vene- 
ration of  images.  In  the  16th  century,  they 
had  quite  a  horror  of  the  Empress  Irene,  whom 
they  surnamed  the  furioun,  aiRrming  that  she 
had  established  the  worship  of  images.     {Letter 


devout,  had  promised  him  victory, 
and  appointed  the  hour  for  the 
attack.  Persuaded  that  Heaven 
favored  their  cause,  the  Greeks  dis- 
played an  energy  foreign  to  their 
character.  Totilla  was  slain ;  his 
army  fled,  leaving  the  plain  covered 
with  dead,  and  Italy,  delivered  in 
the  name  of  Our  Lady  of  Victory, 
loudly  blessed  the  Virgin  and  Par- 
ses. 

Mcetes  records  a  historical  fact, 
which  proves  how  highly  Mary  was 
honored  by  the  princes  of  the  Low- 
er Empire.  ^'  John  Comnenus,  after 
gaining  a  battle,"  says  that  histo- 
rian, "was  to  enter  Constantinople 
in  triumph,  as  he  was  entitled  to 
do;  all  was  prepared  for  the  gor- 
geous ceremony;  the  streets  were 
hung  with  silk  and  cloth  of  gold, 
and  numerous  scaffolds  were  erected 
through  the  streets  for  the  accom- 
modation of  th'e  multitudes  of  spec- 
tators who  had  come  from  all  parts 
of  the  empire  to  see  that  glorious 
sight. 

to  the  Bishop  of  Angers  on  the  Miracles  of  Our 
Lady  of  Ardilliers,  in  1594.) 

■{■  It  is  under  this  costume  that  the  Blessed 
Virgin  is  represented  on  the  medals  of  Zimisces 
and  Theophanes. 

I  Hist.  Arianism,  by  Father  Maimbourg,  voL  ii, 


996 


lii.>iuhY  OF  THE  JjrAuLlvN   TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


"The  trumpeters  crowned  with 
laui'el  walked  in  front  of  the  pro- 
cession; then  appeared  representa- 
tions of  the  conquered  cities,  to- 
gether with  the  vanquished  princes, 
in  painting,  in  sculptuie,  in  marble, 
and  in  ivory,  all  of  the  most  exqui- 
site workmanship  ;  *  then  the  spoils 
of  the  enemy — arms,  precious  robes, 
vases  of  gold  enriched  with  jewels, 
so  as  to  dazzle  the  eyes  of  the  be- 
holders ;  after  these  came  the  cap- 
tives, barbarian  princes  of  majestic 
statm'e  and  of  haughty  bearmg, 
walking  in  chains  according  to  cus- 
tom, their  eyes  cast  down,  and  their 
heads,  now  bowed  in  shame,  now 
raised  in  a  sudden  fit  of  fury  and 
despair.  After  them  came  the  tri- 
umphal car,  drawn  by  four  white 
horses ;  all  expected  to  see  the  em- 
peror seated  on  this  car,  clothed  in 
a  robe  of  purple  or  scarlet,  richly 
embroidered,  and  his  lordly  brow 
encircled  with  laurel;  but  in  his 
stead  there  w^as  seen  an  image  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin,  to  whom,  and 
not  to  himself,  he  considered  the 
triumph  due.  The  emperor  on 
horseback,  followed  by  his  brilliant 
court,  closed  this  Christian  proces- 
sion,   happier    in   the   triumph   of 


^  Mary  than  if  he  had  triumphed 
liimself" 

In  order  to  show  how  far  the 
Virgin  was  revered  in  Asia  Minor, 
it  will  sufiice  to  relate,  as  briefly  as 
possible,  what  passed  in  Ephesus 
during  the  sitting  of  the  council 
which  condemned  the  heresy  of 
Nestorius,  in  431. 

The  day  on  which  the  council  was 
to  decide  on  the  divine  maternity  of 
Mary,  the  people,  anxious  and  dis- 
turbed, blocked  up  the  streets  and 
crowded  around  the  magnificent 
temple  which  the  piety  of  the  in- 
habitants had  built  under  the  invo- 
cation of  the  Virgin.  There  it  was 
that  two  hundred  bishops  were  exam- 
ining the  propositions  of  Nestorius, 
who  dared  not  come  to  defend  them, 
so  little  confidence  had  he  in  the 
justice  of  his  cause  or  the  sound- 
ness of  his  arguments.  Profound 
silence  reigned  amongst  the  vast 
multitude  who  thronged  the  vicinity 
of  the  basilica,  and  anxiety  was 
painted  on  every  countenance ;  the 
fine  expressive  features  of  the  Greeks 
manifesting,  as  in  a  glass,  every  in- 

*  Josephus  gives  a  magnificent  description  of 
the  representations  of  cities  which  adorned  the 
^    triumphs, 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


297 


ward  emotion  of  the  soul.  A  bishop 
at  length  appears ;  he  announces 
to  the  mute  and  attentive  crowd 
that  the  anathema  of  the  council  is 
launched  against  the  innovator,  and 
that  the  Most  Holy  Virgin  is  glo- 
riously maintained  in  her  august 
prerogative.  Thereupon,  the  most 
deafening  shouts  of  joy  burst  forth 
on  every  side.  The  Ephesians  and 
the  strangers  gathered  together  from 
all  the  cities  of  Asia,  surrounding 
the  Fathers  of  the  council,  kissed 
their  hands  and  their  garments,  and 


*  burned  odoriferous  perfumes  in  the 
streets  through  which  they  were  to 
pass.  The  city  was  spontaneously 
and  suddenly  illuminated,  and  never 
was  joy  more  universal.  It  is  thought 
to  have  been  in  this  council  of  Eph- 
esus  that  St.  Cyril,  in  concert  with 
the  holy  assembly  over  which  he 
presided,  composed  that  beautiful 
and  touching  prayer  to  the  Mother 
of  God,  which  has  been  adopted  by 
the  Church : — "  Holy  Mary,  Mother 
of  God,  pray  for  us  sinners,  now  and 
at  the  hour  of  om-  death.     Amen ! " 


CHAPTER   Y. 

THE    EAST THE    HOLY   WARS. 


HE  Christians  of 
Asia  were  no 
less  active  than 
the  Greeks  in 
manifesting 
their  devotion 
to  Mary.  Be- 
fore the  time  of  Constantine,  a 
chm-ch  bearing  the  name  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin   arose  like  a  light- 


house on  the  lofty  promontory  of 
Mount  Carmel.  Tyre,  the  deposed 
but  still  mighty  queen  of  the  Le- 
vantine seas,  was  distinguished  for 
her  church  of  Our  Lady,  composed 
principally  of  cedar  and  marble, 
and  I'ivaling  the  Byzantine  basil- 
ica of  the  Cgesars.  Damascus,  the 
emerald  of  the  desert,  willingly  ex- 
pended  two  hundred   thousand   di- 


^8 


mSTORT  OF  TEE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VTJIGTN  MARY. 


nai*s  of  gold  in  building  its  splendid 
church  of  Mart-Miriam  (St.  Mary), 
which  was  buined  by  the  Mohame- 
tans  during  the  caliphate  of  Moc- 
tader,  in  the  year  of  the  Hegira, 
312.*.  Antioch  had,  likewise,  a 
superb  basilica  of  Our  Lady,  and 
hung  golden  lamps  before  that  im- 
age of  her  which  was  soon  to  be 
given  up  at  the  pious  desire  of  the 
Empress  Pulcheria;  for  this  sacred 
image  the  good  Christians  of  Anti- 
och substituted  a  small  cedar  statue 
of  the  Mother  of  God,  miraculously 
found  in  the  time-hollowed  trunk 
of  an  enormous  cypress  which  over- 
hung the  Orontes.f  Lebanon,  that 
lovely  mountain,  which,  "beneath 
a  tiery  sky  remains  faithful,"  says 
Tacitus,  "  to  snow  and  shade ;  \ 
Lebanon,  whose  cedars  were  plant- 
ed by  the  hand  of  the  Lord,  shel- 
tered in  its  rocky  caverns  a  crowd 
of  solitaries  who  had  devoted  their 
labor  to  Mary.  Seated  on  the 
banks  of  that  river  which  took, 
from  their  vicinity,  the  name  of 
JToly^  which  it  still  bears,  and 
which  flows  between  two  mossy 
banks   picturesquely  shaded,  those 

*  D'Herbelot,  Biblioth.  Orient. 
f  istolfi,  delle  Imagini  miraculose. 


^  men  of  toil,  of  contemplation,  and 
of  prayer,  carved,  in  the  majestic 
shade  of  the  cedars — which  let  fall 
on  them,  through  their  rich  foliage, 
a  light  like  that  which  comes  down 
tinged  with  pmple,  blue,  .and  gold, 
through  the  stained  windows  of 
our  cathedrals, — those  little  statu- 
ettes of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  called 
block  virgins,  which  the  western 
pilgrims,  who  visited  the  Holy 
Land  during  the  first  ages  of  Chris- 
tianity, brought  back  to  Europe  to 
place  them  either  in  the  domestic 
chapels,  or  in  chiu'ches  which  they 
have  rendered  famous  by  their 
miracles. 

Mary  had  also  shrines  in  the 
rocky  solitudes  of  Mount  Sinai.  In 
the  depth  of  a  grassy  ravine,  so 
profoundly  set  amongst  enormous 
rocks  that  the  top  of  its  loftiest 
cedars  is  never  shaken  by  the  wind, 
there  arose,  in  the  midst  of  a  little 
grove  of  olives,  poplars,  and  date- 
trees,  a  convent  placed  under  the 
invocation  of  the  Virgin.  There 
was  nothing  to  disturb  the  gloomy 
silence  of  that  oasis  ;  even  the 
storm  that  shook   the   aged  cedars 

I  Taciti  Historiarum,  lib.  v. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  3IARY. 


299 


of  tlie  moimtain  was  scarcely  heard 
there ;  that  peaceful  tomb  of  the 
living  was  only  animated  when 
there  arose  from  it  songs  of  praise 
to  "  Him  who  was  before  the  moun- 
tains," and  to  "Her  in  whom  he 
hath  done  great  things." 

In  Persia,  where  the  ruins  of  nu- 
merous churches  and  monasteries 
dedicated  to  Mary  are  still  seen,  the 
Christians  were  early  distinguished 
by  their  zeal  in  building  those 
places  of  prayer.  Eliseus  Yertabed, 
a  highly-esteemed  Armenian  author 
who  flourished  in  the  5th  century, 
has  preser^^ed  for  us,  in  his  religious 
history  of  the  Armenian  wars,  a  dis- 
course of  the  king  of  kings  Jesgird 
— in  the  west,  Isdigerdes : — "  I  have 
learned  from  my  fathers,"  said  that 
prince  in  a  great  council  composed 
of  satraps  and  magi,  wherein  the 
question  of  an  approaching  persecu- 
tion of  the  Christians  was  discussed, 
"I  have  learned  from  my  fathers 
that,  in  the  time  of  King  Chabouh 
II.  (in  319),  when  the  religion  of 
Christ  began  to  spread  in  Persia, 
and  other  Eastern  countries,  our 
principal  moheds  (doctors)  advised 
the  king  to  abolish  Christianity  in 
his  states ;  he  tried  to  do  so,  but  in 


*  vain,  for  the  more  he  exerted  him- 
self to  arrest  the  progress  of  that 
religion,  the  more  it  seemed  to  flour- 
ish. The  Christians  of  Persia  were 
so  bold  that  they  built,  in  all  the 
cities,  churches  which  surpassed  the 
royal  dwellings  in  magnificence ; 
they  also  raised  oratories  over  the 
graves  of  their  martyrs ;  and  there 
was  no  place,  whether  inhabited  or 
waste,  where  they  did  not  put  up 
convents."* 

The  extinction  of  Christianity  was 
decided  on  in  this  council,  where  the 
Magi  were  all-powerful ;  but  the 
king  resolved  to  try  bribery  before 
he  had  recourse  to  violence ;  he 
tried,  as  the  Persians  have  it,  "  to 
infuse  deadly  poison  into  the  cup 
of  milk."  Calling  around  him  the 
nakarars  or  nobles  of  Armenia,  who 
governed  by  feudal  tenure  the  small 
principalities  hereditary  in  their 
families,  under  the  authority  of  a 
marzhan  or  vice-king  named  by  Per- 
sia, he  loaded  them  with  praise,  with 
sweet  words,  and  alluring  promises, 
to  obtain  from  them  the  sacrifice 
of  their  religion.  Those  who  yielded 
were   rewarded   with  governments, 

*  HtHtory  of  the  Rising  of  Christian  Armenia^ 
^    by  Eliseus  Vertabed,  ch.  iii. 


300 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


honorary  titles,  fair  and  fertile  lord-  | 
shii>s,  or  Arab  horses  superbly  ca- 
parisoned. Never  had  there  gone 
forth  from  the  royal  treasury  so 
manv  bracelets  of  emeralds,  so 
many  girdles  of  beaten  gold,  stud- 
ded with  rubies  and  pearls;  so 
many  pieces  of  brocade,  grounded 
on  red  and  gold,  and  spangled  with 
precious  stones — for  no  cost  was 
spared  to  gain  the  desired  end. 
But,  alas!  the  deserters  from  the 
true  faith  to  the  camp  of  the  Magi 
were  so  few  in  number,  and  the 
"  king  of  kings "  was  so  urged  to 
put  an  end  to  Christianity,  that, 
suddenly  throwing  off  the  mask  of 
moderation  which  he  had  at  first 
assumed,  he  issued  a  very  curious 
proclamation,  wherein,  after  having 
praised,  according  to  the  ancient 
formulas  of  the  Persian  court,  the 
holy  God,  "  master  of  the  moon  and 
stars,"  whose  power  nothing  escapes, 

*  "  Trust  not  your  chiefs  whom  you  call  Naz- 
arenes,"  said  he  to  the  Armenians,  in  this  royal 
edict  mentioned  by  Eliseus  Vertabed,  "  they  are 
liars  and  impostors.  What  they  teach  by  word, 
they  belie  by  their  deeds.  To  eat  meat,  say 
they,  is  no  sin,  and  yet  they  eat  it  not!  It  is 
lawful  to  marry,  they  tell  you,  and  yet  they  will 
not  so  much  as  look  on  a  woman  !  They  will  tell 
you  that  it  is  no  sin  to  gather  riches  honestly, 
and  yet  they  are  forever  preaching  up  poverty. 


"from  the  sun  to  the  darkness  of 
night,  from  the  little  sprhig  to  the 
blue  sea-wave,"  he  went  on  to  ex- 
pose the  fundamental  points  of  his 
own  false  doctrine,  and  to  slander 
that  of  the  Christians.*  This  royal 
edict  was  promptly  followed  by  an- 
other commanding  the  Armenians  to 
embrace  without  delay  the  worship 
of  fire;  to  contract  marriage  with 
their  nearest  relations,  contrary  to 
the  laws  of  Jesus  Chi'ist,  which  de- 
clares such  marriages  criminal,  and 
ending  by  ordering  sacrifice  to  the 
siin,  consisting  of  goats  and  white 
bulls. 

The  Apostle  said,  "  Be  ye  subject 
to  the  powers  that  be ; "  but  God 
has  commanded  us  to  prefer  death 
to  idolatry.  Hence,  the  Armenians, 
instead  of  conforming  to  the  impious 
edict  of  the  Persian  court,  continu- 
ed to  celebrate  the  divine  service  in 
their  horse-camps,  and  to  listen  to 

They  extol  affliction  and  condemn  prosperity  ; 
they  despise  glory  of  every  kind ;  they  love  to 
clothe  themselves  in  homely  garments,  like  poor 
beggars,  preferring  worthless  things  to  those 
that  are  of  value  ;  they  praise  death  and  despise 
life;  finally,  they  have  even  gone  so  far  as  to  make 
a  virtue  of  chastity,  so  that  if  their  advice  were 
followed,  the  world  would  speedily  come  to 
an  end  ! "  {Rising  of  Christian  Armenia,  chap- 
ter ii.) 


HISTORY  OF   THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


301 


the  preaching  of  the  priests  who,  in 
imitation  of  the  ancient  Jewish 
Levites,  accompanied  the  army.  In 
vain  did  Isdigerdes,  separating  them 
into  small  bodies,  station  them  at 
the  most  distant  and  dangerous 
points  along  the  frontiers ;  in  vain 
did  he  give  them  for  winter-quarters 
the  most  unsheltered  mountain  pass- 
es, and  the  most  unhealthy  localities; 
in  vain  did  he  seek  to  reduce  them 
by  the  extremities  of  hunger  and 
thirst,  whilst,  on  the  other  hand,  poor 
Armenia,  squeezed  like  the  grape  in 
the  wine-press,  gave  to  the  Persian 
treasury  its  last  drops  of  gold.  The 
tree  of  the  faith,  amidst  all  these 
miseries,  remained  "  green  as  a 
stately  cypress  surmounted  by  the 
full-orbed  moon."  The  Christians 
of  Armenia  had  endured  all ;  but 
their  patience  failed  when  the  "  king 
of  kings"  madly  undertook  to  destroy 
the  monasteries  placed  under  the 
invocation  of  the  Saints,  and  to 
convert  the  churches  into  Temples 
of  the  Sun.  They  rose  from  one  end 
of  the  kingdom  to  the  other,  and, 
making  up  in  enthusiasm  what  they 
wanted  in  numbers,  all  the  Persian 
fortresses  were  taken,  and  the  tem- 
ples of  the  sun  burned  to  the  ground. 


^  A  great  battle,  in  which  the  Persians 
were  ten  to  one,  was  fought  on  the 
frontiers  of  Georgia,  on  the  banks 
of  a  small  river  which  flows  into 
the  Gour  [Cyrus).  The  Persian  army 
presented  the  most  splendid  and  im- 
posing sight;  its  war-elephants — 
loaded  with  towers  from  whose  top 
the  skillful  archers  darted  their  long 
poplar  arrows — extended  over  the 
wings,  and  in  the  centre  was  the 
terrible  phalanx  of  the  immortals. 
These  numerous  squadrons,  resplen- 
dent with  gold,  moved  to  the  sound 
of  clarions,  trumpets,  cymbals,  and 
little  Hindoo  bells ;  flags  of  yellow, 
red,  and  violet  flaunted  like  tulips 
at  the  end  of  the  spears ;  the  cap- 
tains and  the  satraps  drew  their  In- 
dian swords  from  their  golden  scab- 
bards, and  pushed  on  their  swift 
Arabian  horses  with  golden  bridles 
and  brilliant  housings.  Clothed  in 
dark-colored  garments,  and  with  the 
cross  displayed  on  their  banners  — 
dark  like  their  garments— the  Ar- 
menians, a  handful  of  heroes,  hav- 
ing raised  their  hands  and  hearts 
to  heaven,  marched  to  meet  the 
enemy  singing  a  canticle  from  the 
psalms.  '^  Judge  between  us  and 
our   enemies,    0   Lord ! "    sang   the 


802 


HISTORY  OF   TUE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


insurgent  Chiistiiuis ;  "  take  up  bow 
and  buckler  for  us,  for  our  cause  is 
thine;  spread  terror  through  the 
countless  hosts  of  the  wicked.  Let 
them  fly  and  be  dispersed  before 
the  august  sign  of  the  holy  cross. 
We  ai'e  willing  to  die  for  thy  sake, 
and  if  we  slay  these  infidels  we  shall 
be  martyrs  to  the  truth."* 

Excited  by  this  prayer,  the  Arme- 
nians bm'st  with  fury  on  the  Persians, 
and  shattered  their  right  wing  at  the 
first  shock.  The  conflict  was  terri- 
ble ;  the  air,  bristling  with  arrows, 
resembled  "  the  ^^lture's  wing,"  and 
blue  swords  flashed  like  heaven's 
lightning.  Enthusiasm,  exalted  by 
faith,  prevailed  ;  the  Persians  were 
completely  routed,  and  the  bodies 
of  nine  great  sati'aps  lay  on  the  field 
of  battle.  The  waters  of  the  Lomeki 
were  changed  into  blood,  and  only 
a  single  horseman  escaped  on  his 
dromedary  to  bear  these  disastrous 
tidings  to  the  Persian  court. 

But  this  victory,  great  and  un- 
hoped for  as  it  was,  could  not  be 
decisive ;  the  Christians  of  Armenia 
had  neither  gold  nor  allies;  Mar- 
cian,  the  Greek  emperor,  whom  they 
had  besought,  in  the  name  of  Christ 
and  his   Blessed   Mother,  to  assist 


them,  basely  sent  an  express  ambas- 
sador to  the  com't  of  Persia  to  pro- 
test to  the  "  king  of  kings  "  that  he 
had  nothing  whatever  to  do  with 
the  rebellion  in  Armenia,  and  was 
resolved  not  to  interfere.  Isigerdes 
imderstood  that  Caesar  was  afraid; 
and,  trusting  to  his  cowardice,  he 
resolved  to  pursue  the  extermination 
of  Christianity  in  Armenia;  happily, 
he  did  not  succeed.  The  Christians, 
overwhelmed  by  numbers,  lost  a 
great  battle,  together  with  the  hero 
who  commanded  them,  Yartan  the 
Mamigonian,  a  prince  of  Chinese 
origin,  who  fell  after  performing 
prodigies  of  valor.  The  Armenians, 
reduced  to  the  last  extremity,  would 
not  declare  themselves  conquered ; 
they  deserted  the  cities  for  the  for- 
ests and  mountains ;  they  celebrat- 
ed the  divine  office  in  the  caverns 
of  the  rocks.  The  Armenian  bishops 
suffered  martyrdom  with  unshaken 
firnmess ;  the  princes,  accustomed 
to  the  fresh,  bracing  air  of  their  high 
mountains,  were  taken  in  chains  to 
Korassan,  where  the  sky  is  fire  and 
the  wind  is  the  dread  Simoom,  which 
kills  like  thunder,  while  the  soil  is 

*  Eliseus  Vertabed,  ch.  iiL 


HTSTORY  OF   THE  DEVOTION  TO    TUE  BLESSED  TIBGTN  MABY. 


303 


a  sea  of  flaming  sand.*  There  they 
would  have  perished  miserably  had 
not  two  confessors,  mutilated  by  the 
Persian  sabre,  undertaken  to  collect 
alms  amongst  the  Christians  of  the 
neighboring  provinces  for  the  relief 
of  the  captive  nobles :  this  lasted 
about  seven  years.  One  of  these 
angels  of  charity  died  of  fatigue  in 
the  burning  deserts  of  Kohistan,  the 
heat  of  which  has  been  compared 
by  a  modern  traveller  to  that  of  a 
plate  of  red-hot  iron  ;  the  other  con- 
tinued alone  the  same  work  of  mercy. 
Isdigerdes,  overcome  by  so  much 
constancy  and  devotion,  at  length 
put  an  end  to  this  hard  captivity ; 
but  it  was  only  after  fifty  years  of 
negotiations,  treaties,  and  fighting, 
that  Yahan  the  Mamigonian,  neph- 
ew of  the  great  Vartan,  terminated 
this  bloody  war,  commenced  in  430.f 


*  The  Simoom  is  a  deadly  wind  which  stifles 
travellers  and  all  sorts  of  animals,  unless  they 
fall  prostrate  on  the  ground.  Curious  details 
relating  to  the  Simoom  are  found  in  Niebuhr's 
description,  pp.  6,  7,  and  8,  Copenhagen  edition. 
This  wind  rises  between  the  15th  of  June  and 
the  15th  of  August.  It  blows  with  great  vio- 
lence, appears  red  and  inflamed,  and  kills  every 
living  thing  that  it  strikes.  But  the  death 
which  it  causes  is  not  its  most  surprising  effec-t : 
the  bodies  of  those  who  die  by  it  are,  as  it  were, 
dissolved,  without  losing,  however,  either  their 


If  the  Christian  churches  of  Persia 
deserved  to  be  compared  to  the  pal- 
aces of  its  kings,  of  whose  magnifi- 
cence the  Arab  poets  have  left  such 
glowing  descriptions,  J  those  of  the 
nations  who  dwelt  between  the 
Euxine  and  the  Caspian  seas  were 
very  poor  in  comparison.  These 
were,  at  first,  wooden  buildings,  to 
which  the  faithful  were  summoned, 
on  festival  days,  by  striking  two 
planks,  one  against  the  other ;  bells 
were  then  unknown.  The  first  stone 
church  of  the  Armenians,  built  near 
the  sources  of  the  Tigris,  was  placed 
under  the  invocation  of  Mary ;  it 
possessed,  like  many  of  the  shrines 
of  Syria  and  Asia  Minor,  a  mirac- 
ulous image  of  the  Virgin,  which 
was  intrusted  to  the  care  of  pious 
w^omen.  § 

The  cathedral  of  Mtzkhetha,  the 


shape  or  color,  so  that  it  would  seem  as  though 
they  were  asleep.  If  one  touch  these  bodies,  the 
part  which  is  touched  remains  in  the  hand. 

f  Continuation  of  Eliseus  Yertabed,  by  Laz- 
arus Parbe,  ch.  iii. 

%  Antar's  description  of  the  palace  of  Cosroes 
resembles  that  of  the  Thousand  and  One  Nights : 
he  gives  it  halls  of  marble  and  of  red  cornelian, 
fountains  of  rose-water,  basins  from  which  arise 
emerald  pillars  surmounted  by  birds  of  bur- 
nished gold,  with  topaz  eyes,  &c. 

§  Ancient  Geography  of  Armenia,  Venice,  1822 


804 


SISI\J.^1 


HIE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


ancient  capital  of  Georgia,  was  the 
first  Christian  church  of  that  coun- 
II  \  :  the  Georgians  dedicated  it  to 
the  Virgin.  In  it  was  formerly  kept 
the  famous  khiton^  one  of  the  torn 
garments  of  Jesus  Christ.  Often 
thrown  down,  but  as  often  elegantly 
reconstructed  in  the  highest  Geor- 
gian style,  it  is  still  rich  in  marble 
and  green  jasper.  An  inscription, 
written  on  one  of  the  pillars  in  let- 
ters of  gold,  announces  that  this  di- 
vine  and  venerable  temple  of  Mary, 
Qneeii  of  the  Georgians,  Mother  of 
God,  and  ever  Yirgm,  was  rebuilt 
at  the  expense  and  by  the  care  of  a 
princess  of  Georgia,  named  Peban- 
pato. 

The  metropolis  of  the  Mingrelians 
was  likewise  dedicated  to  the  Vir- 
gin ;  one  of  her  robes  was  venerated 
there,  and  was  kept  in  a  casket  of 
ebony,  adorned  with  silver  flowers. 
This  robe,  composed  of  a  precious 
stuff,  of  a  buff  color,  ornamented 
with  embroidery  of  various  colors, 
was  exhibited  in  Chardin  when  it 
was  taken  through  Mingrelia  on  its 
way  to  Persia. 

In  the  Caucasian  regions,  which 
abound  in  convents  dedicated  to 
Mary,  it  wa^  always  on  the  loftiest 


*  heights  that  the  most  beautiful  mon- 
asteries were  seen :  they  were  often 
even  defended  by  strong  castles. 
That  of  Miriam-Nischin,  in  Georgia, 
was  built  on  a  rock  of  the  Cauca- 
sian chain,  in  the  midst  of  a  lovely 
mountain  lake,  which  rendered  it 
inaccessible  by  land ;  it  was  protect- 
ed by  a  fortress  that  was  considered 
impregnable.  The  castle  and  the 
monastery  were  besieged  by  Melik- 
Scliah,  in  the  reign  of  Alp-Arslan, 
his  father,  second  sultan  of  the 
Seljoucides  line.  Just  as  the  army 
of  the  Mussulman  prince  was  pre- 
paring to  embark  to  commence  the 
siege,  and  the  garrison,  decimated 
by  hunger,  regarded  the  approach- 
ing attack  with  fear  and  sad  fore- 
bodings, a  terrible  earthquake  took 
place,  and  the  monastery  of  St. 
Mary  fell  shattered  into  the  lake.* 
This  strange  catastrophe  was  con- 
sidered miraculous.  "The  Virgin," 
said  the  Georgians,  "  would  rather 
see  her  sanctuary  destroyed  than 
desecrated." 

Before  the  principal  gate  of 
Djoulfa,  an  ancient  and  commercial 
city  of  Armenia,  situated  near  one 
of  the  most  convenient  fords  of  the 

*  D'Herbelot,  BiOlioth.  Orient. 


r/:, 


cxi; 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


305 


Araxes,  there  stands  a  solitary  peak, 
on  whose  narrow  platform  there  was 
built,  in  the  first  ages  of  Christian- 
ity, a  monastery  in  honor  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin.  The  declivities  of 
this  steep  rock,  still  adorned  with 
the  pretty  blue  hyacinth  and  the 
fragrant  marjoram,  are  covered  with 
rich  tombs  and  ancient  tumuli ;  but 
the  living — where  are  they?  One 
day  it  came  into  the  head  of  a  cer- 
tain Asiatic  despot*  to  erase  Djoulfa, 
a  city  of  forty  thousand  inhabit- 
ants, from  amongst  the  cities  of  the 
globe,  and  he  sent  Thamas-Kouli- 
Beg  with  an  order  for  the  citizens 
to  evacuate  it  in  three  days'  time : 
he  was  obeyed.  The  inhabitants 
hastily  concealed  their  treasures  in 
secret  places,  hoping — vain  hope! 
—  that  Schah- Abbas,'  when  the 
storm  of  his  wrath  had  blown  over, 
would  permit  them  to  return  to 
their  city.  At  the  end  of  the  third 
day,  when  they  were  forced  to  set 
out,  and  the  last  moment  of  respite 
had  passed,  each  one,  taking  the 
keys  of  his  house,  followed  the 
priests,  who  carried  those  of  the 
churches.      Arrived   at   the  foot  of 

*  Schali-Abbas  totally  depopulated  the  city 
of  Djoulfa,  in  1605. 


the  rock  where  Mary's  shrine  still 
overlooks  the  ancient  tombs  of  their 
fathers,  their  despair  broke  forth  in 
heart-rending  sobs.  Forced  to  con- 
tinue their  journey,  the  unhappy 
exiles  cast  a  parting  glance  on 
their  poor  deserted  city ;  and,  after 
placing  their  churches  and  dwell- 
ings under  the  special  care  of  the 
Blessed  Yirgin,  they  threw  their 
keys  into  the  river. 

The  Egyptians,  who  had  never 
bent  the  knee  to  strange  gods,  and 
who  seemed  inclosed,  as  it  were, 
in  their  beastly  region  (as  Jose- 
phus  called  it  while  still  flourish- 
ing), had  abandoned  their  grazing 
divinities^  and  giving  back  to  the 
waters  of  the  Nile  the  hideous 
crocodiles  which  had  had  their 
devotees  for  food,f  they  had  come 
to  adore  the  God  of  Calvary.  The 
descendants  of  the  ancient  people 
of  the  Pharaohs  had  built,  at  an 
early  period,  a  beautiful  church  in 
the  small  Egyptian  village  where 
the  Holy  Family  had  taken  refuge 
from  the  fell  designs  of  Herod,  and 
they  had  given  it  the  name  of  Our 
Lady  of  Matarieh;    a  pretty  foun- 

t  Josephus  against  Appio,  b.  ii. 


^06 


HISTkRY  of  the  devotion  to   the  blessed  virgin  MARY. 


tain,  where  of  old  the  Blessed  Vir-  f 
gin  used  to  wash  the  clothes  of  the 
infant-God,  had  received  the  name 
of  Mary's  Fountain,  and  that  foun- 
tain, together  with  a  gigantic  syca- 
more which  had  often  shaded  the 
Mother  and  Child,  was  the  object 
of  numerous  pilgrimages.  The  me- 
tropolis of  Egypt  was  also  dedi- 
cated to  Our  Lady; 

The  church  of  Alexandria,  which 
shone  amongst  all  the  churches  of 
the  Christian  world  like  a  beacon 
on  a  lofty  eminence,  had  attached 
to  its  patriarchal  see,  in  the  fourth 
century,  a  kingdom  almost  unknown 
to  the  Romans,  and  of  which  Pliny 
related  the  strangest  things  ;  *  this 
was  Abyssinia,  whose  people,  Jews, 
Sabeans,  or  fetichists,  according  as 
they  pleased,  were  governed  by 
kings  descended  from  Makeda,  the 
beautiful  black  queen  who  filled 
Jerusalem  w- ith  jewels  and  perfumes, 
and  who  had  a  son  by  King  Solo- 
mon. A  young  Tyrian  merchant, 
a  trader  in  jewels,  having  been 
shipwrecked  on  the  African  coasts 

*  According  to  Pliny  and  some  other  ancient 
geographers,  Abyssinia  was  peopled  with  men 
who  had  neither  nose  nor  mouth  to  their  face, 
and  whos-e  eyes  were  placed  in  the  pit  of  their 
stomach  ;  men  were  seen  there  without  a  head,    ^ 


of  the  Red  Sea,  was  first  plundered 
and  then  conducted ,  to  Axoum,  the 
ancient  capital  of  the  Queen  of 
Saba,  where  he  was  presented  as 
a  prisoner  of  note  to  the  Neguz 
(emperor),  that  prince  "at  w^hose 
name  the  lions  bow  down;"  he 
succeeded  so  far  in  conciliating  the 
Neguz  that  he  made  him  his  treas- 
m-er.  After  the  death  of  the  black 
prince,  the  education  of  his  young 
son,  Abreka,  w^as  confided  to  the 
Tyrian,  who  secretly  instructed  his 
pupil  in  his  own  belief,  and  con- 
ceived the  magnificent  hope  of  be- 
coming the  apostle  of  those  half- 
savage  regions.  In  order  to  succeed 
in  this,  he  repaired  to  Alexandria, 
where  St.  Athanasius  consecrated 
him  bishop  of  Axoum.  On  his 
return,  Frumentius,  who  was  sur- 
named  Ahha  Salama  (the  father  of 
salvation),  baptized  Abreka,  with 
the  principal  personages  of  his 
court;  a  great  part  of  the  nation 
followed  the  example  of  its  chiefs. 
This  religious  revolution  was  effect- 
ed,    as     all    religious     revolutions 

and  others  with  asses'  heads,  &c.     Pliny,  who 
relates  (b,  vi.  eh.  30,  and  b.  v.  ch.  8)  these  pro 
digious   things,  leaves    the   subject   unfinished, 
and  modestly  stops,  for  fear,  he   says,  of  not 
being  believed. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


307 


should  be  effected,  without  shed- 
ding a  single  drop  of  blood.  Ab- 
reka  and  his  brother  Atzbeka,  who 
reigned  together  in  edifying  har- 
mony, preached  the  Gospel  them- 
selves to  their  subjects,*  and  built 
a  great  number  of  churches  in  hon- 
or of  the  true  God,  under  the  invo- 
cation of  Mariam  [Mary).  One  of 
these  ancient  churches  took,  from 
the  woods  by  which  it  was  sur- 
rounded, the  pretty  name  of  Mari- 
am-Chaoiiitou,  Our  Lady  the  Green. 
Christianity  then  spread  over  the 
opposite  coast  of  the  Eed  Sea,  into 
Yemen,  the  inhabitants  of  which 
adored  the  stars  and  the  trees ; 
amongst  them  there  were  a  good 
number  of  Jews ;  a  prince  of  that 
nation,  who  had  usurped  the  su- 
preme power  in  Arabia,  persecuted 
the  Christians,  and,  in  520,  ban- 
ished St.  Gregentius,  an  Arab  by 
birth    and   Archbishop   of    Taphar, 

*  "  Hail,  Abreka  and  Atzbeka,  who  reigned 
together  with  the  greatest  harmony,  who  preach- 
ed the  rehgion  of  Christ  to  the  children  of  the 
Mosaic  law,  and  erected  temples  to  the  honor 
of  God."  {Abyssinian  Liturgy,  Commemoration 
of  the  dead.) 

f  The  following  is  a  prayer  addressed  to  the 
martyrs  of  Nagran  by  the  Abyssinian  Church : — 

"  Saluto  pulchritudinem  vestram  amoenam, 

0  bidera  Nagrani !  gemmae  qui  illimiiaatis  muudum, 


metropolis  of  that  country.  St. 
Aritas,  Governor  of  ]N"agran,  the  an- 
cient capital  of  Yemen,  would  not 
give  up  his  faith;  he  was  taken 
and  conducted  out  of  the  city, 
where  he  was  put  to  death  on  the 
banks  of  a  rivulet.  His  wife  and 
daughter  likewise  perished  in  the 
midst  of-  torments,  together  with 
three  hundred  and  forty  Christians ;  f 
and  as  Dunaan  continued  to  sacri- 
fice all  those  who  would  not  apos- 
tatize, Caleb,  King  of  Abyssinia, 
marched  against  him,  in  530,  and 
gained  a  complete  victory  over  him. 
Some  time  after,  the  same  Caleb, 
disgusted  with  the  throne,  sent  his 
crown  to  Jerusalem,  J  abdicated  in 
favor  of  his  son,  and  shut  himself 
up  in  a  monastery,  taking  with  him 
only  a  cup  and  a  mat.  The  African 
troops  whom  he  had  sent  to  the 
assistance  of  the  Christians  of  Asia, 
seduced  by  the  beauty  and  fertility 

Conciliatrix  sit  mihi  ilia  pulchritude,  et  pacificatrix. 
Coram  Deo  judice  si  steterit  peccatum  meum, 
Ostendite  ei  sanguinem  quem  effudistis  propter  pulchritudi- 
nem ejus.'' 

(Abyssinian  Liturgy.} 

X  "  Hail,  Caleb  !  who  gave  up  the  sign  of  your 
power  when  you  sent  your  crown  as  an  offering 
to  the  temple  of  Jerusalem  :  you  did  not  abuse 
your  victory  when  you  destroyed  the  army  of 
the  Sabeans."     {Abyssinian  Liturgy.) 


808 


nrsTOii ) 


ITE   DEVOTION  TO    THE  ^LESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


<  >f  that  tutjtpy  land,  resolved  to  settle  * 
till  re.  These  were  the  black  Chris- 
tians, who,  commanded  by  the  Gov- 
ernor of  Yemen,  carried  on,  against 
the  Arabs  of  Mecca,  that  war  known 
as  the  elephant-war,  Arabia  Felix, 
however,  did  not  long  remain  in 
their  hands;  it  was  wrested  from 
them  in  590,  by  the  Persians,  who 
weie  themselves  conquered,  and  ex- 
pelled by  Mahomet's  captains. 

At  the  time  of  the  conversion  of 
Abyssinia,  the  doctrine  of  Nestorius 
was  agitating  the  Church.  It  is 
generally  known  that  the  opinions 
of  that  bishop,  who  refused  to  Mary 
the  title  of  Mother  of  God,  were  con- 
demned by  the  Council  of  Ephesus. 
The  Abyssinians,  in  their  exagger- 
ated enthusiasm  for  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin, did  not  content  themselves  with 
rejecting  the  heresy  of  Nestorius ;  to 
the  title  of  Mother  of  God,  they  add- 
ed that  of  Mundi  Creatrix,  to  testify 
their  boundless  veneration  for  Mary. 
Nothing,  in  fact,  can  exceed  the  love 
and  respect  of  which  she  is  the 
object  all  along  the  Blue  Nile,  and 


*  The  first  day  of  the  mouth  of  August 
was  called  in  the  Syrian  calendar  saum  Miri- 
am,  Our   Lady's  Fast,  because  the  Christians 


even  as  far  as  the  Mountains  of  the 
Moon.  The  errors  of  Dioscorus  and 
Eutyches,  which  the  Abyssinians 
have  unhappily  adopted,  have  made 
no  change  in  this  respect. 

The  old  East  seemed  to  grow 
young  again  through  its  devotion 
to  Mary ;  it  loved  to  do  her  honor, 
and  pompously  solemnized  her  fes- 
tivals, which  were,  -for  the  most 
part,  of  apostolic  origin.  The  Feast 
of  the  Annunciation  was  regarded, 
in  the  time  of  St.  Athanasius,  as  he 
himself  tells  us,  as  one  of  the  great- 
est festivals  of  the  year,  and  for  that 
of  the  Assumption — which  was  cel- 
ebrated with  splendor  from  the  Nile 
to  Mount  Caucasus,  under  the  name 
of  Our  Lady's  Easter — the  people 
prepared  themselves  by  a  fast  of 
fifteen  days.* 

All  seemed  to  promise  that  the 
Gospel  was  about  to  spread  from 
one  end  of  Asia  to  the  other,  and 
it  was  already  beginning  te  be 
announced  to  the  idolatrous  people 
of  the  Celestial  Empire,  w^lio  heard 
without  surprise  of  that  Holy  One, 


teenth,  which  they  named  Jithr  Miriam,  that 
is  to  say,  the  end  of  the  fast,  or  our  Lady's 
Pasch.      (D'Herbelot,  Bihliolheque  Orientale,   t. 


of   the  East  fasted  from  that   day  till  the  fif-    ^    ler,  p.  2.) 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


309 


born  of  a  Virgin,  whom  the  earth  f 
expected,  according  to  the  disciples 
of  Confucius,  "  as  drooping  plants 
expect  the  dew  ; "  but,  alas  !  a  storm 
more  furious,  more  destructive,  more 
irresistible  than  the  burning  wind 
of  the  desert,  and  born,  like  it,  amid 
the  sandy  wastes  of  Arabia,  came 
to  trample  down  Christianity  with  a 
force  derived,  doubtless,  from  Satan 
himself. 

At  first,  there  was  heard  but  a 
confused  clashing  of  arms  along 
the  sea  of  reeds ;  Arab  fought. Arab 
with  savage  fury,  and  the  idol-trees 
fell  to  the  ground  as  well  as  the 
Christian  temples ;  then,  all  was 
silent  in  that  region,  and  myriads 
of  horsemen  wearing  abhas  striped 
in  black  and  white,  cast  themselves 

*  The  ancient  Romans  had  bound  up  the  fate 
of  their  empire  with  that  of  the  temple  of  Jupi- 
ter Capitohnus,  which  was  burned  precisely  on 
the  first  appearance  of  Christianity  ;  the  Per- 
sians had  ancient  traditions  which  announced 
the  fall  of  the  Magian  empire  when  their  famous 
standard  should  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
The  empire  did,  indeed,  fall  at  the  same  time  that 
its  standard  feU  into  the  power  of  the  Mussul- 
mans, in  the  battle  of  Kadesia.  This  banner 
was  at  first  a  blacksmith's  apron,  which  was 
hoisted  in  a  war  of  independence  against  the 
tyrant  Zohak,  and  accepted  as  an  omen  of  suc- 
cess by  Feridoun,  one  of  the  greatest  kings  of 
Iran  (ancient  Persia)  ;  it  was  covered  with 
brocade  and  adorned  with  a  magnificent  image    ^ 


on  Syria  like  clouds  of  locusts,  de- 
stroying with  the  back  of  their  scim- 
itars fourteen  hundred  Christian 
churches !  Thence  they  swept  on 
to  Persia,  which  gave  way  before 
them,  leaving  in  their  hands  the 
famous  banner  of  Kawed,  on  which 
the  fate  of  the  empire  of  the  Magi 
was  thought  to  depend  ;  *  the  flames 
of  the  superb  library  of  Alexandria 
lit  them  on  their  devastating  course 
through  Egypt;  a  little  time  and 
they  leaped  on  the  African  coast, 
where  Carthage  ruled  of  old,  and 
conquered  all  before  them.  Arrived 
at  the  place  where  the  ancients  had 
planted  the  pillars  of  Hercules,  the 
haughty  conquerors  pushed  on  their 
stately  coursers  into  the  waters  of 
the  Straits  of  Gibraltar,  crying  out, 

of  the  sun,  wrought  with  jewels  ;  a  globe  of 
gold,  representing  the  moou's  orb,  surmounted 
this  image,  and  around  it  floated  broad  bands  of 
red,  yellow,  and  violet-color.  This  standard  was 
called  Kaweiani  direfsh  (the  standard  of  Kawed). 
From  the  time  of  Feridoun,  the  kings  of  Persia 
made  it  a  point  to  adorn  it  with  precious  stones, 
and.  in  order  to  make  room  for  them,  they  had 
been  obliged  to  enlarge  this  famous  banner  be- 
yond all  proportion,  so  that  it  had  obtained  a 
dimension  of  twenty-two  feet  by  fifteen,  when 
it  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Arabs,  who  tore 
it  in  pieces  and  divided  it  with  the  mass  of  the 
booty.  (Price,  Mohamm.  History,  volume  i., 
page  116  ;  and  Hvft  Kalkoum,  volume  iv.,  page 
126.  ^ 


liU) 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


us 


they  proudly  waved  their  flashing  *  dejected  heads  beneath  the  brutal 


scimitars,  "God  of  Mahomet,  thou 
seest  it  is  the  land  that  fails  the 
conquests  of  the  true  believers  /  "  * 


and  ferocious  yoke  of  Islamism,  and 
the  shades  of  ignorance  soon  thick- 
ened  and    settled   down   over    the 


Africa  and  Asia  had  to  bow   their  ^  splendid  regions  of  the  East. 


CHAPTER   YI. 

THE   WEST THE   MADONNAS. 


ONSTANTINE,  af- 
ter having  raised 
within  the  very 
walls  of  Rome — 
that  goddess  city 
which  Paganism 
placed  amid  the  stany  heavens  f 
— the  superb  Lateran  basilica,  had 
closed  the  Pagan  temples ;  but  his 
hand  was  not  strong  enough  to 
pluck  up  the  deep  roots  of  idolatry. 
It  is  certain  that  the  greater  num- 
ber of  the  Roman  patricians  re- 
mained obstinately  faithful  to  the 
ancient  idols   of    the   empire;    the 

*  riorian.  Precis  hintorique  sur  les  Maures. 

f  "  Hear  ine,  O  magnificent  queen  of  the  uni- 
verse— 0  Rome,  admitted  into  the  starry  skies," 
said  Rutilius,  a  famous  heathen  poet  of  the  last 


*  senate  itself  was  divided  into  two 
parties,  the  one  Pagan  and  the 
other  Christian,  which  made  St. 
Ambrose  say  that  there  was,  as  it 
were,  two  senates.  It  was  of  the 
idolatrous  senators  that  Prudentius 
said :  "  The  successors  of  the  Catos, 
sunk  in  shameful  error,  still  invoke 
the  Trojan  gods,  and  in  the  privacy 
of  their  homes  venerate  the  exiled 
lares  of  Phrygia ;  the  senate  —  I 
shame  to  say — the  senate  still  hon- 
oi's  two-faced  Janus,  and  celebrates 
the  feasts  of  Saturn." 

As  to  the  great  mass  of  the  peo- 

age  of  Roman  letters.  "  Thanks  to  thy  temples, 
I  am  not  far  from  the  heavens."  Rome  was,  in 
fact,  a  deified  city,  and  had  its  priests  and  its 
temples. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


311 


pie,  by  far  the  greater  number  were 
sincerely  devoted  to  Christ,  and, 
despising  the  altars  of  Jupiter, 
thronged  around  the  tomb  of  the 
Apostles.* 

The  Italian  peninsula  was  divid- 
ed, like  its  capital,  between  Jupiter 
and  Jesus,  Juno  and  Mary;  the 
darkness  of  error  struggled  with  all 
its  might  against  the  increasing 
light  of  truth.  The  heathen  priests 
ascribed  to  the  desertion  of  their 
gods  the  calamities  which  befell  the 
empire.  If  the  famine  were  unu- 
sually great  in  Latium,  it  was  be- 
cause Caesar,  ill-advised  by  the 
Christians  around  him,  had  sup- 
pressed the  privileges  of  the  Ves- 
tals ;  if  the  frontiers  were  ravaged 
with  impunity  by  the  Barbarians, 
or  if  the  Goths  penetrated  to  the 
very  heart  of  the  empire,  it  was 
because  the  altar  of  Victory  had 
been  destroyed.  "We  demand  back 
the  religious  state  which  has  so 
long  served  to  maintain  the  repub- 
lic," said  Symmachus,  prefect  of 
Rome,  to  the  Emperor  Yalentinian 
II. ;   "  we  demand  peace  for  the  gods 

*  "All  this  populace,  inhabiting  the  upper  sto- 
ries of  the  houses  and  living  on  the  bread  of  the 
rich,  visits,  at  the  foot  of  the  Vatican  mount, 


*  of  our  country;  our  religion  subju- 
gated the  world,  it  repulsed  Hanni- 
bal from  our  walls,  and  drove  the 
Gauls  from  the  capital.  Whatl 
would  Rome  reform  in  her  old  days 
what  has  all  along  been  her  safety  ? 
The  reform  of  age  is  tardy  and  de- 
grading ! " 

Paganism  was  vanquished  by  St. 
Ambrose  in  this  struggle,  but  it 
continued,  notwithstanding,  to  rear 
itself  up  against  the  new  religion, 
which  it  overwhelmed  with  sarcasm, 
calumny,  and  haughty  contempt.  It 
was  with  transports  of  joy  that 
Rome  restored,  under  Julian,  the 
altar  of  Victory,  which,  neverthe- 
less, did  not  prevent  the  Barbarians 
from  sacking  the  city  several  times. 
Panic-struck  to  see  the  enemy  at 
its  gates,  it  became  again  more 
than  half  Pagan ;  ceremonies  for- 
bidden by  the  laws  of  Gratian  and 
Theodosius  were  publicly  perfoi'med ; 
the  prefect  of  Rome  called  in  the 
aid  of  Tuscan  diviners,  and  the  last 
of  the  consuls  revived  the  augurial 
rites  by  another  parody  on  the  day 
of    his   installation.      "It   was   too 

the  tomb  which  contains  that  precious  pledge, 
the  ashes  of  St.  Peter,  our  father."  (Pruden- 
tius  contra  Symmachum.) 


i- 


812 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


much,"  says  Bt^ssuet ;  "  God  remem- 
bered, at  last,  all  the  bloody  decrees 
of  the  senate  against  the  faithful, 
and  the  furious  shouts  wherewith 
the  Roman  people,  in  their  thirst 
for  Christian  blood,  had  so  often 
filled  the  amphitheatre ;  he  gave  up 
to  the  Barbarians  that  city  which 
was  drunk  with  the  blood  of  the 
martyre.  .  .  .  That  new  Babylon, 
the  imitator  of  the  old;  like  her, 
inflated  with  her  victories,  glorying 
in  her  riches,  defiled  with  idolatry, 
and  persecuting  the  people  of  God, 
falls,  like  her,  with  a  great  fall ;  the 
glory  of  her  conquests,  which  she 
attributed  to  her  gods,  is  taken 
ft-om  her;  she  is  the  prey  of  the 
Barbarians,  taken  three,  four  times, 
pillaged,  sacked,  destroyed  :  the 
sword  of  the  Barbarians  spares 
only  the  Christians.  Another  Rome 
— entirely  Christian — rises  from  the 
ashes  of  the  former,  and  it  is  only 
after  the  inundation  of  the  Barba- 
rians that  Christ  finally  triumphs 
over  the  Roman  g)ds,  who  are  not 
only  destroyed,  but  wholly  forgot- 
ten." 

Idolal  ly  was  dead  at  last ;  its 
marble  fanes  were  rc-opened  and 
purified,   and    the    most    beautiful 


*  were  dedicated  to  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin, before  whom  all  Italy  bent  tlie 
knee  with  a  faith  and  a  fervor 
which,  thank  God,  still  remains  un- 
shaken. The  i)atricians  built  innu- 
merable churches  or  chapels,  and 
ornamented  them  with  a  munificence 
which  testified  their  piety;  the  al- 
tars of  Mary  were  incrusted  with 
gold,  silver,  and  precious  stones ;  * 
lamps  no  less  splendid  gave  them 
light ;  nothing  was  spared  to  have 
the  splendor  of  religious  decorati(m 
commensurate  with  the  dignity  of 
the  Saint. 

The  people,  having  no  gold  at 
their  disposal,  paid  her  a  homage 
more  touching,  more  tender,  and 
move  picturesque.  On  the  smiling 
sea-side  hills,  in  the  fertile  fields 
of  the  Campagna^  amid  the  gorges 
of  the  Apennines,  in  the  glaciers 
of  the  Alps,  and  amongst  the  arid 
heaths  of  the  Abruzzas,  humble 
altars  were  here  and  there  raised 
to  the  Madonna.  These  little  prim- 
itive chapels,  shaded  with  a  net- 
work of  ivy   or   green  vine-leaves, 

*  The  counter-tables  of  some  <jf  the  altars  of 
Venice  were  of  solid  gold  ;  that  of  the  Virgin's 
altar,  iu  the  Church  of  St.  Sophia,  in  Constanti- 
nople, was  composed  of  jewels  and  gold,  cast 
tosfether  in  the  same  crucible. 


HISTORY  OF   THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


313 


were  sheltered  by  the  old  forest 
boughs,  and  their  shade  was  cast 
over  many  a  stream  in  the  fervid 
heat  of  noon.  This  devotion,  so 
fresh,  so  simple,  so  appropriate  to 
the  gentle  heart  and  simple  habits 
of  Her  who  is  its  object,  exists  even 
now  in  all  its  religious  poetry.  Vic- 
torious over  time  and  political  com- 
motions, the  Madonna  still  shades 
her  little  mystic  lamp  beneath  a 
canopy  of  foliage  or  of  creeping 
jasmine.  Still  at  evening  does  the 
shepherd  of  the  hills,  the  laborer 
of  the  valley,  and  even  the  fierce 
brigand,  devoutly  light  the  flicker- 
ing lamp,  which  shines  like  a  pro- 
tecting star  far  up  on  the  moun- 
tains, and  serves  as  a  beacon  amid 
the  woods.  The  little  nook  wherein 
it  stands  is  sacred  ground :  there 
the  most  ferocious  bandit  of  Cala- 
bria would  not  dare  to  draw  his  dag- 
ger ;  and  there  even  he  goes  to  pray 
when  the  distant  bells  chime  forth 
the  Ave  Maria  ;  it  is  the  last  link 
which  binds  him  to  humanity,  and 
rarely,  indeed,  is  that  link  broken.* 

*  The  respect  entertained  by  the  Italian 
banditti  for  the  Madonna  is  a  well-known 
fact  ;  one  of  them  allowed  himself  to  be  taten 
without   offering  any    resistance,    because    the 


These  little  solitary  chapels,  lost 
amid  the  rocks  or  in  the  depth  of 
the  woods,  awake  in  the  soul  of  the 
traveller,  be  he  ever  so  reckless,  a 
thousand  delightful  emotions,  like 
the  long-forgotten  perfume  of  home- 
flowers,  suddenly  greeting  us  in  a 
strange  land.  A  modern  author, 
who  is  anything  but  partial  to  Cath- 
olicity, gives  a  charming  account  of 
the  emotions  which  he  felt  on  see- 
ing one  of  these  Madonnas,  hidden 
in  the  mountains  of  the  Tyrol.  "  At 
a  turn  of  the  path,"  says  he,  "  I 
found  a  small  niche  hollowed  in  the 
rock,  with  its  Madonna  and  the 
lamp,  which  the  pious  mountaineers 
light  every  evening,  in  the  most  re- 
mote solitudes ;  there  was,  at  the 
foot  of  the  rustic  altar,  a  bunch  of 
fresh  garden-flowers ;  that  lighted 
lamp,  those  blooming  flowers,  miles 
and  miles  in  amongst  the  bleak 
mountains,  were  the  offerings  of  a 
devotion  more  simple  and  more 
touching  than  anything  I  have  ever 
seen  of  the  kind.  Not  more  than 
two  paces  fi'om  the  Madonna  was  a 

sbirri  attacked  him  on  a  Saturday,  and  he  had 
vowed  before  the  Virgin's  altar  never  to  make 
use  of  arms  on  that  day,  even  in  defence  of  his 
Hfe.     {See  Father  de  Barry.) 


mSTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


precipice,  along  the  verge  of  which  ^ 
\x\\  the  only  path  out  of  the  defile  ; 
the  Virgin's  lamp  must  tlms  be  of 
great   service  to  the   nightly   trav- 
eller." 

During  the  revolution  of  1793, 
and  when  the  French  had  just  taken 
possession  of  the  kingdom  of  Naples, 
there  was  a  report  circulated  that 
they  were  about  to  close  the  church- 
es and  "  abolish  the  worship  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin."  On  hearing  this 
the  Calabrian  peasants  seized  their 
long  muskets ;  all  the  bells  of  that 
wild  region  rang  out  the  alarm,  and 
the  brigands  themselves,  bearing 
the  image  of  the  Madonna,  sus- 
pended by  a  red  ribbon,  enrolled 
themselves  in  the  regular  army,  and 
fought  like  lions.  These  Calabrian 
troops  were  the  last  to  lay  down 
their  anns.* 

From  Italy  the  veneration  of  the 
Mother  of  the  Saviour  passed  into 
Gaul.  The  Olympian  gods  had 
found  their  way  thither  in  the  train 
of  Caesar's  conquering  legions,  and 
the  temples  of  Augustus  and  of  Ju- 
piter arose  beside  the  dolmens^  the 
menhirs.,  and  the  more  modern  altars 

*  Italy,    by   Lady   Morgan,   voL   iii.,   ch.   24. 
Travels  m  Italy,  by  M.  E.  C. 


of  Belenus.  The  idols  of  the  empe- 
rors, basely  accepted  by  the  Gallic- 
Roman  population  of  the  large  cities, 
failed  not  to  disappear  after  the  con- 
version of  Constantine;  but  it  re- 
quired ages  to  destroy  the  Druidical 
worship  of  trees,  rocks,  and  springs.f 
In  vain  did  the  active  virtues,  the 
unctuous  meekness,  the  angelic  ab- 
stinence of  the  hermits  excite  the 
admiration  of  the  Gallic  tribes ;  in 
vain  did  the  ingenious  charity,  the 
spotless  integrity,  the  mild,  compas- 
sionate religion  of  the  bishops  at- 
tract their  souls  to  the  crucified 
God  ;  the  sight  of  the  gigantic  men- 
hirs^ standing  like  dark  spectres 
amid  the  arid  heaths,  the  aspect  of 
a  mossy  oak,  or  of  a  deified  fountain, 
destroyed  in  some  moments  the 
tedious  work  of  the  Christian  pas- 
tors. 

In  this  state  of  things,  so  calcu- 
lated to  wear  out  the  most  tried 
patience,  the  clergy  of  Gaul  showed 
themselves  worthy  of  the  religious 
and  civilizing  mission  which  they 
had  received  from  their  divine  Mas- 
ter. They  were  by  nature  charita- 
ble and  humble  of  heart;  necessity 

f  See  Histoire  Ecclesiastique  de  Bretagne,  In- 
troduction. 


HISTORY  OF  THE 


IVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


315 


rendered  them  skillful.  l^»t)le  to 
break  the  superstitious  habilwvhich 
were  closely  intermingled  wfth  the 
deep  roots  of  the  old  Celtic  tree, 
they  sanctified  what  they  could  not 
abolish,  and  turned  the  very  prac- 
tices of  heathenism  to  the  glory  of 
God.  The  menhirs  of  the  heath, 
where  the  children  of  Teutates  went 
often  to  pray  by  the  silvery  light  of 
the  moon,  which  they  called  the  fair 
mute^^  were  surmounted  by  a  gigan- 
tic cross,  which  suggested  a  Chris- 
tian thought  amid  the  dark  rites 
of  Paganism.  The  oaks  of  eight 
centuries,  where  the  Druids  cut 
down  with  their  golden  sickles  ''  the 
spirits'  branch,"!  received  in  their 
hollow  trunks  the  sweet  image 
of  Mary ;  and  it  was  also  Mary 
and  the  saints  whom  the  heathens 
found  on  the  naargin  of  their  "  fairy 
springs."  % 

This  change,  which  manifests, 
in  those  who  made  it,  a  profound 
knowledge  of  the  human  heart,  took 
place  not  only  in  the  Gauls,  but  also 
among  the  Belgians,  the  Spaniards, 
and  the  Britons :  everywhere  it  was 
crowned  with  success.     In  time  the 

*  Bensozia,  Ben.  bel,  sos,  mute  or  silent.     Hist. 
Ecdes.  de  Bret.,  t.  iv.,  p.  496. 


¥ 


mysterious  superstitions  of  Druidisni 
descended  from  the  songs  of  bards 
to  popular  legends ;  the  daisies  of 
the  meadow,  the  lilies  of  the  valley, 
the  odorous  stems  of  the  honey- 
suckle, were  no  longer  stripped  of 
their  leaves  over  the  stream  in  honor 
of  the  deified  fountain ;  they  were 
laid  on  the  rustic  altar  of  Mary,  and 
the  little  lamj)  of  her  chapel  replac- 
ed the  torches  of  resinous  wood 
burned  by  the  Gauls  around  those 
aged  oaks,  which  they  then  called 
the  oaks  of  the  Lord. 

In  the  invasion  of  the  Barbarians 
the  Christians,  in  order  to  hide  from 
the  profanation  of  those  fierce  war- 
riors the  cherished  objects  of  their 
veneration,  carefully  concealed  the 
little  statues  of  the  Blessed  Yirgin 
in  the  wildest  and  most  inaccessible 
parts  of  their  forests.  There  those 
sacred  images  remained,  not  be- 
cause they  were  forgotten,  but  be- 
cause the  sword  of  the  Goths,  Huns, 
and  Yandals  cut  down  the  native 
tribes,  as  the  mower  does  the  grass 
of  the  meadows,  so  that,  in  the  most 
fertile  and  populous  countries  of  the 
Roman   world,  the   traveller  might 

f  Le  gui.     Hist.  Ecdes.  de  Bret.,  t.  iv.,  p.  564. 
X  Id.  ib.,  t.  iv.,  p.  561,  and  i  i.,  p.  293. 


»c 


MART. 


tlKfl    j 

witbix 


appeared  wiA  i^ple:  jlh^a,  a«s 

o^rdm^  to  tiK  old  ck.v»^^««:r%  Span- 
ish. Bc^iaii,  and  VnaA,  tibeir  di^ 
eoveiy  was  aBwipairied  bj  wr- 
acks Al  one  timer  a  biig^  1^1 
atteacled  bj  m^  m.  SptauA  kanter 
or  a  Pfrenean  ^^herd  to  m  bash, 
where  tiie  Imds  warbled  sveedr  aQ 
tbe  daj  long;  al  anotber,  Acre  was 
an  ni^  of  Mary  ioiiiid  bidden 
amongst  tiie  iowos  of  a  IhoniT 
^hmb,  nsdoient  witb  the  perfinaes 
of  Ae  wild  wood.  Xow  it  was  tihat 
<f  ^me  sbephcrds^  seeio^  Aeir  dieep 
b»id  tiie  knee  bcfive  a  ^ras^ 
knoll,  eiyrered  witih  wbite  Tioieis^ 
dog  abont  die  spot,  and  foond,  to 
&eir  mexpresaUe  sarpriae^  m  small 
slatner  md^  carred  in  wood,  bat 
in  a  pofeet  slate  of  pieaaiatiop, 
rqvesenln^  tte  Bfessed  Tiigin. 
Again,  it  was  fidfin^-stars.  ilimMiiMr 


le  n%ht  with  a  lo^  train  of  radi- 
ance^ and  an  eoneeaAntii^  tiieii 
raTs  on  Ae  same  sfti^  tiiat  pointed 
oat  to  the  ^panidi  troops^  enooqied 
onder  the  waDs  of  some  Moqr^ 
cit«v  the  place  wkere^  in  tiie  time  of 
Sodrjgov  sflrie  hofy  monks  had  con- 
eealed,  on  a  ni^ht  of  fear  and  fiigbt. 
a  miracoloas  imager  in  order  to  save 
it  finom  tbe  sacril^ioas  hands  of  die 
At  anoiher  time^  it 
Takraos  kni^ls  or  iilBsbnos^ 
dames  wbo^  ndin^  with  &leon  on 
arm,  fliraag^  die  green  fiiresis  of 
France  or  of  Lnsitania^  disoofered. 
in  die  hollow  of  some  old,  moe&- 
grown  oak,  or  in  tiie  bricr-liidden 
creTiee  of  a  ro^  a  litde  hidii^ 
Mndonna-t  AldBsag^lheproad 
baron  or  flie  noble  ladv  crasBed 
thiwfcsilfe^i  deiuati!^,  descended  in 
haste  from  dieir  palfr^^  km^  on 
die  grass  beiore  the  Madonna^  and 
Towed  to  boild  her  m  chapeL 

Oar  Ladf  of  tte  Hossomed  Thorns 
was  foond  on  a  bnshj  rodk,  nnder 
marrelloas  ciieaofciancegL    Thefol- 


t 


em.  of  Fntti^gil, 
•ff  Omc  Jjmir  d  (be  Fcma. 


l-i) 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO  THE  BLESSED  VIBOIN  MARY. 


317 


lowing  is  the  nari-ative,  as  told  by  a  f 
simple  legend  of  the  past : 

"Xot  far  from  the  highest  peak 
of  Jm^,  but  a  little  downwards  on 
its  western  slope,  there  was  still  to 
be  seen,  about  half  a  centmy  ago, 
a  heap  of  ruins  which  had  once 
formed  part  of  the  monastery  of  Our 
Lady  of  the  Blossomed  Thorns,  built 
by  the  widow  of  a  knight,  the  last 
of  his  race,  who  fell  lighting  for  the 
Holy  Sepulchi-e.  The  noble  lady, 
walking  one  winter  evening  in  the 
long  avenue  of  her  ancient  castle, 
her  mind  occupied  in  pious  medita- 
tion, reached  the  thorny  bush  which 
subsequently  marked  the  site  of  the 
monastery,  and  was  no  little  sur- 
prised to  see  that  one  of  those 
shrubs  was  ah*eady  adorned  with 
the  garb  of  spring;  a  calm,  clear 
light,  like  that  of  the  rising  day, 
displayed  the  bush  in  full  flower, 
and  beneath  its  verdant  screen, 
spangled  with  little  white  'shining 
stars,  was  a  statue  of  the  Virgin, 
simply  sculptured  in  rough  wood, 
painted  by  no  very  skillful  hand, 
but  clad  in  robes  of  some  value ; 
it  was  from  this  image  that  the  mi- 
raculous light  proceeded.  The  sa- 
cred image  was  conveyed  with  great  u. 


pomp  to  the  castle  chapel ;  but  the 
next  day  it  was  not  to  be  ft  and. 
The  Queen  of  Angels  preferred  the 
modest  shade  of  her  favorite  shrubs 
to  the  splendor  of  the  baronial 
chapel;  she  had  returned  to  the 
fi*eshiiess  and  solitude  of  the  woods. 
In  the  evening  all  the  inmates  of 
the  castle  went  thither  and  found 
her  still  more  radiant  than  before. 
They  fell  on  their  knees  in  respect- 
ful silence.  "Mighty  Queen,"  said 
the  lady,  "blessed  and  holy  Mary, 
this  is  thy  chosen  dwelling;  thy 
will  shall  be  done."  And  a  short 
time  after  a  stately  Gothic  abbey 
arose  on  the  spot  where  the  mirac- 
ulous Madonna  had  been  foimd. 
The  nobles  of  the  kingdom  enriched 
it  with  their  gifts,  and  the  kings 
endowed  it  with  a  tabernacle  of 
pure  gold. 

Bretagne  abounded  in  oaks  con- 
secrated to  the  honor  of  Mary ;  the 
most  famous  of  these  flourished  by 
the  sea-side,  on  a  hill  which  rises  at 
some  distance  from  Lesneven.  Our 
Lady  of  the  Gates  was  there  honor- 
ed, and  her  silver  statue  was,  from 
time  immemorial,  an  object  of  pro- 
found veneration  for  the  faithful  of 
Armorica.    The  shrine  is  now  bereft 


318 


EISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


of  its  Madonna,  which  was  stolen  f 
by  the  incorruptible  agents  of  the 
Republic;  but  it  is  still  frequented 
by  numerous  pilgrims,  with  long, 
flowing  hair,  and  goat-skin  gar- 
ments, who  come  to  ask  the  Mother 
of  God  for  fine  weather,  abundant 
crops,  or  the  recovery  of  some  sick 
relative.  To  see  them  in  this  primi- 
tive costume,  anterior  to  the  Roman 
conquest,  kneeling  devoutly  in  the 
shade  of  the  woods,  in  view  of  the 
green,  restless  ocean,  and  the  dol- 
mens of  ancient  heroes  who  marched 
to  the  conquest  of  the  Capitol,  you 
would  fancy  yom'self  transported  to 
the  Gallia  Comata  of  Pliny,  and  the 
illusion  would  be  complete  if  they 
chanted  a  hymn  to  the  Virgin  in 
the  ancient  and  sonorous  idiom  of 
the  Celts,  their  own  peculiar  lan- 
guage. 

Le  Berry  had  also  its  celebrated 
Madonna  of  the  Oak,  whom  a  Sire 
du  Bouchet,  seeking  his  hawk  amid 
the  woods,  had  found  in  the  hollow 
of  one  of  those  old  trees,  sacred 
amongst  the  Gauls,  on  which  the 
hunter-bird  had  perched,  as  if  to 
attract  his  master  thither.  The  oak 
that  spread  its  branches  over  the 
fair  statue  of  Mary,  around  which 


the  ivy  entwined  like  a  Gothic 
frame,  stood  on  a  small  islet  covered 
with  fine,  thick  grass,  and  surround- 
ed by  a  small  lake,  which  had  been 
named — I  know  not  why — the  Bed 
Sea.  This  oak  became  the  terminus 
of  so  many  pilgrimages,  that  a 
causeway  was  made  to  give  access 
to  it,  and  it  was  subsequently  en- 
circled by  a  religious  edifice.  The 
image,  too  richly  adorned  by  the 
piety  of  the  faithful,  was  stolen  by 
the  Protestants  during  the  civil 
wars ;  but  the  Count  de  Maur  had 
another  carved  from  the  wood  of  the 
oak  which  had  so  long  sheltered  the 
Madonna,  and  this  new  one  might 
say,  like  the  perfumed  earth  of  the 
Persian  poet :  "  I  am  not  the  rose, 
but  I  have  lived  near  it."* 

In  Picardy,  a  small  Madonna  was 
deposited  in  the  hollow  of  an  aged 
oak,  on  the  high-road  from  Abbe- 
ville to  Hesdin ;  this  miraculous 
image,  shaded  by  the  fragrant  hon- 
eysuckle, overlooked  a  patch  of 
soft  verdure  on  the  side  of  the  dusty 
road,  which  offered  a  pleasant  shel- 
ter to  the  passing  traveller  and  the 
high-born  pilgrim,  who  went  bare- 
foot, like  St.  Louis  and  the  Sire  de 

*  Saadi,  Gulistan. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


319 


Joinville,  to  some  sacred  place,  in 
fulfillment  of  a  vow  made  by  himself 
or  some  one  whom  he  loved.  The 
bandit  of  the  feudal  times  muttered 
an  Ave  to  himself  as  he  took  off  his 
coarse  woollen  hat  before  Our  Lady 
of  Faith ;  and  the  noble  dame,  after 
praying  at  the  feet  of  the  Madonna, 
opened  her  alms -purse,  adorned 
with  heraldric  devices,  and  dropped 
her  alms  into  the  trunk  of  the  old 
oak,  where  the  Christian  modesty 
of  the  faithful  of  those  days  secretly 
deposited,  for  the  poor,  the  funds 
which  the  latter  took  without  the 
shame  of  asking,  and  which  no 
other  ever  touched.*  The  traveller, 
his  devotions  ended,  sat  down,  with 
his  feet  stretched  out  in  the  soft, 
cool  grass,  which  refreshed  him  after 
his  long  journey ;  he  inhaled  the 
perfume  of  the  flowers,  listened  to 
the  murmur  of  the  neighboring 
spring,  and  enjoyed  the  exquisite 
sense  of  repose,  so  precious  when 
contrasted  with  his  late  fatigue. 
But,  alas !  he  was  at  length  forced 
to  depart,  and  how  reluctantly  he 
turned   away  I     The   shade  was   so 

*  These  trees,  wherein  travellers  deposited 
the  alms  which  the  poor  came  at  dusk  to  take 
away  unseen,  were   so  venerable,  says   M.    de    ^ 


refreshing,  the  grass  so  soft,  the 
gurgling  of  the  fountain  so  sweet- 
ly soothing !  Crossing  himself,  he 
murmured  a  parting  prayer  to  the 
Virgin,  slipped  an  alms  into  the 
hand  of  the  poor  invalid  who  knelt 
hard  by,  and  whose  blessing  follow- 
ed him  on  his  way :  "  Worthy  trav- 
eller, may  Our  Lady  save  you  from 
hurt  or  harm ! "  At  the  bend  of  the 
road  he  turned  his  head  to  take  a 
last  look  at  Our  Lady's  Oak. 

Anjou,  where  the  pilgrimages  m 
honor  of  Mary  are  of  so  old  a  date, 
had,  near  the  village  of  SabM,  its 
oak,  contemporary  with  the  Plan- 
tagenets,  furnished  with  a  Madonna 
no  less  ancient.  At  the  foot  of  the 
Yosges,  on  the  borders  of  Lorraine, 
a  huge  old  Gallic  oak,  which  the 
peasants  still  call,  through  custom, 
the  fairy  tree^  had,  in  its  mossy  bos- 
om, a  white  and  mysterious  image 
of  the  Virgin,  before  which  Joan 
of  Arc,  that  pious  maiden,  went  to 
pray  with  all  her  heart  against  the 
English,  who  were  so  soon  after  to 
fly  before  her  victorious  banner. 
Hainault  had  also  its  old  oaks  and 

Marchangy,  that  none,  save  those  who  really 
required  it,  would  dare  to  take  a  farthing. 


820 


HISTOBT  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIROIN  MARY. 


miraculous  images  ;  Spain  and  Por-  * 
tugal  were  not  without  theirs ;  and 
England,  so  late  as  the  reign  of 
Charles  the  Fii*st,  saw  her  Catholic 
children  still  kneeling  to  invoke  the 
absent  Madonna.  Evelyn  tells  us 
that  these  trees  were  known  by  the 
name  of  procession-oaks.* 

But  of  all  the  monmnents  of  the 
vegetable  kingdom  ever  consecrated 
to  Mary,  there  is  none  to  be  com- 
pared to  the  oak  of  AUouville,  in 
the  District  of  Caux.  The  circum- 
ference of  this  ancient  tree  is  thirty- 
four  feet  at  its  base,  and  twenty-six 
at  a  man's  height  from  the  ground. 
It  has  the  broad,  open  top  of  the 
cedar,  and  its  vast  branches,  which 
spring  from  the  trunk,  about  eight 
feet  from  its  base,  extend  horizon- 
tally, so  as  to  cover  an  immense 
space.  The  interior  of  the  tree  is 
hollow  throughout ;  the  central  part 
being  destroyed  many  years  ago,  it 
is  only  by  its  bark  and  the  inner 
coats  of  sap  that  it  still  subsists ; 
and  yet  it  is  every  year  covered 
with  acorns  and  adorned  with  an 
abundant  foliage.     In  the  hollow  of 

*  So  late  as  the  reign  of  Charles  the  Second, 
there  were  found  in  many  counties  of  England, 
sertain  old  oaks  which  were  commonly  called 


this  oak,  Avhich  is,  at  least,  nine 
hundred  years  old,  and  has  seen 
the  fall  of  the  Druid-groves,  pious 
hands  have  constructed  a  charming 
little  chapel,  lined  with  marble,  and 
decorated  with  an  image  of  Mary. 
A  grating  closes  the  front  of  the 
shrine,  without  concealing  the  sa- 
cred image  from  the  eyes  of  the 
pilgrim  or  the  traveller.  Over  the 
chapel  is  a  cell,  a  fitting  habitation 
for  some  new  stylite  ;  it  is  reached 
by  a  spiral  ladder  which  winds 
around  the  trunk.  This  aerial 
dwelling,  covered  with  a  pointed 
roof,  forms  a  steeple  surmounted  by 
an  iron  cross,  which  rises  in  a  pic- 
turesque manner  above  the  branch- 
es of  the  oak.f 

On  certain  festivals  of  the  year, 
and  especially  on  the  patronal  feast, 
the  chapel  serves  for  the  religious 
ceremonies  of  the  day,  and  the 
people  of  the  neighboi-ing  villages 
repair  in  crowds  to  the  feet  of  the 
Gallic  Virgin,  who  seems  to  wrap 
them  with  maternal  tenderness  in 
her  fresh,  green  mantle.  These  good 
people    love    their    Madonna,    and 

jjrocHHuion-oakH.     (Evelyn's  Memoir.) 

f  See  Ducatel's  Norman  AnliquUien  {Antiquit'es 
Normandes.) 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


321 


have  proved  it  well.  In  those  dis- 
astrous days  when  all  that  belonged 
to  religion  was  proscribed,  when 
the  slightest  manifestation  of  Cath- 
olicism was  punished  with  death,  a 
band  of  revolutionary  bravos  from 
Rouen  marched  towards  Allouville, 
with  the  avowed  purpose  of  burn- 
ing the  venerable  oak,  with  the 
Madonna  whom  it  sheltered.  The 
peasants  of  Normandy,  though  much 
less  susceptible  of  enthusiasm  than 
the  Bretons,  assembled  in  arms 
around  the  oak,  and  defended  it 
so  valiantly  that  the  republicans 
were  completely  foiled  in  their  de- 
sign, and  had  to  retire  in  disgrace. 
When  the  Reign  of  Terror  was  at 
its  height,  and  the  sound  of  hymn 
or  psalm  was  no  longer  to  be  heard 
in .  France  ;  when  a  misguided  peo- 
ple, worshipping  Marat  on  the  altar 
of  Christ,*  vociferated,  "  There  are 
no  longer  Saints^  nor  God^  nor  im- 
mortal soul!''  the  iron  cross  of  the 
hermitage  was  still  seen  tapering 
above  the  branches  of  the  oak  of 
Allouville,  and  on  the  front  of  its 
little  chapel  was  still  read  the  calm 

*  "It  was  during  the  festivals  of  Reason,"  says 
Laharpe,  "  that  the  bust  of  Marat  was  placed  on 
the  altar,  when  all  who  were  suspected  of  fanati- 


and  touching  inscription:  "To  Our 
Lady  of  Peace." 

Under  the  successors  of  Constan 
tine  the  Great,  Gaul,  where  Pagan- 
ism daily  lost  ground,  became  almost 
entirely  Christian.  In  the  time  of 
Theodosius,  it  contained  seventeen 
archbishop's  sees,  nearly  all  dedi- 
cated to  Mary,  and  one  hundred  and 
fifteen  bishoprics  governed  by  men 
of  great  learning,  of  rare  piety,  of 
boundless  charity,  and  of  illustrious 
birth,  which  added  much  to  their 
influence.  Christianity  was  then 
seeking  to  restore  the  primitive 
gravity  of  manner  and  austerity  of 
morals  amongst  those  Gallic  tribes 
so  wholly  given  up  to  the  sports  of 
the  circus,  their  chariot-races,  and. 
the  seductive  pleasures  of  the  the- 
atre —  enervating  and  pernicious 
amusements  which  heathen  Rome, 
in  her  corruption,  had  cast,  like 
flowery  chains,  over  the  primitive 
nations  whom  she  could  hardly  sub- 
due— undermining,  by  these  means, 
their  martial  courage.  The  bishops, 
who  havd  been  too  rashly  accused 
of  tampering   with   Paganism,   be- 

cism — that  is  to  say,  of  believing  in  God — were 
forced  to  bend  the  knee  before  Marat."  (See  Du 
Fanaticisme  dans  la  lanque  revolutionnaire,  p.  51.) 


822 


HTSTOnr  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  .'dLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


cause  they  were  unable  to  eradicate 
these  noxious  Pagan  practices,  used 
every  endeavor,  on  the  contrary,  to 
extirpate  them,  and  flattered  them- 
selves that  they  were  succeeding, 
when,  all  at  once,  amid  profound 
peace,  and  whilst  Gaul  lived  from 
day  to  day,  careless  of  the  morrow, 
secure  in  the  legions  who  occupied 
her  great  cities,  and  the  sixty  for- 
tresses which  protected  her  frontiers 
against  the  barbarians,  behold  !  the 
sound  of  trumpets  is  heard  beyond 
the  river  which  divides  it  from  Ger- 
many  Hostile   battalions 

suddenly  precipitate  themselves  on 
the  plains  whose  echoes  are  still 
murmuring  the  Gallic  songs ;  fire 
and  sword  devastate  the  country; 
rivers  tinged  with  blood,  cities  giv- 
en up  to  pillage,  the  marble  temples 
of  the  old  imperial  gods  laid  pros- 
trate on  the  ground,  Christian 
churches  desecrated,  announce  the 
dread  approach  of  those  ferocious 
wan-iors  of  the  North,  whose'  gods 
bear  the  ominous  titles  of  depopu- 
laters  and  fathers  of  carnage ;   they 


burst  on  Gaul  like  a  mighty  ava- 
lanche ;  the  warrior  has  no  time  to 
seize  his  arms,  fear  deprives  him 
even  of  the  power  of  thinking ; 
wealth  and  poverty  share  the  same 

fate A  thick,  gloomy  cloud 

overcasts  the  fair  Roman  province, 
and  nought  is  to  be  seen  save  the 
flow  of  blood  and  the  flash  of  steel ; 
from  the  Rhine  to  the  Pyrenees, 
from  the  Mediterranean  to  the 
ocean,  Gaul,  lately  so  flourishing,  is 
but  one  vast  scene  of  carnage  and 
desolation.  This  disastrous  period, 
which  witnessed  the  final  over- 
throw of  the  Roman  colossus,  and 
changed  the  form  of  Western  Eu- 
rope, was  the  gulf  which  swal- 
lowed up  the  ancient  civilization ; 
and  Robertson,  the  great  English 
historian,  hesitates  not  to  say  that, 
were  he  asked  to  point  out  the 
most  deplorable  period  of  the 
world's  history,  he  would  name  that 
which  elapsed  between  the  death 
of  Theodosius  the  Great  and  the 
establishment  of  the  Lombards  in 
Italy. 


+ 


C^irb  |Peri0lr  d  t\t  Jehtion  U 


THE    MIDDLE    AGES. 


CHAPTER   YII. 

THE     BARBAROUS     TIMES.     " 


HE  invasion  of 
the  Barbarians 
was,  for  relig- 
ion, as  for  the 
nations  who 
lived  enervated 
and  civilized 
under  the  shadow  of  the  Roman 
eagles,  a  period  of  mourning,  of 
terror,  and  of  tears — a  night  of 
blood,  illumined  by  the  distant  glare 
of  conflagrations,  resounding  with 
the  clash  of  arms,  and  crossed  by 
warlike  chiefs  who  took  to  them- 
selves the  fearful  title  of  Scourges  of 
God.  When  the  sound  of  this  great 
passage  of  men  had  ceased,  and 
it  became  possible  to  distinguish 
objects  through  the  smoke  of  con- 
flagrations and  the  dust  of  battle- 
fields, it  was  found  that  Europe  had 
changed  its  face.  The  Saxons  oc- 
cupied fertile  England,  the  Franks 
had  taken  possession  of  Gaul,  the 


Goths  of  Spain,  and  the  Lombards 
of  Italy.  There  remained  not  a 
single  vestige  of  the  sciences,  the 
arts,  or  institutions  of  the  mighty 
people  of  Romulus  ;  barbarism  had 
invaded  all  and  swept  away  all 
before  it.  New  forms  of  govern- 
ment, new  laws,  new  customs  were 
everywhere  observed ;  one  thing 
only  had  resisted  the  general  trans- 
formation— Christianity,  which  was 
to  console  the  conquered  and  hu- 
manize the  conquerors. 

The  devotion  to  Mary,  impeded 
for  a  while  by  Arianism,  which  was 
fatally  predominant  for  some  time 
after  the  invasion  of  the  Goths  and 
Yandals,  flourished  again  under  the 
victorious  banners  of  the  Franks. 
Clovis,  the  only  Catholic  king  of 
his  time,  conceived  the  design  of 
building,  at  the  eastern  extremity 
of  the  city,  under  the  invocation  of 
Our  Lady,  a  metropolitan  church,  of 


324 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


which  he  himself  laid  the  first  stone,  * 
and  which  was  completed  by  his 
son  Childebert.*  Tliis  church,  built 
on  the  site  of  an  ancient  Druid  tem- 
ple, was  adorned  with  marble  col- 
umns, frescoes  on  a  golden  ground, 
and  a  mosaic  pavement.  The  poet- 
bishop  Fortunatus  gives  special 
praise  to  its  windows,  which  filled 
the  interior  with  a  flood  of  light; 
these  windows  were  a  luxury  im- 
poa^ted  from  Greece  and  Italy,  and 
were  then  first  introduced  into  the 
Gauls.f 

Clovis  the  First  also  founded  Our 
Lady  of  Argenteuil,  where  the  Prin- 
cess Theodrade,  daughter  of  the 
Emperor  Chai-lemagne,  took  the  veil 
after  having  accompanied  her  father 
to  Italy;  this  abbey,  which  was 
then  in  the  midst  of  the  woods,  was 
destroyed  by  the  Normans,  and 
magnificently  rebuilt  by  the  pious 
Queen  Adelaide,  wife  of  Hugh  Ca- 
pet, who  delighted  to  adorn  its 
altars  with  the  finest  works  of  her 
hands. 

*  Felibien,  Hisl.  de  Paris,  t.  i. 

f  The  most  ancient  author  who  speaks  of 
stained  glass  windows  is  St.  Jerome,  in  his  Com- 
mentary on  Ezechiel,  quoted  by  Ducange,  verho 
vUrce.  After  St.  Jerome  it  is  Gregory  of  Tours, 
then  Fortunatus.     Paul  the  Silent,  a  contempo- 


Tlie  other  Merovingian  pi'inces, 
not  even  excepting  Chilpcric,  the 
sanguinary  spouse  of  Fredegonde, 
dedicated  many  chapels  and  abbeys 
to  the  Virgin.  Radegonde,  daugh- 
ter of  Berthaire,  king  of  Thuringia, 
the  holy  and  deserted  wife  of  King 
Clotaire,  requested  witli  tears,  in 
her  last  moments,  that  they  would 
bury  her  in  the  unfinished  Abbey 
of  St.  Mary,  which  she  was  then 
building  at  Poictiers.  This  same 
pious  princess,  who  refused  to  ac- 
cept the  regal  crown  offered  to  her 
by  her  fierce  and  inconstant  hus- 
band, founded  in  Neustria,  near  a 
Druid  spring  which  the  Gauls  of 
that  time  still  obstinately  perse- 
vered in  secretly  worshipping,  the 
church  of  Our  Lady  of  Cailliouville, 
which  was  adorned  with  so  many 
sacred  images  that  it  was  often 
compared  to  Paradise.  Of  the  Me- 
rovingian church  nothing  now  re- 
mains, but  the  fountain  still  pours 
forth  its  limpid  stream,  and  people 
come  from  afar  to  seek  health  in  its 

rary  of  Fortunatus,  to  whom  we  are  indebted 
for  a  minute  description  of  the  church  of  St. 
Sophia,  such  as  it  then  was,  has  also  described 
the  beautiful  windows  of  colored  glass  which 
ornamented  the  dome  of  the  Byzantine  basilica. 
(See  VHist.  de  Byzance  by  Ducange.) 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   TEE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


325 


waters.     When   the  water   is   calm  * 
and   undisturbed,  the  image  of  St. 
Radegonde  may  still  be  seen  ooa  the 
flag  at  the  bottom,  with  the  legend, 
"  Pray  for  us!" 

Another  wife  of  Clotaire  the  First, 
Queen  Waltrade,  with  the  Princess 
Engeltrude,  a  daughter  of  that  king, 
founded  at  Tours,  about  the  year 
600,  a  noble  abbey,  with  the  title 
of  Om-  Lady  of  the  Casket,  prob- 
ably because  those  princesses  em- 
ployed their  jewels  in  forwarding 
the  work.*  Several  ladies  of  high 
birth  shut  themselves  up  with  them 
in  this  monastery,  which  was  de- 
stroyed by  the  Normans. 

Gregory  of  Tours  mentions  that 
there  was  then  in  the  capital  of 
Touraine  a  church  of  Our  Lady 
which  was  held  in  profound  ven- 
eration. On  solemn  occasions,  oaths 
were  taken  by  placing  the  hand  on 
the  Virgin's  altar,  and  those  who 
perjured  themselves  were  supposed 
to  die  within  the  year.f 

The  royal'  spouse  of  Clovis  II., 
Bathilda,  that  fair  and  holy  prin- 
cess, who  was  the  pearl  of  those 
barbarous  times,  founded  the  su- 
perb abbey  of  Chelles,  whither  she 

*  Gallia  Christiana,  t.  iv. 


retired  when  her  glorious  regency 
was  at  an  end.  This  abbey  was 
placed  under  the  invocation  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  and  was  situated  in 
the  midst  of  the  dense  forest  where 
Chilperic  had  met  his  death.  A 
great  lady  of  the  Merovingian  court, 
Lutruda,  wife  of  Ebroin,  that  fam- 
ous mayor  of  the  palace  who  was 
surnamed  the  Marius  of  the  Franks, 
founded,  after  the  death  of  her 
dreaded  spouse,  the  splendid  abbey 
of  Our  Lady  of  Soissons,  which 
was  inaugurated  by  St.  Dronsin. 
Six  Carlovingian  princesses  gov- 
erned this  abbey  in  succession,  for 
a  period  of  an  hundred  and  forty- 
five  years.  During  all  that  time 
Om'  Lady  of  Soissons  was  regarded 
as  the  flower  of  Frankish  monaster- 
ies, and  the  daughters  of  the  high- 
est houses  took  the  veil  there.  Its 
affluence  became  so  great  that  it 
was,  at  length,  necessary  to  place 
it  within  bounds  ;  on  the  prayer  of 
the  Abbess  Imma,  Charles  the  Bald 
fixed  the  number  of  nuns  at  216. 
That  prince  also  prescribed  the  es- 
tablishment of  an  hostelry  for  trav- 
ellers and  an  alms-house  in  front  of 
the  abbey  gate.     All  was  redolent 

t  Gregory  of  Tours,  de  Gl.  M.,  c.  19. 


826 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


of  piety  ill  this  opulent  house ;  the  f 
divine  office  was  uninterruptedly 
kept  up,  and  the  nuns  watched  by 
tui'ns,  night  and  day,  before  the 
Blessed  Sacrauient.  When  the  king 
was  with  the  army,  or  his  life  ex- 
posed to  any  dangei:,  a  large  num- 
ber of  the  holy  sisters  passed  the 
night  in  prayer.  According  to  the 
custom  of  the  feudal  times,  this 
monastery  was  bound  to  send  to 
the  army  its  quota  of  men-at-arms. 
Its  importance  declined  with  that 
of  the  Frankish  empire ;  but  nu- 
merous pilgrims  were  attracted 
thither  from  all  countries  during 
the  Middle  Ages  by  two  relics  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin.  Now,  there  is 
nothing  to  be  seen  of  this  Mero- 
vingian cloister  but  a  few  broken 
arches. 

An  Austrasian  princess,  Plec- 
truda,  wife  of  Pepin  of  Heristal, 
likew^ise  built,  under  the  first  dy- 
nasty, the  church  of  Our  Lady  of 
Colfgne,  which  still  exists. 

But  of  all  the  pious  foundations 
in  honor  of  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
which  date  from  these  remote  times, 
there  is  none  more  worthy  of  note 
than  that  of  Our  Lady  of  Treves,  in 
the  ancient  country  of  Tongres,  the 


fatherland  of  the  Franks,  which 
then  made  part  of  the  duchy  of 
Austrasia.  Who  does  not  remem- 
ber t'he  popular  legend  of  Genevieve 
of  Brabant?  That  moving  tale, 
sung  by  so  many  troubadours  and 
minstrels  in  the  baronial  halls  of 
the  feudal  times,  and  told  by  the 
cottage  hearth  for  a  thousand  years 
and  more — this  story  of  the  Barbar- 
ous Ages,  attested  by  a  monument, 
commemorates  a  most  tragical  event 
— a  true  drama  from  which  Shaks- 
peare  perhaps  drew  (for  he  loved  to 
draw  from  ancient  chronicles)  the 
two  most  powerful  characters  that 
his  fancy  ever  produced — lago,  the 
traitor  and  calumniator,  and  Othello, 
the  hero  with  the  credulous  mind 
and  jealous  heart.  Sigfred,  palatine 
of  Treves,  reluctantly  tears  himself 
from  the  arms  of  a  beloved  w^ife 
to  go  fight  the  Moors  under  the 
glorious  banner  of  Charles  Martel. 
Golo,  the  master  of  the  prince's 
household,  to  whom  he  had  con- 
fided the  care  of  his '  young  wife, 
a  model  of  virtue  and  a  pearl  of 
beauty,  conceived  a  shameful  pas- 
sion for  the  princess,  and  was  not 
slow  in  declarir  g  it.  Repulsed  with 
the    contempt    which    his    treason 


mSTORT  OF   THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


327 


merited,  the  unworthy  favorite,  who 
had  deliberately  planned  his  lord's 
disgrace,  hesitated  not  to  calumni- 
ate the  woman  whom  he  could  not 
seduce  :  for  all  vices  are  sisters. 
Sigfred  believed  him;  he  was  far 
away  from  home,  he  loved  his  wife 
madly,  and  was  jealous ;  in  the  first 
burst  of  what  he  considered  his  just 
indignation,  he  condemned  Gene- 
vieve to  die,  together  with  her 
child  ;  but  the  servants  charged  to 
execute  this  fatal  sentence,  in  the 
depth  of  a  dark  forest,  had  not  the 
heart  to  do  it,  and  the  Belgian 
princess  was  left,  with  her  new-born 
infant,  in  that  gloomy  forest,  peo- 
pled only  with  wild  beasts ;  the 
child  was  suckled  by  a  wild  doe. 
For  six  long  years  did  the  innocent 
and  injm-ed  wife  live  on  roots  and 
wild  fruits,  constantly  begging  of 
God  that  her  innocence  might  be 
recognized.  The  compassionate  Vir- 
gin, touched  by  so  many  tears  and 
so  much  misery,  came  to  her  one 
day,  as  she  sat  by  a  spring,  and 
promised  her  that  her  wishes  should 
be  accomplished.  S-oon  after,  Sig- 
fred, who  still  loved  his  wife,  and 
was  inconsolable  for  her  loss,  being 
Dn    a   hunting-party,   found   Gene- 


*  vieve  in  a  cave,  covered  with  rags, 
her  long  hair  hanging  over  her 
shoulders  like  a  veil.  Golo  con- 
fessed his  crime,  and  was  torn 
asunder  by  four  wild  bulls  from  the 
Black  Forest.  This  act  of  stern 
justice  being  done,  Genevieve  had  a 
church  built  in  honor  of  Mary  amid 
the  woods  where  she  had  so  long 
wandered,  and  on  the  very  spot 
where  the  Mother  of  God  had  ap- 
peared to  her.  Hydolphus,  arch- 
bishop of  Treves,  consecrated  this 
church  in  the  year  746.* 

Notwithstanding  these  marks  of 
respect  bestowed  on  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  it  would  be  falsifying  his- 
tory to  represent  the  devotion  to 
her  as  having  attained  its  highest 
pitch  under  the  first  French  dy- 
nasty ;  the  truth  is,  that  it  was  then 
only  in  its  dawn.  Local  devotions 
absorbed  both  the  nobles  and  the 
people :  St.  Martin  of  Tours,  St. 
Denis,  St.  Germain,  and  St.  Hilary, 
were  each  the  object  of  such  exclu- 
sive veneration  that,  excepting  only 
Our  Lord  himself,  all  else  was  in 
the  shade.  It  was  the  altars  of 
those  saints  that  were  plated  with 
gold ;  it  was  their  tombs  that  were 

*  Add.  ad  Molan  de  Belgic. 


^838 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


covered  with  beaten  silver;  it  was  f 
under  the  arches  of  their  Roman 
churches  that  robes  of  golden  tis- 
sue, embroidered  with  pearls,  were 
hung,  ex  voto,*^  The  fair  image  of 
Mary,  the  grand  figures  of  the  Apos- 
tles, the  army  of  martyrs,  all  fade 
away  before  the  first  Gallic  bishops. 
Thus,  an  impostor  of  the  name  of 
Didier,  who  would  fain  found  a  sect 
in  the  sixth  century,  announced  him- 
self, with  cool  eff'rontery,  greater 
than  the  Apostles,  and  almost  as 
great  as  St.  Martin.f  This  distorted 
vision,  which  causes  us  some  sur- 
prise, proceeded  from  the  gradual 
extinction  of  light;  legends  began 
to  take  precedence  of  the  Gospel, 
and  ignorance,  ever  more  produc- 
tive of  evil,  did  not  always  stop  at 
the  threshold  of  the  Christian  tem- 
ple; the  successors  of  the  Basils, 
of  the  Ambroses,  the  Chrysostoms, 
unhappily  deserved  what  Alfred  the 
Great  said  of  them,  wuth  sadness 
of  heart :  "  From  the  Thames  to  the 
Humber,  they  no  longer  understand 
the  Pater,  and  in  other  parts  of  the 
island  it  is  still  worse."  J 

Gaul  was  not  entirely  converted 

*  See  Life  of  Dagob"t,  by  the  Monk  of  St. 
Denis.  f  Gregory  of  Tours. 


to  the  Gospel  under  the  Merovin- 
gian kings;  the  Franks  had  com- 
pletely abjured  their  fierce  German 
deities,  but  there  were  still  some 
vestiges  of  polytheism  amongst  the 
Romans  of  the  cities,  who  continued 
to  draw  omens  from  the  flight  and 
singing  of  birds,  to  feast  on  Thurs- 
day in  honor  of  Jupiter,  to  swear  by 
Neptune,  Pluto,  Diana,  or  the  genii ; 
in  fine,  who  dared  to  light  lamps 
and  hang  up  offerings  in  the  de- 
serted temples  of  the  idols,  for 
which  St.  Eloi  reproaches  them  in 
his  Homilies.  These  frail  shoots  of 
Greek  and  Roman  idolatry  soon 
withered  of  themselves  on  an  ad- 
verse soil;  but  the  religion  of  the 
Celts,  as  we  have  already  said  in 
a  preceding  chapter,  stoutly  resisted 
the  sacerdotal  axe,  and  it  was  ages 
before  it  died  away.  So  late  as  the 
fourth  century  the  image  of  the 
goddess  Berecynthia,  representing 
cultivated  ground,  was  borne  through 
the  fields.  In  the  fifth,  it  is  decreed 
by  a  canon  of  the  Second  Coimcil 
of  Aries,  that  if  a  baron  permits 
lamps  to  be  lit  before  trees,  rocks, 
or  fountains,   he   shall   be   cut  off 

J  Robertson's  History  of  the  Emperor  Charles  V., 
voL  I,  p.  186. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  YIROIN  MARY. 


329 


ii'om  the  communion  of  the  faithful, 
after  being  first  admonished  and 
solemnly  warned.  At  the  end  of 
the  sixth  century,  the  Council  of 
Auxerre  forbids  vows  being  made 
to  bushes,  trees,  or  fountains.*  In 
a  Council  of  Nantes,  the  date  of 
which  is  fixed  by  Flodoard  at  the 
year  658,  the  bishops  are  advised 
to  uproot  the  trees  which  the  Bre- 
tons still  persist  in  worshipping, 
and  from  which  they  would  not,  on 
any  account,  cut  a  single  branch. 
The  priest  Paulinus  represents  these 
same  Gauls  as  having  relapsed  into 
their  former  idolatry,  placing  meats 
on  the  sacred  stones  at  the  foot  of 
these  trees,  and  beseeching  a  ven- 
erable oak  (which  was  probably  the 
sepulchre  of  some  old  chief  Druid), 
with  the  humble  funeral  offering  of 
a  handful  of  beech-nuts,f  to  protect 
their  wives,  their  children,  their  ser- 
vants, and  their  houses.J  The  bish- 
ops of  Charlemagne's  time  likewise 
pronounced  severe  penalties  against 

*  This  canon  is  conceived  in  these  terms: 
"  Non  licet  inter  sentes,  ant  ad  arbores  sarcivos, 
vel  ad  fontes  vota  exolvere." 

f  They  first  raised  the  bark  and  then  made  a 
square  hollow  in  the  trunk,  wherein  they  placed 
the  body  of  the  Druid;  the  aperture  was  closed 
with  a  block  of  green  wood,  and  then  the  bark 


^  these  superstitions  which  had  out- 
lived the  Merovingian  dynasty,  § 
and  they  must  have  been  still  of 
some  account  when  the  church 
passed  laws  against  them,  so  late 
as  the  opening  years  of  the  ninth 
century.  It  was  especially  in  the 
two  Armoricas,  east  and  west,  where 
the  Gospel  was  late  sown  and  of 
slow  growth,  that  the  native  wor- 
ship, favored  by  forests  as  old  as 
the  world  itself,  long  held  its  ground 
despite  of  councils  and  bishops, 
who,  nevertheless,  strained  every 
nerve  to  root  it  out.  The  desert 
of  Scycy,  in  the  Cotentine  penin- 
sula, was  peopled,  even  in  the  sev- 
enth century,  by  Pagan  Gauls,  who 
lived  there,  as  we  learn  from  the 
canons  of  some  of  the  councils  of 
those  times,  positively  like  wild 
beasts.  But  if  idolatry  was  obsti- 
nately sustained  by  the  scalds  and 
bards,  and  some  Druids  wandering 
in  the  woods,  the  zealous  Christian 
had  the  ardor  which  secures  victory, 

was  restored  to  its  place.  The  sepulchral  tree 
still  lived  on.  In  some  of  these  trees  bones 
have  been  found  almost  reduced  to  ashes,  and 
with  them  some  beech-nuts,  in  good  preserva- 
tion. 

X  Paulinus,  lib.  i.    Paschdis  Operis,  oh.  2. 

§  Capitul.  Caroli  Magni,  lib.  i.,  tit.  64. 


830 


BISTORT  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VTROm  MART. 


and  pi*oved  it  well.  In  the  depth  f 
of  those  remote  solitudes,  said  to  be 
the  haunts  of  demons,  where  sti-ange 
things  were  indeed  revealed, — when 
the  torches  of  the  Gauls,  who  re- 
paired by  night  to  some  forbidden 
rite,  flashed  on  the  foliage  of  the 
mighty  oaks,  or  formed  a  fiery  cir- 
cle aroimd  some  dark  dolmen  plant- 
ed on  the  moonlit  heath,* — hermits, 
often  of  high  birth,  took  up  their 
dwelling  in  clay  huts,  covered  with 
brambles,  some  hidden  by  a  coat  of 
mingled  moss  and  ivy.  Their  beds 
were  of  dry  leaves,  sometimes  the 
bark  of  trees ;  then*  food  consisted 
of  fruits,  berries,  and  wild  roots; 
their  garment,  a  toga  or  gown  of 
white,  coai*se  wool.f  Makinir  their 
way  through  the  tall,  tangled  ferns 
of  those  primeval  forests,  whose 
secret  ways  they  knew  not,  these 


*  The  most  solemn  assemblies  of  the  Druids 
were  those  of  the  new  and  full  moon;  that  of 
the  new  moon  commenced  when  that  planet 
gave  sufficient  light  to  iUximine  the  country  on 
the  sixth  day;  the  moonlight  did  not  prevent 
the  worshippers  from  bearing  torches,  (See 
Hist.  Ecdes.  de  Bretagne,  In  trod.,  p.  184.) 

■fEven  in  the  sixth  century  the  clergy  still 
wore  the  white  toga  of  the  Roman  people.  In 
d28  Pope  Celestine  blamed  the  ecclesiastics  of 
Vienne  and  Narbonne,  who,  instead  of  the  toga, 
began  to  wear  a  cloak  and  girdle.  He  shows 
them  that  it  is  only  the  love  of  chastity  which 


good  shepherds  sought  out  in  every 
direction  the  sti*ay  sheep  of  Christ 
^Tien  the  good  odor  of  the  sanctity 
of  one  of  these  solitaries  spread 
abroad  through  the  old  Neustrian 
woods,  other  hermits  hastened  to 
place  themselves  under  his  guid- 
ance. Then  they  set  about  clearing 
the  hard,  dry  earth,  choked  up  for 
ages  with  briers  and  brambles; 
then  the  yellow  crops  began  to 
wave  on  the  fair  hill-side ;  then,  at 
the  calm  evening  hour,  when  the 
bii-ds  sat  warbling  on  the  trees,  the 
hymns  of  Sedulius,  in  honor  of  the 
Virgin  Mary,  arose  in  grave,  sweet 
tones,  from  the  very  places  where 
the  victim  doomed  to  die  under  the 
stone-knife  of  the  sacrifices,  to  ap- 
pease the  Gallic  gods,  had  of  old 
chanted  his  death-song.J 

Woman  —  ever    ready,    notwith- 


is  recommended  when  the  Gk)spel  tells  us  to 
gird  our  loins;  that  the  discipline  sanctioned  by 
so  many  holy  bishops  must  not  be  corrupted  by 
superstition;  that  the  clergy  are  not  to  be  dis- 
tinguished from  the  faithful  by  their  garments, 
but  by  their  knowledge  and  the  pui-ity  of  their 
liyes.  (Fleury,  MoBun  des  Chretiens,  eh.  4L 
Ibid.,  t.  iL,  p.  185.) 

X  M.  Pitre-Chevalier  has  inserted  in  his  inter- 
esting and  patriotic  work  on  Brittany,  a  very 
curious  bardic  song  attributed  to  the  victim  on 
the  dolmen. — "  Hail,  thou  whose  wings  pierce 
^c    the  air,  thou  whose  son  was  the  protector  oi 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


331 


standing  her  natiu'al  timidity,  to 
brave  all  dangers,  when  occasion 
requires — woman  would  fain  con- 
tribute her  share  to  the  overthrow 
of  Paganism,  and  bravely  advance 
to  attack  it,  even  in  its  ancient 
strongholds,  under  the  protection  of 
Mary.  St.  Fremond,  a  nobleman 
who  had  grown  disgusted  with  the 
world,  and  who  was  forced  to  re- 
ceive the  episcopal  crown  in  his 
humble  cell,  founded  a  monastery 
of  nuns  in  his  beloved  solitude,  and 
this  convent  is  one  of  the  first  in 
Neustrian  Armorica  of  which  there 
is  any  record ;  the  holy  bishop 
added  to  it  a  handsome  church 
which  he  dedicated  to  the  Mother 
of  God.  This  monastery,  built  about 
the  year  674,  was  destroyed  by  the 
idolatrous  Romans,  but  was  rebuilt 
with  increased  splendor  by  then' 
Christian  descendants. 

The  proximity  of  the  British  Isle, 
which  the  Anglo-Saxons,  the  con- 
querors of  the  native  Britons,  had 

great  privileges,  the  bardic  herald,  the  minister, 
O  father  of  the  abyss ! — My  tongue  shall  sing 
my  death-song  within  the  rocky  circle  which 
incloses  the  world.  —  Trust  of  Brittany,  He 
whose  brow  beams  forth  light,  support  me ! 
There  is  joy  around  the  two  lakes;  a  lake  sur- 
rounds me  and  the   circle;   the   circle   is  sur- 


^  plunged  back  again  into  idolatry, 
was  fatal  to  the  Neustrian  pastors ; 
for  the  idolators  of  Great  Britain, 
making  common  cause  with  the 
Gauls,  strengthened  them  in  their 
resistance.  The  Gospel,  favored  by 
a  Merovingian  princess,  once  more 
penetrated  into  the  island  of  Britain 
about  the  end  of  the  sixth  century, 
and  obtained  a  permanent  footing 
there,  thanks  to  the  wise  measures 
of  Gregory  the  Great ;  but  this  dis- 
puted triumph  was  only  partial ; 
Edwin,  one  of  the  most  powerful 
princes  of  the  Saxon  heptarchy, 
had  the  glory  of  making  it  secure. 

Having,  like   Clovis,  made  a  vow 

* 
to  embrace  Christianity  if  he  ob- 
tained a  victory  over  the  perfidious 
kings  of  Wessex,  who  had  tried  to 
assassinate  him,  and,  having  gain- 
ed it,  he  convoked  the  Wittena- 
gemote,  or  great  council  of  the  sages, 
lords,  and  warriors  of  his  little 
kingdom,  and,  having  explained 
to   them   his   reasons   for    abjuring 

rounded  by  another  marked  by  strong  planks. 
A  fair  asylum  is  before;  high  rocks  hang  over 
it ;  the  serpent  approaches  on  the  outside, 
creeping  towards  the  sacrificer's  vases  with 
the  golden  horns.  These  golden  horns  in  hia 
hand,  his  hand  on  the  knife,  the  knife  on  my 
head." 


* 


382 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRQIN  MARY. 


his  ancient  gods,  he  demanded  their  * 
opinion. 

It  was  a  strangely-imposing  sight 
tc  see  that  Anglo-Saxon  senate  de- 
liberating on  the  proposed  change 
of  religion.  The  king,  young,  hand- 
some, and  of  noble  presence,  pre- 
sided over  the  assembly,  his  crown 
on  his  head,  a  naked  sword  in  his 
hand,  according  to  the  custom  of 
those  times,  and  clothed  in  a  long 
cloak  fastened  at  the  shoulder; 
ranged  on  either  side  were  the  sages 
of  the  nation,  old  men  without  aims, 
wearing  long  robes  and  cloaks,  with 
Phrygian  caps  on  their  heads  ;  then 
the  warriors,  in  short,  tight-fitting 
garments,  their  round  helmets,  with- 
out visors,  adorned  with  a  drooping 
plume;  on  their  arms  shone  heavy 
golden  bracelets;  from  a  narrow 
belt,  which  passed  over  their  shoul- 
dei,  hung  their  sword  and  battle- 
axe  ;  in  one  hand  they  held  a  lance, 
and  in  the  other  a  round  shield 
studded  with  golden  nails;  in  the 
background  were  the  Christian 
priests  and  the  high- priest  of  the 
idols. 

The  result  of  this  national  confer- 
ence exceeded  the  hopes  of  the 
bishops.      The   Pagan  pontiff  was 


the  first  to  declare  that  his  gods 
were  utterly  impotent.  A  warrior 
noble,  a  thane,  compared  the  life  of 
man  to  the  wing  of  a  little  bird  as 
it  flies  across  a  room  (perhaps  he 
saw  one  at  the  moment).  "  We  see 
the  door  by  which  it  enters,"  said 
the  Saxon  chief,  "  the  window  by 
which  it  goes  out ;  but  whence  did 
it  come,  and  whither  does  it  go? 
This  is  the  emblem  of  om'  existence. 
If  the  new  faith  removes  this  uncer- 
tainty, let  us  hasten  to  adopt  it."* 

Thereupon,  the  king  declared  him- 
self a  Christian ;  the  entire  assem- 
bly solemnly  renounced  the  worship 
of  idols,  and  the  people  soon  fol- 
lowed the  example  of  the  senate 
and  the  king.  This  religious  revolu- 
tion took  place  in  the  year  620. 

The  German  gods  were  over- 
thrown in  Great  Britain,  but  not 
so  Druidism ;  it  lived  in  the  old 
insular  forests  where  the  Britons 
still  tattooed  themselves,  like  the 
savages  of  America,  even  in  the 
middle  of  the  eighth  century,  al- 
though it  had  been  decreed  by 
councils  that  this  strange  custom, 
which  gave  to  the  Scots  or. North 
Britons  the  name  of  Picts  or  painted 

*  Hist.  d'Anglet.,  by  M.  de  Roujoux,  t.  ler. 


HISTORY  OF   THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  2IARY. 


333 


warriors,  was  of  diabolical  inven- 
tion.* King  Edgar  prohibited,  by 
an  ordinance  dated  967,  the  super- 
stitious assemblies  called  frithgear^ 
held  around  the  Druid  stones  which 
were  still  adored  in  Northumber- 
land, Cumberland,  Yorkshire,  Devon- 
shire, Somersetshire,  and  especially 
on  Salisbury  Plain,  f  w^here  stood 
the  famous  stone-henge  (the  chorea 
giganteum  of  the  ancients).  This 
prohibition  was  not  strictly  adhered 
to,  it  would  seem,  since  Canute,  or 
Cnut  the  Great,  a  celebrated  sea- 
king,  was  obliged,  so  late  as  the 
eleventh  century,  to  forbid  the  wor- 
ship of  trees,  rocks,  and  fountains. 
As  to  the  Anglo-Saxons,  they  were 
absolutely  converted,  so  that  not 
a  trace  of  their  ancient  worship 
remained,  and  no  sooner  had  they 
exchanged  the  white  horse  of  Hen- 
gist  on  their  banners  for  the  Cross 
of  Christ,  than  there  arose  simulta- 
neously, all  over  the  country,  con- 

*  This  tattooing  was  condemned  in  787  by 
a  Northumbrian  Council,  as  a  Pagan  supersti- 
tion and  a  diabolical  rite.  (See  Goncil.  Labbe, 
t.  vi.^ 

f  See  Camden's  Britannia. 

I  Hist.  d'Anglet.,  by  M.  de  Koujoux,  t.  ler. 

§  Sir  James  Hall,  in  his  Esmy  on  Gothic  Archi- 
tecture, traces  up  the  stone  mullions,  so  light 
and  so  elegant,  of  the  great  pointed  windows, 


f  vents,  cathedrals,  churches,  hermi- 
tages, and  chapels  in  lienor  of  the 
Blessed  Mary,  sometimes  alone, 
sometimes  associated  with  one  of 
the  Apostles  or  the  Saxon  saints, 
when  they  came  ti)  Lave  any. 
Nothing  could  be  more  simple  than 
the  greater  part  of  these  first  Anglo- 
Saxon  chapels.  Their  walls  were 
formed  of  huge  trunks  of  trees, 
taken  from  the  neighboring  forests 
and  cemented  with  moss  or  green 
sods  mixed  with  clay;  the  interior 
of  the  walls  was  rough-cast  with  a 
slaty  earth  which  took  a  kind  of 
polish,  and  on  this  were  traced  col- 
ored figures,  in  barbarous  designs.^ 
At  the  farther  end  of  the  little 
building,  where  wind,  rain  and  light 
were  all  admitted  through  the  osier 
lattice  which  served  for  glass,  §  there 
stood  over  a  tomb -shaped  altar, 
covered  with  a  red  cloth  with  a 
deep  fringe,  ||  an  image  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  in  the   costume   of 

to  the  imitation   of  these  osier  lattices.     (See 
Edinburgh  Phil.  Trans.) 

II  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  ancient 
altars  of  Christianity  were  the  tombs  of  martyrs; 
the  stuffs,  often  very  rich,  which  covered  the 
altars,  were  red,  in  imitation  of  the  color  of 
blood ;  covers  were  sometimes  brought  from 
the  tomb  of  SS.  Peter  and  Paul  in  Rome.  ( Hist. 
^    Eccles.  de  Bretagne.) 


83i 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


a  Saxon  lady.  The  straw  roof  of 
the  chapel  was  surmounted  by  a 
little  bell.  In  front  of  this  primi- 
tive monument,  there  was  seen  a 
cross  formed  of  tsvo  trees  fastened 
together  by  branches  of  willow, 
and  crowned  with  a  wreath  of  box 
or  ivy ;  this  was  the  sign  of  the 
change  of  worship,  and  the  trophy 
of  Christ's  victory  over  Zernebock 
and  Hertha.  A  little  later,  the 
Anglo-Saxon  bishops  brought  fi*om 
Rome  painters,  glaziers  and  build- 
ers ;*  but  the  cathedrals  and  abbeys, 
which  they  built  under  the  invoca- 
tion of  Mary  and  the  Saints,  were  all 
in  the  heavy,  cumbrous  style  which 
prevailed  at  that  time. 

When  William  of  Normandy  made 
the  conquest  of  England,  the.  Anglo- 
Norman  churches,  with  their  bold 
steeples,  their  splendid  belfries,  and 
their  lofty  towers,  suddenly  started 
up,  in  the  pride  of  their  fairy  archi- 
tecture, by  the  side  of  the  heavy 
churches  and  rude  chapels  of  the 
Saxons.  But  the  latter,  notwith- 
standing their  want  of  elegance, 
still  retained  a  charm  which  exer- 

♦  "Misit  legataries  in  Galliam,  qui  vitri  fac- 
tores,  artifices  videlicet  Britanniis  ea  tenus  in- 
3ognitos,    ad    cancellandos     ecclesiae    porticus 


f  cised  a  powerful  influence  over  the 
conquered  nation :  it  was  there  that 
the  vanquished  came  to  weep  and 
pray.  The  Virgin,  whom  they  had 
venerated  in  happier  days — the  Vir- 
gin who,  according  to  the  custom 
of  those  times,  wore  their  national 
costume — seemed  to  them  more  at- 
tentive, more  indulgent,  more  dis- 
posed to  help  them,  in  those  places 
where  she  reigned  over  the  graves 
of  their  fathers  and  the  sculptured 
saints  of  Old  England. 

Christianity,  which,  according  to 
old  Spanish  tradition,  was  brought 
into  Spain  by  St.  James,  four  years 
after  the  death  of  Our  Lord,  made 
rapid  progress  in  that  country,  and 
flourished  there,  mixed  up,  it  is  true, 
with  the  tares  of  Arianism,  from  the 
invasion  of  the  Goths  and  Vandals ; 
the  veneration  of  Mary  was  already 
common,  though  somewhat  eclipsed 
by  that  of  St.  Vincent,  the  great 
martyr  of  Caesar- Augusta,  now  Sar- 
agossa,  whom  Prudentius  has  cele- 
brated in  his  hymns.  Our  Lady  of 
the  Pillar,  which  was  at  first,  it 
seems,  but  a  poor  chapel,  built  of 

et  ccenacularum  ejus  fenestras,  abducerent." 
(Ven.  Bede,  Lib.  de  WiremiUhensi  monasterio, 
c.  5.) 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


335 


clay  and  round  stones,  was  already 
a  Roman  church,  frequented  by  nu- 
merous pilgrims,  where  the  statue 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin  seemed  to 
smile  on  the  kneeling  Spaniards 
from  the  height  of  her  rich  marble 
column.  Our  Lady  of  Toledo,  the 
metropolitan  church  of  Spain,  the 
foundation  of  which  is  referred  by 
some  Spanish  historians  to  the 
first  ages  of  Christianity,  was  au- 
thentically consecrated  in  the  year 
630,  under  the  Gothic  king  Recar- 
edo,  the  first  king  of  Spain  who 
merited  the  title  of  Catholic,  since 
he  expelled  the  Arians  from  his 
kingdom,  after  having  their  errors 
condemned  by  a  council  held  in 
Toledo.  But  the  shrine  of  Mary 
most  frequented  by  the  Spanish 
people,  in  those  remote  ages  to 
which  we  now  refer,  was  that  of 
Our  Lady  of  Covadonga,  in  the 
xisturias.  The  reason  was,  that, 
under  the  natural  arches  of  this 
Asturian  cave,  consecrated  to  Mary 
by  the  ancient  hermits  when  they 
were  waging  war  against  Druidism* 
in  the  depth  of  the  Spanish  forests, 

*  The  twelfth  and  sixteenth  Council  of  Toledo, 
of  which  one  was  held  in  the  year  681,  and  the 
other  in  the  year  693,  teach,  by  their  eleventh 


where  it  long  manitained  itself,  the 
flag  of  independence — the  sacred 
banner  of  the  Cross — had  taken 
refuge,  as  a  last  resource,  after  the 
battle  of  Xeres,  which  delivered 
Spain  to  the  Caliphs.  Abandoning 
forest  after  forest,  mountain  after 
mountain,  and  retiring  with  heroic 
slowness  to  Mount  Autiba,  which 
commands  a  view  of  the  Cantabrian 
Sea,  the  last  boundary  of  Spain, 
Pelago,  a  young  man  of  the  royal 
blood,  the  only  hope  of  his  country, 
found  shelter  for  a  short  time,  with 
a  handful  of  brave  followers,  in  this 
inaccessible  cavern,  which  the  piety 
of  the  Asturian  mountaineers  had 
consecrated  to  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
whose  sweet  image  was  placed  on  a 
rock  that  served  for  an  altar.  On 
entering  this  rude  temple,  the  Span- 
ish hero  conceived  all  sorts  of  hopes, 
and,  kneeling  with  his  companions 
before  the  sacred  image,  he  solemn- 
ly placed  himself  and  the  shattered 
fortunes  of  Spain  under  the  protec- 
tion of  Our  Lady  of  Covadonga, 
took  the  Vu'gin's  name  for  his  war- 
cry,    and   fortified   himself    on   her 

and  twelfth  canons,  that  those  who  pay  religious 
worship  to  stones  or  trees,  or  other  inanimate 
objects,  sacrifice  to  Satan. 


/ 


886 


mSTORT  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIROIN  MARY. 


mountain.  The  Mother  of  God  gra-  f 
ciously  heard  the  Gotliic  prince, 
and  was  pleased  to  manifest  her 
protection  by  giving  the  Spaniards 
a  great  victory  over  the  Moors  com- 
manded by  the  Mussulman  governor, 
Alcama.* 

Atti-ibuting  this  unhoped-for  vic- 
tory to  the  Blessed  Virgin,  Pelago, 
to  show  his  gratitude,  founded  near 
the  natural  grotto,  which  was  in  the 
side  of  a  steep  rock,  at  whose  base 
flowed  the  Auseba,  a  fair  church 
with  the  title  of  Oiu'  Lady  of  Cova- 
donga  [of  the  cave),  where  all  Spain 
went  to  pray.f 

The  descendants  of  Clovis  the 
Handsome — le  chevelu,  as  he  is  styled 
in  the  introduction  to  the  Salic  law 
— had  sadly  degenerated  from  the 
valor  and  prudence  of  that  prince. 
The  lamp  of  the  Merovingians,  al- 
most consumed,  was  wasting  away 
without  emitting  a  single  flash  of 
light ;  the  sluggish  kings,  who  were 
no  more  than  empty  shows,  were 
scarcely  seen  by  the  people  more 

*  According  to  Father  Mariana,  this  army- 
consisted  of  sixty  thousand  men.  Sebastian, 
bishop  of  Salamanca,  and  Ambrosio  de  Morales, 
represent  it  as  still  larger. 

f  The  church  of  Oui  Lady  of  Covadonga  was 
preserved  till  the  year  1775,  when  it  was  con- 


than  once  a  year,  and  then  they 
appeared  seated  on  a  chariot  be- 
decked with  flowers  and  green 
branches,  drawn  by  four  oxen,  who 
moved  with  a  slow  and  heavy  gait 
towai'ds  the  Champ  de  Mai,  there 
to  exliibit  to  the  public  gaze  those 
phantoms  of  princes  whom  the 
breath  of  Charles  Martel  could  de- 
stroy if  it  deigned  to  do  so.  Yet 
they  were  pious,  and  built  monas- 
teries ;  but  piety  alone  will  not 
sufflce  to  sustain  a  sceptre ;  that 
of  France  is  heavy,  and  requires  a 
sti'ong  arm,  a  fearless  heart,  a  clear 
head,  and  a  prudent  mind.  The 
mayors  of  the  palace  had  all  that, 
happily  for  Christian  Europe,  which 
was  soon  to  be  confronted  with 
Islamism.J 

The  Moors,  being  masters  of 
Spain,  had  looked  with  a  longing 
eye  from  the  top  of  the  Pyrenees 
over  the  land  of  France,  the  fairest 
kingdom  of  the  West ;  it  seemed  to 
them  good  to  introduce  Islamism 
there,  and  to  change   its  churches 

sumed  by  fire;  the  pious  Charles  III.  wished  to 
rebuild  it  with  great  splendor,  and  had  the  work 
actually  commenced,  though  it  is  not  yet  finished. 
This  shrii)e  is  situate  in  the  province  of  Oviedo. 
I  The  word  Islamism  signifies  consecration  to 
God. 


i 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


337 


into  mosques.  The  project  was  no 
sooner  conceived  than  executed. 
The  rich  plains  of  the  South  were 
quickly  covered  with  a  numerous 
army,  which  pillaged  the  shrines  as 
it  passed  along,  and  dashed  from 
their  ancient  pedestals  the  statues 
of  the  Virgin  and  the  Saints,  con- 
temptuously treating  them  as  idols. 
All  France  quaked  with  fear,  from 
the  Pyrenees  to  the  Rhine ;  the 
churches  could  scarcely  contain  the 
multitudes  who  came  to  implore  the 
assistance  of  God  and  the  Blessed 
Virgin ;  the  bishops  took  up  arms ; 
the  mitred  abbots  marched  to  battle 
under  the  flag  of  their  abbey;  the 
abbot  of  St.  Denis  hoisted  the  ori- 
flamme^  which  was  then  peculiar 
to  his  own  convent ;  Aquitaine  dis- 
played the  image  of  St.  Martial, 
and  Charles  Martel  the  cloak  of  St. 
Martin  of  Tours,  which  was  then 
the  royal  standard  of  France.  It 
was  truly  a  holy  war ;  and  we 
consequently  see  that  those  who 
fell  in  this  contest  were  numbered 
amongst  the  martyrs. 

The  battle  wherein  the  Moorish 
scimitar  and  the  Frankish  battle- 
axe  were  to  decide  the  destinies  of 
the  world,  and  secure  the  ti'iumph 


f  either  of  the  Koran  or  the  Gospel, 
was  fought  on  the  plain  of  Poic- 
tiers.  The  two  armies  viewed  each 
other  at  first  with  equal  surprise. 
The  French  could  not  help  admiring 
the  brilliant  Eastern  cavalry,  proud 
of  so  many  victories,  and  laden  with 
the  spoils  of  Africa  and  Asia.  The 
ground  shook  beneath  the  fiery 
tread  of  their  Arab  coursers  as  they 
impatiently  pawed  and  pranced, 
seeming  as  though  they  would  cry 
"  Forward ! "  like  their  type  im- 
mortalized in  the  sublime  descrip- 
tion of  Job ;  the  eye  was  dazzled 
by  the  gorgeous  flowing  robes  of 
the  Saracens,  the  splendor  of  their 
jewelled  turbans,  and  the  meteor 
glare  of  their  breastplates  and  scim- 
itars. 

The  army  of  the  Franks,  ranged 
in  angular  form  for  the  battle,  pre- 
sented to  the  sons  of  Ishmael  a 
sight  no  less  sti-ange  or  imposing. 
Those  agile  warriors,  clothed  in 
short  garments,  and  exceeding  the 
swiftest  horses  in  the  celerity  of 
their  movements, — -that  formidable 
infantry,  which  united  in  its  man- 
oeuvres the  ancient  tactics  of  the 
Eoman  legions  and  the  wild  ferocity 
of  the  Germanic  races, — that  brist- 


M8 


mSTORT  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VTRGIN  MARY. 


ling  triiuigle  of  spears  and  axes,  * 
advancing  eagerly  but  steadily  to 
pierce  the  Moorish  squadrons,  struck 
the  Arabs  with  surpiise,  and  soon 
convinced  them,  say  the  ancient 
chronicles,  that  they  had  no  longer 
to  deal  with  the  degenei-ate  Goths, 
and  that  Charles  was  a  different 
person  from  Rodriguez. 

The  battle  of  Xeres,  which  deliv- 
ered Spain  to  the  Moors,  had  lasted 
eight  whole  days;  the  battle  of 
Tours,  which  delivered  France  from 
them,  lasted  but  a  single  day.  The 
Arabs  charged  the  Christian  army 
several  times,  pouring  in  one  bat- 
talion after  another,  like  the  over- 
whelming billows  of  the  ocean ;  but 
their  insatiate  fury  broke  in  vain 
against  the  solid  phalanx  of  the 
Franks,  whom  a  Portuguese  bishop, 
Isidore,    their   contemporary,    com- 


pares to  a  wall  of  ice,  against 
which  the  Arab  host  dashed  itself 
to  pieces.  At  length  the  ferocious 
Abderama,  lieutenant  of  the  Caliph 
of  Bagdad,  whose  authority  extend- 
ed even  to  Spain,  fell  under  tlie 
crushing  axe  of  Charles.  The 
shades  of  night  separated  the  com- 
batants, and  next  day,  when  the 
Christian  troops  rushed  on  the  Afri- 
can camp,  in  order  to  complete  the 
ruin  of  their  enemies,  they  found  it 
empty — the  Moors  had  fled!  Then, 
each  of  the  victorious  battalions,  as 
they  marched  into  the  grateful  city, 
was  greeted  with  the  merry  sound 
of  bells  and  the  music  of  jo}'ful  an- 
thems ;  and  the  whole  city  resound- 
ed with  the  cry  of  "  Praises  be  to 
Christ,  who  loves  the  Franks,  pro- 
tects their  armies,  and  watches  over 
their  kingdom  I " 


CHAPTER   YIII. 

THE     NORTHMEN. 


HE  last  of  the 
Merovingians 
had  exchanged 
the  white  and 
blue  dalmatic, 
the  tiara  of  gold 
adorned  with 
jewels,  and  the  golden  wand  bent 
in  the  form  of  a  crozier,  which 
formed  the  sceptre  of  those  princes, 
for  the  brown  habit  of  a  monk;  it 
was  a  phantom  the  less.  For  many 
a  long  year  the  mayors  of  the  pal- 
ace had  been  the  real  kings,  and 
the  disappearance  of  the  last  de- 
scendant of  Clovis  made  so  little 
noise  in  the  world,  that  the  chroni- 
cles of  the  time  merely  state,  so 
very  concisely  that  contempt  ap- 
pears through  indifference,  that  the 
Franks  assembled  at  Soissons  de- 
posed Childeric,  and  transferred  the 
crown  to  Pepin.  This  Austrasian 
prince,  who  so  boldly  assumed  the 
crown  of  France,  violating,  by  the 
consent  of  the  nobles,  all  the  laws 
of  monarchy,  had  a  sword  able  to 


*  defend  it,  and  a  head  strong  enough 
to  wear  it.  His  valor  was  un- 
doubted, his  prudence  proverbial, 
and  he  showed  himself  more  pious 
than  his  father,  Charles  Martel,  of 
glorious  memory,  who  pillaged  the 
church  after  having  saved  it.  Pepin, 
who  •  was  remarkable  for  his  devo- 
tion to  the  Blessed  Yirgin,  was  con- 
secrated by  Boniface,  archbishop  of 
Mayence,  in  the  famous  abbey - 
church  of  Om*  Lady  of  Soissons, 
where  Gisele,  one  of  his  daughters, 
the  beloved  sister  of  Charlemagne, 
afterwards  took  the  veil.  It  was 
this  prince  who  granted  to  the 
Merovingian  monastery  of  Our  Lady 
of  Argenteuil  a  part  of  the  immense 
forest  which  lay  near  it.  Pepin  the 
Short  also  founded,  in  the  old  Ger- 
man forest,  since  so  famous  and  so 
dreaded  as  the  Black  Forest,  a 
charming  rustic  chapel  in  honor 
of  Mary.  This  he  did  on  the  fol- 
lowing occasion:  One  day,  as  he 
was  hunting  with  his  lords  in  those 
immense  woods,  he  heedlessly  de- 


340 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


tached  himself  from  his  suite,  and 
lost  his  way.  Not  knowing  what 
to  do,  he  stood  hesitating  which 
path  to  follow,  when  the  soft  sound 
of  a  hermitage-bell  was  wafted  to 
his  ear  on  the  autumn  breeze. 
Turning  his  horse's  head  in  the 
direction  of  the  sound,  the  prince 
soon  reached  a  sequestered  spot, 
where  a  poor  Scottish  monk  had 
built  himself  a  cell  and  a  small 
oratory  by  the  side  of  a  limpid 
brook.  This  lowly  edifice,  •  con- 
structed without  the  aid  of  art  or 
the  mason's  trowel,  was  yet  not 
without  its  own  magnificence:  the 
brier  had  interlaced  its  rich  brown 
branches  through  the  narrow  open- 
ings, adorned  with  dark  green  leaves, 
whilst  the  gold  and  purple  foliage 
of  the  wild  vine  seemed  to  fix  on 
the  ruined  wall  the  rich  tints  of  the 
setting  sun. 

The  kings  of  that  time,  though 
arrogant  by  nature,  everywhere  di- 
vested themselves  of  pride  in  pres- 
ence of  a  Christian  emblem.  On 
seeing  the  black  cross  of  the  her- 
mitage, the  Frankish  prince  bent 
his  head  as  humbly  as  the  poorest 
shepherd  would  have  done ;   then, 

*  Astolfi,  Dtlle  Imagini  miracolose. 


f  tying  his  horse  to  a  tree,  he  entered 
the  humble  sanctuary.  The  utter 
nakedness  of  the  holy  place,  through 
whose  broken  roof  were  seen  the 
waving  pine  and  the  passing  clouds, 
cooled  in  no  degree  the  simple  piety 
of  the  valiant  prince.  Having  pray- 
ed for  a  little  time  before  a  Ma- 
donna, so  rudely  sculptured  that 
it  would  now  frighten  a  child  and 
make  an  artist  shudder,  the  king, 
w^hoUy  unprovided,  yet  unwilling  to 
leave  the  little  chapel  without  some 
token  of  his  visit,  laid  before  the 
altar  his  jewelled  cap.  Returned 
to  his  palace  of  Heristal,  Pepin  did 
not  forget,  amid  the  cares  and 
pleasm-es  of  royalty,  the  little  her- 
mitage of  Mary,  which  he  rebuilt 
with  splendor,  and  richly  endowed.* 
Charlemagne,  or  Karl  the  Great, 
as  he  is  styled  in  the  old  Frankish 
chi-onicles,  rejected  not  the  religious 
inheritance  of  his  father's  piety. 
There  is  on  record  one  of  his  pious 
visits  to  Our  Lady  of  Marillais,  in 
Anjou — a  pilgrimage  which  dates, 
it  is  said,  from  the  fourth  century, 
and  which  was  then  one  of  the  most 
popular  of  the  Christian  world,  f 
During  his   stay  in  Italy,  his  rich 


* 


f  Grandet,  Hist.  Eccles.  d' Anjou. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


341 


gifts  to  St.  Mary  Major  dazzled  the 
Roman  people,  accustomed  as  they 
were  to  splendor  and  magnificence ; 
Germany  was  enriched  by  him  with 
three  clmrches  bearing  Our  Lady's 
name ;   nor  was  this  all. 

Having  exhumed  the  mineral  city 
of  Granus,  the  remains  of  which  he 
accidentally  found  beneath  the  moss 
and  weeds  of  the  fair  valley  which 
skirts  the  Rhine  and  the  Meuse, 
Charles,  having  chosen  it  for  the 
seat  of  the  Frankish  empire,  erected 
there,  by  the  side  of  his  vast  pal- 
ace, under  the  invocation  of  the 
Virgin,  a  chapel  or  oratory  of  octag- 
onal form,  ornamented  with  Italian 
marble,  lighted  by  windows  incrust- 
ed  with  gold,  and  secured  by  brazen 
doors.  This  chapel,  which  equal- 
led the  basilica  in  extent,  and  sub- 
sequently afforded  a  magnificent 
asylum  to  the  mortal  remains  of 
the  great  emperor,  soon  became  so 
famous,  that  the  German  city,  whose 
glory  it  was,  esteemed  it  a  high 
honor  to  bear  its  name.  From  the 
Emperor  Louis  the  First,  till  the 
year  1556,  thirty-six  kings  and  ten 
queens  were  crowned  in  this  sanc- 
tuary of  Our  Lady.  This  shrine 
was   so   much   frequented,   that  in 


f  1496  there  were  reckoned,  in  one 
day,  an  hundred  and  forty-two  thou- 
sand pilgrims. 

The  court  of  Charlemagne  imi- 
tated him  in  his  tender  and  pro- 
found devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin. 
When  he  declared  war  against  the 
Mussulman  king  of  Cordova,  and 
summoned  the  lords  of  southern 
France  to  fight  under  the  victorious 
banners  whereon  was  emblazoned 
the  figure  of  the  Archangel  Michael, 
the  great  patron  of  the  French  of 
that  time,  the  famous  paladin  Ro- 
land, his  nephew,  before  crossing 
the  Pyrenees,  which  were  to  be  so 
fatal  to  him,  made  a  pilgrimage, 
in  company  with  many  high  and 
mighty  lords,  to  Our  Lady  of  Roc- 
Amadom*.  The  Carlovingian  prince, 
after  having  piously  invoked  Mary, 
offered  her  the  weight  of  his  hrac- 
mar  (sword)  of  silver,  and  conse- 
crated to  her  that  sword  which  had 
already  acquired  so  much  renown. 
As  he  was  returning  to  France, 
covered  with  glory,  the  vanguard 
of  the  French  army,  commanded  by 
him,  was  surrounded  and  attacked 
on  all  sides  in  the  valley  of  Ronce- 
vaux.  In  vain  did  the  French 
brave  the  danger  with  unflinching 


r 


842 


mSTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


courage;  they  were  cut  to  pieces;  * 
not  one  would  surrender;  all  per- 
ished, both  chiefs  and  soldiers.  To 
perpetuate  the  memory  of  this  dis- 
astrous event,  there  was  erected  on 
the  spot,  over  the  collected  bones 
of  those  chivalrous  warriors,  a 
chapel  dedicated  to  Mary,  in  which 
was  placed  an  inscription  bearing 
the  names  of  Thierry  of  Ardennes, 
Rioles  du  Mas,  Guy  of  Bourgogne, 
Ogier  the  Dane,  Olivier,  and  Ro- 
land. This  chapel,  situated  near 
the  abbey  of  Roncevaux,  was 
adorned  with  frescoes  representing 
a  combat,  and  for  six  centm-ies 
none  but  Frenchmen  were  buried 
there.  The  last  thought  of  the  pal- 
adin Roland,  ere  he  expired  on  the 
field  of  battle,  was  an  act  of  respect 
towards  the  Blessed  Virgin ;  he  de- 
sired that  his  sword  might  be  borne 
to  Our  Lady  of  Roc-Amadour,  and 
it  was  done  as  he  had  commanded. 

Louis  the  Pious,  or  the  Good,  son 
of  Charlemagne,  always  wore  the 
image  of  Mary  about  his  person 
whether  in  the  chase  or  on  a  jour- 
ney. When,  straying  a  little  from 
his  com-t,  he  found  himself  alone  in 
the  woods,  he  hastily  unfastened  his 
gauntlets  studded  with  golden  nails,  ,, 


and,  drawing  from  his  bosom  the 
venerated  image,  he  placed  it  at 
the  foot  of  an  oak  and  knelt  to  oifer 
up  a  prayer.  He  afterwards  depos- 
ited it  in  the  superb  abbey  of  Hil- 
desheim,  which  he  founded  in  honor 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin,*  and  where 
he  planted  a  rose-bush  with  his  own 
hand,  which  lasted  nearly  as  long 
as  his  noble  monastery. 

Under  Charles  the  Fat,  a  craven 
and  deceitful  monarch,  whose  dis- 
turbed and  unhappy  reign  prepared 
the  fall  of  the  race  of  Charlemagne, 
the  Normans,  conducted  by  Sigefroy, 
came  to  lay  siege  to  Paris.  That 
ancient  capital  of  the  Parisii  was 
no  larger  then  than  it  had  been  in 
the  time  of  Caesar:  the  cathedral 
of  Notre-Dame,  built  by  king  Chil- 
debert,  to  the  east ;  two  large  tow- 
ers to  the  north  and  south  ;  and  to 
the  west,  the  king's  palace,  formed 
the  four  points  of  its  circumference. 
The  Seine  encircled  it  with  its  blue 
waves.  The  river-side,  towards  the 
north,  was  covered  with  wood,  and 
the  octagonal  tower  which  stood  at 
the  corner  of  the  Cemetery  of  the 
Innocents  served  as  a  watch-tower 
to   keep   off  the   incursions  of  the 

*  Triple  Or.,  No.  75. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


343 


robbers  from  the  forest.  In  the 
present  quartier  des  Halles,  in  the 
neighborhood  of  St.  Opportune,  was 
a  hermitage  called  the  Hermitage  of 
Our  Lady  of  the  Woods,  because  it 
stood  at  the  entrance  of  the  forest. 
The  mountain  of  St.  Genevieve,  was 
thickly  covered  with  vines,  and  the 
faubourg  St.  Germain,  noted  for  its 
beautiful  meadows,  was  a  small  ab- 
batial  village. 

Sigefroy  at  first  demanded  per- 
mission for  the  troops  whom  he  was 
leading  to  Burgundy  to  enter  Paris 
as  they  passed ;  the  Parisians  re- 
fused to  open  their  gates  to  him, 
and  the  Norman  swore  that  his 
sword  should  break  them  open. 

Eudes,  son  of  Robert  the  Strong, 
shut  himself  up  in  Paris,  and  re- 
solved to  defend  it  against  these 
barbarians,  who,  not  content  with 
pillaging  the  houses  and  churches, 
robbed  even  the  venerated  bodies 
of  the  Saints.*  The  siege  was  long 
and  bloody.  Seven  hundred  N'or- 
man  barks  blockaded  the  Seine ; 
battering-rams,  balistas,  and  cata- 
pults were  employed  on  both  sides, 
and  either  party  darted  against  the 
other    fiery    arrows    and    burning 

*  See  Antiq.  de  Rouen,  p.  102. 


*  brands.  The  Norman  towers  were 
placed  over  against  the  towers  of 
the  besieged  ramparts,  and  the 
enemy  approached  the  walls  under 
covered  galleries,  which  the  Paris- 
ians often  succeeded  in  burning, 
or  crushing  beneath  the  weight  of 
beams  and  stones. 

From  the  very  beginning  of  this 
desperate  and  heroic  conflict,  Paris 
had  placed  itself  under  the  special 
protection  of  the  Blessed  Yirgin. 
It  was  her  statue  that  the  clergy 
bore  in  procession  around  the  ram- 
parts during  the  siege,  and  many 
a  Norman  arrow  was  aimed  at  it 
in  vain ;  it  was  Mary  whom  the 
archers  invoked  aloud  as  they  hurl- 
ed stones  and  other  missiles  fi'om 
the  height  of  the  towers ;  it  was  in 
her  honor  that,  as  often  as  they 
repulsed  the  Northern  pirates,  the 
city  was  splendidly  illuminated  with 
white  wax  tapers.  "  It  is  she  who 
saves  us,"  said  Abbon;  "it  is  she 
who  deigns  to  support  us ;  it  is  by 
her  help  that  we  still  enjoy  life. 
Amiable  Mother  of  our  Saviour, 
bright  Queen  of  Heaven,  it  is  thou 
who  hast  vouchsafed  to  shield  us 
from  the  threatening  sword  of  the 
Danes!" 


844 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


Some  yeai's  after,  the  Blessed  Vir-  f 
gill  assisted  by  a  miracle  in  recover- 
ing the  city  of  Nantes  from  the 
Normans,  and  expelling  them  from 
Bretagne,  which  they  had  invaded. 
Alain,  afterwards  surnamed  Baihe- 
Torte  (Twisted  Beard),  who  had 
taken  refuge  in  England  with  the 
flower  of  the  young  Breton  nobility, 
then  undertook  to  regain  his  coun- 
try; he  was  but  twenty  years  old, 
an  exile,  and  had  little  else  than  his 
sword  and  the  protection  of  Mary ; 
but  a  sword  is  something  in  the 
hands  of  a  brave  man,  and  Mary's 
protection  is  worth  whole  squad- 
rons. He  landed  with  some  Bre- 
tons at  Cancale,  and,  from  stage  to 
stage,  tracking  his  way  w^ith  Nor- 
man corpses,  the  Breton  hero  at 
length  arrived  under  the  walls  of 
Nantes,  where  the  plundering  North- 
men had  taken  refuge,  as  a  last 
resource.  Repulsed  with  loss  by 
the  Normans,  who  had  collected 
niunerous  bands  around  the  city, 
Alain,  driven  to  the  extremity  of  the 
mountain  with  his  troops,  stretched 
himself  on  the  ground,  "grievously 
tired,"  says  an  old  Breton  chronicle, 
"and  tormented  with  thirst.  He, 
thereupon,   began    to    moan    pite- 


ously,  and,  with  humble  supplica- 
tion, to  implore  the  help  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  Mother  of  Our 
Lord,  beseeching  her  to  open  a 
fountain  of  water,  so  that  he  and 
his  exhausted  knights  might  quench 
their  grievous  thirst.  Which  pray- 
ers being  heard  by  the  Virgin  Mary, 
she  did  graciously  open  a  fountain, 
which  is  still  called  St.  Mary's 
Fountain,  from  which  he  and  his 
did  drink,  and  being  sufficiently 
strengthened  and  refreshed,  did  mar- 
vellously recover  their  vigor,  and 
returned  as  valiant  as  ever  to  the 
battle.  Falling  again  on  the  Nor- 
mans, they  slew  them  and  cut  them 
to  pieces,  excepting  only  those  who 
lied  with  their  booty  to  their  ships." 
Alain  found  the  city  of  Nantes 
sacked  and  burned.  All  covered 
wdth  dust  and  blood,  the  young  lib- 
erator had  long  looked  in  vain 
amid  the  piles  of  smouldering  ruins 
for  the  stately  chm-ch  of  St.  Felix, 
the  roof  of  which,  covered  with  fine 
tin,  was  so  clear,  says  a  contempo- 
rary work,  that,  when  shone  upon 
by  the  sun  or  moon,  it  resembled 
burnished  silver.  Alas !  that  roof 
had  disappeared,  and  the  sky  was 
the   only   covering   of  the    ancient 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


345 


church,  whose  altars  were  broken 
and  its  tombs  laid  waste.  In  order 
to  reach  the  place  where  the  high 
altar  had  been,  Alain  was  obliged 
to  clear  away  the  briers  with  his 
sword.  Yet  the  Te  Deum  of  victory 
and  the  canticles  of  praise  to  the 
Virgin  were  chanted  with  no  less 
fervor  amid  the  ruins  of  that  tem- 
ple; and,  before  he  arose  from  his 
knees,  the  young  Breton  duke,  recog- 
nizing the  tutelary  support  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  promised  to  dedicate 
to  her  that  cathedral  which  now 
bears  the  name  of  Our  Lady  of 
Nantes. 

It  was  in  the  reign  of  Charles  the 
Simple  that  a  whole  army  of  the 
bold  Northern  pirates  who  had  so 
long  ravaged  the  western  coast  of 
Europe  was  converted  to  the  faith, 
though  at  the  expense  of  the  fairest 
jewel  in  the  Frankish  crown.  Neus- 
tria,   a    rich    and   fertile    province, 

*  "For  seventy-four  years,"  says  Eouault, 
"the  Cotentine  had  the  misfortune  to  be  pro- 
faned by  the  pagan  ceremonies  of  the  North- 
men and  the  idolatrous  sacrifices  offered  to  their 
idols  even  in  the  city  of  Coutances."  {Ahridg. 
Lives  of  the  Bishops  of  Coutances,  p.  151. ) 

f  A  Danish  army,  which  had  landed  on  the 
coast  of  Brittany  to  pillage  the  rich  and  famous 
abbey  of  Rhedon,  was  so  terrified  by  a  storm 
which  burst  on  the  camp,  that,  instead  of  sack- 


which  they  had  overrun  for  nearly 
a  century,  and  had  even  forced  to 
conform  to  the  savage  worship  of 
their  gods,*  was  made  over  to  them 
with  the  sovereignty  of  Bretagne, 
on  condition  that  Rollo,  their  chief, 
whose  progress  through  France  had 
been  marked  by  fire  and  blood, 
should  become  a  Christian.  The 
condition  was  accepted;  the  Nor- 
man pirate  married  a  Carlo vingian 
princess  (who  lived  but  a  short 
time),  and  was  thoroughly  con- 
verted. Strangely  enough,  the  re- 
ligious element  had  been  always 
strong  amongst  these  fierce  North- 
men, who  several  times  sent  pres- 
ents and  tapers  to  the  very  abbeys 
which  they  had  come  to  pillage, 
when  a  storm  rising  at  sea,  in  sight 
of  the  holy  place,  induced  them  t(3 
believe  that  the  Christian  sanc- 
tuary was  guarded  by  some  celes- 
tial power.f    The  first  question  put 

ing  and  burning  the  abbey,  the  pirates,  con- 
sidering that  it  was  forbidden  by  a  God  worthy 
of  their  respect,  gave  rich  presents  to  the  abbey, 
illuminated  it  with  tapers,  and  placed  sentinels 
around  it  to  prevent  pillage.  Sixteen  soldiers 
having  infringed  on  the  commands  of  Gode- 
froy,  their  chief,  and  taken  something  from  the 
abbey,  were  punished  with  death  the  same  day. 
(Mabillonius,  in  Adis  S.  S.  Ord.  S.  Bened.,  sect, 
iv.,  2d  part.) 


846 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


by  the  new  Duke  of  Normandy  to  f 
Franco,  archbishop  of  Rouen,  who 
was  instructing  him  in  the  mys- 
teries of  Christianity,  was  to  ascer- 
tain who  were  the  most  renowned 
saints  of  France  and  Neustria.  The 
prelate  immediately  named  Our 
Lady,  and  enlarged  upon  her  great 
power.  "Well,"  said  the  Norman 
prince,  after  a  moment's  pause,  "  as 
she  is  so  powerful,  we  must  do 
something  for  her."  And  he  there- 
upon made  a  large  concession  of 
lands  to  Our  Lady  of  Bayeux.  The 
city  of  Rouen  had  dedicated  to 
Mary  its  metropolitan  church,  burn- 
ed by  the  Normans  of  Hastings, 
and  repaired  as  well  as  possible 
some  time  after;  the  Duke  was 
baptized  therein  with  most  of  his 
Danish  captains,  and  set  on  foot 
to  enlarge  and  beautify  it — works 
which  his  successors  magnificently 
continued.*  Our  Lady  of  Evreux, 
one  of  the  most  ancient  churches 
of  Normandy  —  if  we  believe  the 


*  This  prince  was  interred  in  the  cathedral 
of  Notre  Dame,  which  he  had  then  rebuilt. 
"  He  ended  his  days  at  Rouen,  as  a  good  Catho- 
lic," says  Taillepied,  "  and  was  inhumed  with 
g^eat  pomp  and  funeral  state  in  the  great 
church  of  Notre  Dame,  towards  the  south  side." 
{AniiquUks  de  la  vUle  de  Rouen,  p.  107.) 


annals  which  relate  that  St.  Taurin, 
first  bishop  of  Evreux,  founded  it 
about  the  year  250,  and  consecrated 
it  to  the  worship  of  the  true  God, 
under  the  invocation  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin — likewise  received  rich  gifts 
from  Rollo,  who  gave,  even  to  his 
last  moments,  the  most  signal  marks 
of  sincere  devotion  towards  Madame 
Sainte  Marie,  as  she  was  respect- 
fully called  by  the  princes  and  no- 
bles of  that  period. 

These  Norman  dukes,  by  nature 
gay,  generous,  and  brave,  were  in 
general  very  devout  to  the  Virgin ; 
it  was  before  her  altar  that  they 
were  invested  with  the  regalia  of 
that  fair  duchy  which  they  proudly 
styled  their  kingdom  of  Normandy. 
There  it  was,  too,  that  they  slept 
their  last  sleep,  under  the  gray  flags 
of  her  chapel,  hung  with  tapestry 
of  silk  and  gold,  representing  the 
principal  events  in  the  life  of  the 
Mother  of  God,  and  wrought  by  the 
duchesses  of  Normandy,  f     Robert 


f  "  The  Duchess  Gonnor,  second  wife  of  Rich- 
ard Sans-Peur,  duke  of  Normandy,  gave  great 
wealth  to  the  churches,"  says  Taillepied,  "  and 
especially  to  Our  Lady  of  Rouen,  to  which  she 
gave  many  splendid  ornaments  made  by  skillful 
artists  and  embroiderers  ;  she  likewise  made 
^    tapestries    of    embroidered    silk,    representing 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


347 


the  Magnificent  had,  himself,  no  less 
than  three  churches  built  in  lionor 
of  Mary,  and  bearing  her  name: 
Our  Lady  of  Deliverance,  to  accom- 
plish a  vow  made  during  a  storm 
whilst  his  bark  was  tossed  about  in 
the  dangerous  waters  of  the  Norman 
Archipelago;  Our  Lady  of  Grace, 
near  Honfleur ;  and  finally.  Our 
Lady  of  Pity,  under  the  ducal  castle 
which  defended  Honfleur. 

This  prince,  so  devoted  to  Mary, 
resolved  on  going  to  Jerusalem  to 
visit  her  tomb  and  the  Holy  Sep- 
ulchre; he  set  out  on  horseback, 
accompanied  by  the  richest  and  no- 
blest lords  of  his  court,  all  radiant 
with  gold,  sparkling  with  jewels, 
and  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  var- 
lets,  squires  and  pages,  as  though 
they  were  going  to  some  great  tour- 
nament. As  they  passed  along,  the 
people  came  forth  in  crowds  to  see 
them,  and  their  entry  into  Rome 
was  something  remarkable.  The 
Romans  regarded  with  admiration 
those  Northern  barbarians  who  had 
made  even  Italy  itseK  tremble,  and 


sacred  histories,  with  pictures  of  the  Virgin  and 
the  Saints,  to  decorate  the  church  of  Our  Lady 
of  Kouen."     {Antiq.  de  Rouen,  p.  112.) 

*  See  La  Normandie,  by  M.  Jules  Janin.  ch.  2. 


*  whose  tall  statm-e  and  noble  mien 
reminded  them  of  their  ancient  he- 
roes. Seeing  their  lordly  bearing, 
their  brilliant  armor,  their  long 
gold-hilted  swords,  and  their  point- 
ed helmets,  whence  their  fair  tresses 
escaped,  they  asked  each  other  who 
were  these  princes  from  the  North 
who  came  thus  as  humble  pilgrims 
to  visit  the  tombs  of  the  Apostles  ? 
The  Pope  gave  them  a  distinguished 
reception,  bestowed  on  them  his 
pastoral  blessing,  and  with  his  own 
hands  placed  the  pilgrim's  staff  on 
the  shoulder  of  their  princely  chief. 
Thence  they  continued  their  route 
to  Constantinople,  the  city  of  Mary, 
which  they  dazzled  with  their  mag- 
nificence. They  scattered  gold  and 
pearls  through  the  streets  as  they 
passed  along;  Robert's  mule  was 
shod  with  gold,  and  when  a  nail 
fell  out,  not  a  Norman  deigned  to 
stoop  in  search  of  it;  it  was  for 
the  Greeks  to  gather  from  the  dust 
the  golden  nails  lost  by  the  Nor- 
man's horse.* 

On  approaching  the  holy  places, 
the  Christian  spirit  made  itself  felt ; 
those  same  travellers  who  had 
crossed  or  braved,  without  acknowl- 

^  edging  any  right  of  toll,  so  many 


848 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVijTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


well  defended  rivei's,  and  so  many  * 
embattled  walls,  those  bold  com-  | 
panions  who  always  took  care  to  | 
let  the  point  of  their  swords  be  seen 
underneath  the  pilgrim's  robe,  they 
who  were  so  lately  proud  even  to 
insolence,  could  now  be  scarcely 
recognized,  so  humble,  so  modest, 
so  collected  were  they  made  by  the 
mere  proximity  of  that  Holy  Land 
whose  arid,  rocky  soil  they  trod 
barefoot.  Robert,  so  justly  styled 
the  Magnificent,  visited,  with  the 
most  edifying  devotion,  the  holy 
sepulchres  of  Jesus  and  Maiy. 
Christians  and  Mussulmans  alike 
received  from  him  such  munificent 
alms  that  the  Emir  of  Jerusalem, 
excited  to  emulation,  refused  to  ac- 
cept the  ti'ibute  due  to  him  by  these 
splendid  pilgrims.  Robert  left  a 
liberal  donation  at  the  Holy  Sepul- 
chre ;  Richard  11.,  duke  of  Norman- 
dy, had  already  made  an  offering 
there  of  an  hundred  pounds  of  gold. 
The  pilgrimage  accomplished,  the 
Duke  set  out  by  land  on  his  return 
to  his   fair  duchy,   which  he   was 

*  A  Norman  pilgrim,  having  met  the  Duke, 
whom  some  Arabs  were  carryii^  in  a  litter, 
Badly  approached  the  dying  prince,  and  said, 
"  What  tidings  shall  I  bring  home  of  your  lord- 


never  more  to  seel  He  died  at 
Nice,  in  Bithynia,  jesting  on  the 
aspect  of  death,  like  the  sea-kings 
bis  fathers,*  and  commending  him- 
self to  Madame  Sainte  Marie,  as  his 
Christian  predecessors  had  done. 

The  Norman  nobles,  who  began 
to  dream  of  kingdoms  under  the 
radiant  sun  of  Italy,  were  no  less 
devoted  to  the  Virgin  than  their 
princes.  The  famous  Tancred  and 
Robert  Guiscard  were  lords  of  the 
small  maritime  village  of  Hauteville, 
where  not  a  stone  remains  of  their 
castles,  but  where  the  old  church  in 
which  these  Norman  lions  received 
baptism  is  still  seen,  without  a 
spire,  all  covered  with  moss  and 
weeds; — they  sent  from  the  depth 
of  Puglia,  where,  with  five  hundred 
Norman  lances,  they  drove  back 
sixty  thousand  Saracens,  the  half 
of  a  treasure  which  they  had  found, 
to  Geoffrey  de  Monbray,  bishop  of 
Coutances,  to  build,  under  the  invo- 
cation of  Holy  Mary,  the  beautiful 
fairy  fabric  which  forced  even  from 
Vauban  himself  that  cry  of  wonder 


ship  ?  "  *  Say,"  replied  Robert  with  a  smile,  aa 
he  pointed  to  his  bearers,  "that  you  saw  me 
taken  to  heaven  by  four  devUs." 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


349 


and  admiration,  "Wliat  sublime 
madman  was  it  that  reared  this 
noble  building  to  the  clouds?" 

Precisely  at  the  same  period,  a 
brother  of  Robert  Guiscard,  Count 
Roger  de  Hauteville,  founded  in 
conquered  Sicily  the  famous  cathe- 
iral  of  Messina,  which  he  failed  not 
to  dedicate  to  the  Virgin,  according 
to  the  custom  of  his  house.  This 
sumptuous  building,  which  was  con- 
secrated in  the  year  1097,  partook 
a  little  of  all  the  styles  of  architec- 
ture then  known;  the  Byzantine 
mosaic  was  there  joined  with  the 
arabesque  of  the  Saracens,  and  the 
graceful  gothic  spires  adorned  with 

*  This  letter,  which  was  first  translated  from 
the  Greek  by  Lascari,  who  was  suspected  of 
having  invented  it,  was  subsequently  found  also 
in  Syriac  in  the  old  manuscripts  of  the  bishop  of 
Mardin,  in  Syria,  and  was  translated  into  Latin 
by  D,  Joseph  Allemani,  a  noble  Maronite,  in- 
terpreter of  Oriental  languages  for  the  Vatican 
library.  We  do  not  pretend  to  examine  the 
value  of  this  document,  which  is  placed  amongst 
the  apocryphal  writings,  notwithstanding  many 
protests ;  we  give  it  here  as  a  curious  and  an- 
cient document. 

*'  Maria  virgo,  Joachim  et  Annse  filia,  humilis 
ancilla  Domini,  Mater  Jesu  Christi,  qui  est  ex 
tribu  Juda,  et  de  stirpe  David,  Messanensibus 
omnibus  salutem,  et  a  Deo  Patre  omnipotente 
benedictionem. 

"  Per  publicum  documentum  constat  vos  mis- 
isse  ad  nos  nuncios,  fide  magna  ;  vos  scilicet 
credere  Filium  nostrum  a  nobis  genitum  esse    # 


statues  of  saints  and  angels  wonder- 
fully well  gilt.  In  the  sumptuous 
treasury  of  this  cathedral  is  pre- 
served a  letter  of  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin, in  which  the  devout  inhabit- 
ants of  Messina  take  no  small 
pride,*  and  on  which  several  Sicil- 
ian bishops  have  written  volumes, 
in  order  to  prove  its  authenticity, 
which  is  somewhat  doubtful.  In 
the  same  cathedral  is  celebrated 
every  year  the  feast  of  the  Farm, 
destined  to  perpetuate  the  memory 
of  the  Saracen  defeat  by  the  Nor- 
man heroes.  The  Virgin,  repre- 
sented by  a  young  maiden,  figures 
in  this  festival,  seated  on  a  magnifi- 

Deum  et  hominem,  et  post  resurrectionem  suam 
ad  coelum  ascendisse  ;  vosque,  mediante  Paulo, 
apostolo  electo,  viam  veritatis  agnovisse.  Prop- 
terea  vos  vestramque  civitatem  benedicimus  et 
protegimus,  et  defendimus  eam  in  ssecula  sgecu- 
lorum. 

"  Data  fuit  hsec  epistola  die  quinto,  in  urbe 
Hierusalem,  a  Maria  virgine,  cujus  nomen  supra, 
anno  xlii.  a  Filio  ejus,  ssecnlo  primo,  die  3  junii, 
luna  xxvii 

"La  chiesa  metropolitana  de  Messina  fu 
dedicata  alia  beatissima  V.  M.  della  Sacra 
Lettera  e  vi  si  celebra  tutti  gli  anni  una  grande 
festa. 

"  L'antica  e  pia  tradizione  della  sacra  lettera 
della  gran  Madre  di  Dio  sempre  Vergine  Maria, 
scritta  alia  nobili  ad  exemplare  cita  di  Messina, 
illustrata  con  nuovi  documenti,  ragioni  e  veri- 
simili  congetture,  dal  P.  Maestro  D.  Pietro 
Menniti,  abbate  generale  di  S.  Basilio  Magno." 


850 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


cent  triumphal  car,  "w  Mist  the  Mus-  f 
sulmans  vanquished  by  Count  Roger 
are  represented  by  hideous  colossal 
figures. 

From  Normandy  came  the  relig- 
ious light  which  dispelled  the  hea- 
then darkness  of  the  North,  and  it 
was  Mary  who  received  in  her  fair 
cathedral  of  Rouen  the  first-fruits 
of  that  sacred  harvest.  Harold  II., 
king  of  Denmark,  who  came  with 
an  hundred  galleys  to  the  succor  of 
Richard  Sans-Peur,  abjured  Pagan- 
ism there ;  and  Olaiis,  king  of  Nor- 
way, who  had  joined  his  forces  with 
those  of  Normandy  in  a  war  which 
Duke  Richard  11.  maintained  against 
Eudes,  king  of  Blois,  was  converted 
by  Robert,  archbishop  of  Rouen,  to 
Christianity,  which  he  soon  after- 
wards introduced  into  his  states. 
This  holy  king  had  the  courage  to 
throw  down  with  his  own  hands  the 
statue  of  Thor,  tutelary  divinity  of 
Norway,  in  the  ancient  temple  of 
Drontheim;    this   statue   had  been 


*  The  Scandinavians  sacrificed  prisoners  to 
Odin  in  time  of  war,  and  criminals  in  time  of 
peace  ;  but  they  did  not  always  confine  them- 
selves to  these  classes,  and  in  great  calamities 
even  kings  were  sacrificed  to  appease  the 
gods.  It  was  thus  that  the  first  king  of  Vermi- 
land  was  burned  in  honor  of  Odin  in  the  time 


encircled  by  the  Norwegian  pirates 
with  a  golden  chain,  and  hence  they 
were  wont  to  swear  by  the  armlets 
of  that  warrior-god  whose  club  was 
so  dreaded  by  the  giants  of  tJie  frost. 
Olaiis  sent  into  Sweden  Christian 
missionaries,  who  were  well  receiv- 
ed, and  the  gilded  walls  of  the  tem- 
ple of  Upsal,  disencumbered  of  their 
idols,  cleansed  from  their  human 
sacrifices,*  were  adorned  with  the 
blessed  images  of  Chi-ist  and  his 
Mother. 

It  was  not  the  fault  of  the  princes 
of  Christendom  that  the  sun  of  the 
Gospel  rose  so  late  on  the  horizon 
of  the  Northern  kingdoms;  in  the 
middle  of  the  seventh  century,  the 
Saxon  Willibord  had  labored  in  vain 
to  convert  Jutland ;  renewed  efibrts 
were  made  with  as  little  success,  in 
the  course  of  the  eighth  century,  by 
missionaries  sent  by  "Witikind,  the 
convert  of  Charlemagne ;  the  ninth, 
opened  under  more  favorable  auspi- 
ces.    Driven  from  his  states,  Harold 


of  a  great  famine  ;  and  we  learn  from  the  history 
of  Norway,  that  kings  spared  not  even  their  own 
children.  Haquin,  king  of  Norway,  offered  his 
in  sacrifice  to  obtain  a  victory ;  and  a  king  of 
Sweden  sacrificed  his  sons  to  Odin  in  order  that 
that  god  might  prolong  his  life.  (See  Wormius, 
^    Monument.  Danic.  et  Sax.  Grammat.,  1.  x.) 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


351 


Klack,  king  )f  a  part  of  Jutland, 
came  to  take  refuge  at  the  court  of 
Louis  the  Gcod,  where  he  embraced 
Christianity.  A  contemporary  an- 
nalist, Ermold  the  Black,  abbot  of 
a  Frankish  monastery,  gives  a  pic- 
turesque description  of  the  sea-king 
and  his  Danish  fleet.  "  What  do  I 
see,"  says  he,  "  shining  in  the  morn- 
ing ray,  and  covering  the  waves 
afar  ?  What  ships  ascend  the  proud 
Rhine  in  warlike  pomp  ?  How  those 
white  sails  glance  in  the  sunlight 
over  the  mirror  of  the  waters  and 
the  dancing  waves !  "  This  conver- 
sion of  the  Jutland  prince  was 
almost  alone,  notwithstanding  the 
exertions  of  Anschar,  the  apostle 
of  the  North;-  and  those  glittering 
ships,  so  admired  by  the  brave  and 
simple  Franks,  remembered  but  too 
well  the  way  to  Western  Europe. 

The  conversion  of  King  Harold 
did  more  for  the  Christian  religion 
than  that  of  the  Jutland  prince. 
On  his  return  to  his  own  country, 
he  forbade  sacrifices,  shut  up  the 
temples  of  the  false  gods,  built 
Christian  churches,  and  did  all  in 
his  power  to  promote  the  propaga- 
tion of  the  Gospel. 

His  son,  Sueno,  a  cruel  and  fero- 


cious prince,  declaring  himself  the 
champion  of  idolatry,  treacherously 
killed  his  father,  re-opened  the  tem- 
ples of  Odin  and  Thor,  and  destroyed 
the  Christian  churches.  After  his 
death,  which  happened  in  1014, 
Christianity  again  raised  its  head 
and  resumed  its  onward  career. 
Still  the  transition  from  one  worship 
to  the  other  was  not  sudden,  as 
amongst  the  young  and  impetuous 
conquerors  of  England  and  Gaul; 
the  Christian  churches  of  Denmark 
arose  for  a  century  side  by  side  with 
the  stone  of  sacrifice.  If  Christ  and 
his  Mother  were  venerated,  the  gods 
of  Walhalla  were  not  forgotten ; 
Thor  still  kept  his  place  on  the 
altar,  with  his  club  in  his  mailed 
hand,  and  if  a  hymn  wxre  sung  to 
Mary  in  her  chapel,  the  hymn  of 
Odin  was  still  chanted  in  the  battle, 
and  to  Odin  were  thanks  returned 
for  victory,  by  a  sacrifice  of  birds 
of  prey.  It  seemed  hard  for  the 
warriors  of  the  North  to  abandon  all 
at  once  those  warlike  deities  whose 
tombs  they  possessed,  and  who  had 
made  their  fathers  so  mighty  in 
battle.  They  admitted  that  Christ 
was  God,  and  were  willing  to  adore 
him  as  such;  but  how  could  they 


852 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


dethrone  the  ancsent  gods  of  their  f 
countiy,  to  make  place  for  the  God 
of  the  stranger?  Could  not  all 
reign  together  ?  The  Walhalla  was 
full  of  virtuous  women,  it  might 
receive  the  Virgin  Mary.  Under 
favor  of  this  last  exception,  Pagan- 
ism was  more  formidable  than  ever, 
and  the  first  Christian  neophytes 
made  a  monsti'ous  mixture  of  both 
worships  by  way  of  reconciliation.* 
This  state  of  things  continued  till 
the  reign  of  Canute  the  Great,  who 
established  the  supremacy  of  the 
Christian  religion. 

The  devotion  to  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin contributed  much  to  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  Gospel  amongst  the 
Scandinavians.  From  time  imme- 
morial they  had  deified  virginity 
in  the  person  of  Falla,  whose  fair 
tresses  were  bound  with  a  golden 
band,  and  Gesione,  who,  after  their 
death,    admitted   virgins    into    her 


Muntev.  Muntev.,  Hid.  Denmark. — Mallet, 
Hisi.  Denmark. 

f  "When  Rogwald  was  killed,"  says  the 
famous  Northern  Scald,  Regnier  Lodbrog,  in 
his  Epicedium  or  Dirge,  "  all  the  crows  of  the 
air  mourned  for  him."  Apparently  because 
he  gave  them  many  sumptuous  feasts  of  dead 
bodies. 

J  The  religion  of  the  Scandinavians  was  whoUy 
corrupt ;  it  no  longer  insisted  on  the  worship 


heavenly  train.  Three  virgins,  seat- 
ed under  the  sacred  oak,  disposed 
of  the  fate  of  men,  and  those  white 
ladies  were  also  virgins  who  glided 
over  the  lakes  like  a  pillar  of  mist, 
sat  at  midnight  in  the  freezing 
shadow  of  the  pines,  and  sang  with 
a  soft,  low  voice  the  Runic  hymns 
which  the  Scalds  had  engraved  with 
the  point  of  their  swords  on  the 
rocks  that  overhung  the  sepulchral 
mound  of  the  heroes  whom  the 
ravens  of  the  air  mourned.f  It  was 
hard  to  set  aside  those  charming 
Northern  fairies,  who  introduced 
themselves  invisibly  into  the  peas- 
ant's cot  and  the  Jarrs  (earl's)  for- 
tress, and  whose  coming  was  sure 
to  bring  good  fortune.  These  super- 
stitions, equally  cherished  by  the 
high  and  the  low,  J  could  never, 
perhaps,  be  totally  eradicated  with- 
out the  Blessed  Virgin,  who  became 
the  protectress   of  cabin   and   pal- 


of  one  Supremie  God ;  the  intelligences  who  had 
emanated  from  him  seemed  no  longer  to  depend 
on  him,  and,  as  a  consequence  of  that  almost  in- 
vincible inclination  which  has  ever  prompted 
men  to  multiply  the  objects  of  their  adoration, 
they  had  acquired  an  equal  right  to  the  govern- 
ment of  this  world.  The  belief  in  fairies  and 
genii,  omens  and  divinations,  had  gradually  be- 
come an  essential  part  of  the  Northern  religion. 
^    (Mallet,  Hist,  de  Danemark.) 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


353 


ace.  The  influence  of  the  Queen  of  * 
Heaven  on  the  conversion  of  the 
Scandinavians,  is  proved  by  a  fact 
which  none  can  dispute:  it  is,  that 
Christianity  owed  its  success  among 
those  nations  to  the  mothers  of  fam- 
ilies who  afterwards  gained  over  the 
warriors.  * 

The  first  Christian  kings  of  Den- 
mark were  faithful  servants  of  Mary. 
St.  Canute,  duke  of  Sleswick,  dedi- 
cated to  her  three  superb  churches. 
Waldemar  11.  placed  her  image  on 
his  shield,  and  having  learned  that 
the  Kussians,  leagued  with  the 
Esthonians,  threatened  the  rising 
church  of  Riga,  he  solemnly  pledged 
himself  to  pass  the  following  year 
in  Esthonia,  as  well  for  the  honor 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin  as  for  the 
remission  of  his  sins.f  It  was  in 
this  war,  commenced  under  the 
patronage  of  Mary,  that  the  Danes, 
surprised  in  their  camp,  lost  their 
national  banner.  As  they  began  to 
give  way  before  the  Pagans,  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  whom  they  had 
piously  invoked  before  leaving  Es- 


*  Mallet,  Hist,  de  Danemark. 
■f  Livonian  Chronicle,  p.  122. 
I  Mallet,  who  disputes  this  legend,  acknowl- 
edges, nevertheless,  that  no  Danish  historian 


thonia,  gave  them,  it  is  said,  a  sen- 
sible mark  of  her  powerful  protec- 
tion ;  a  red  flag  with  a  white  cross 
fell  from  heaven,  according  to  an- 
cient chronicles,  and  with  that  flag 
victory  returned. J  The  devotion  to 
Mary  flourished  long  in  the  three 
kingdoms  of  the  North,  as  is  proved 
by  the  great  number  of  cathedrals, 
hermitages,  and  monasteries  which 
they  dedicated  to  her.  When  the 
scorching  wind  of  the  Reformation 
had  blighted  that  fair  flower  of 
Catholicity,  this  devotion  was  still 
secretly  maintained ;  and  fifty  years 
after  Luther,  Mary  was  still  vener- 
ated in  the  subterraneous  chapel 
of  the  cathedral  of  Upsal.§  This 
consoling  devotion  ended  in  those 
far  northern  regions  as  it  began  in 
Rome,  amongst  the  tombs. 

It  was  under  the  influence  of 
Mary  that  Prussia,  with  all  the 
coast  of  the  Baltic  Sea,  received  the 
light  of  the  Gospel.  The  Knights 
Hospitallers  of  the  Blessed  Vii'gin, 
better  known  as  the  Teutonic 
Kiaights,  civilized  those  barbarous 


he  has  consulted  explains  in  a  satisfactory  man- 
ner the  origin  of  this  banner,  apart  from  the 
prodigy. 

§  M.  Marmier,  Ldtre  a  M.  Salmndy. 


854 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


countries  whose  principal  deities 
were  Hell  (Poklus)  and  the  thun- 
der-god [Perlcon  las) . 

Amongst  the  nations  of  Sclavonic 
origin,  who  substituted  Chiistianity 
for  their  bloody  rites,  and  polished 
their  manners  under  its  civilizing 
influence,  no  people  were  so  devout 
to  the  Virgin  as  the  Hungarians. 

Towards  the  beginning  of  the 
eleventh  century,  St.  Stephen,  first 
Christian  king  of  the  Huns  or  Hun- 
garians, founded  Om'  Lady  of  Albe- 
Royale,  in  thanksgiving  for  a  vic- 
tory obtained  over  the  prince  of 
Transylvania.  This  fair  Sclavonic 
basilica  vied  in  magnificence  with 
the  most  sumptuous  churches  of  the 
East.  Its  walls  adorned  with  su- 
perb sculptures,  its  marble  pave- 
ments, its  altars  overlaid  with  gold 
and  incrusted  with  fine  jewels,  its 
vases  of  silver,  gold,  and  onyx,  were 
marvellous  to  behold.  Over  the 
Virgin's  altar  were  perfuming-pans 
of  silver,  in  which  two  old  men, 
whose  cradles  had  been  rocked  to 
the  exploits  of  Attila,  had  the  rarest 
perfumes  of  Asia  burned.  Proces- 
sions came  several  times  in  the  day 
to  honor  the  Mother  of  God  in  her 
sanctuary. 


All  this  splendor  was  not  suffi- 
cient for  the  piety  of  the  Hungarian 
prince;  descended  though  he  was 
from  the  Scourge  of  God,  it  was  his 
pleasure  to  hold  his  crown  in  sub- 
jection to  the  Virgin,  whom  he  de- 
clared sovereign  of  his  states.  Thus, 
as  often  as  the  name  of  Mary  was 
pronounced  thi'oughout  the  extent 
of  that  vast  kingdom,  there  was  not 
a  Hungarian  noble,  no  matter  how 
high  his  lineage,  who  did  not  bend 
the  knee  and  bow  down,  as  a  vas- 
sal, before  his  liege  lady.*  Within 
the  fortified  walls  of  every  castle, 
there  was  a  small  chapel  lit  by  sev- 
eral brass  or  silver  lamps,  which 
burned  night  and  day  before  Mary's 
image.  The  prince-palatines  even 
carried  that  same  image  to  battle, 
and  raised  an  altar  for  it  in  their 
tents. 

The  devotion  to  Mary  was  kept 
up  with  no  less  fervor  on  the  banks 
of  the  Vistula.  Dating  from  the 
day  when  Dumbrowka,  the  fair 
Bohemian  princess,  converted  King 
Micislas,  and  made  him  break  the 
idols  which  his  fathers  had  raised 
to  Pagoda  {calm  air),  to  Poehwist 
(the  cloudy  sky),  and  to  the  gloomy 

*  Bonifacius,  Hist.  Virg.,  b.  iL,  ch.  ii. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


355 


deities  of  the  abyss,  the  Poles  be- 
came essentially  Catholic,  and  built 
numberless  chapels  of  larch-wood 
in  honor  of  the  Mother  of  God. 
Pagan  banners,  taken  on  twenty 
battle-fields,  were  the  only  orna- 
ment of  these  primitive  churches, 
nestling  amongst  the  ever-green 
pines  of  the  Sclavonic  forests ;  but 
when,  during  the  celebration  of 
mass,  the  minister  of  Jesus  Christ 
read  the  Gospel  to  those  Northern 
heroes,  kneeling  before  an  altar  as 
poor  as  the  crib  of  Bethlehem,  every 
sword  was  seen  haK  drawn  from 
the  scabbard,  in  token  of  protec- 
tion and  defence.*     Nor  was  this 

*  This  custom  is  traced  to  the  time  of  Micis- 
las,  the  first  king  of  Poland.  {Hist,  de  Pologne, 
par  M.  L.  S.,  t.  ler,  p.  43.) 

■f  The  Virgin  Mary  was  Queen  of  Poland; 
hence,  whenever  the  Poles  marched  against  the 
Tartars,  her  image  adorned  the  national  banner. 
{La  Pologne  Historique  et  LUteraire,  t.  ler,  p. 
396.) 


*  an  idle  show :  Poland  was  long  the 
bulwark  of  Christianity;  were  it 
not  for  John  Sobieski,  the  Crescent 
would,  perchance,  have  crowned  the 
battlements  of  the  cities  beyond  the 
Khine. 

Poland  was  early  consecrated  to 
the  Blessed  Virgin ;  Mary  was  sol- 
emnly invoked  under  the  title  of 
Queen  of  Poland  long  before  John 
Casimir  renewed  that  consecration. 
As  often  as  the  Polish  army  moved 
against  the  Tartars,  it  was  Mary's 
banner  that  led  its  stately  cohorts  ;f 
the  name  of  Jesus  twice  repeated 
was  their  battle-cry,  and  a  hymn  to 
the  Virgin  their  war-song.J 

J  In  the  tenth  century  we  see  St.  Adalbert, 
bishop  of  Guezne,  composing  sacred  songs  for 
the  Polish  troops,  who  were  fighting  the  paga.n 
Prussians  and  Pomeranians.  A  hymn  of  St. 
Adalbert,  Boga-Rodziga  (Mother  of  God),  was 
long  the  war-song  of  the  Poles.  (Alb.  Sowin- 
ski,  A  Historical  Survey  of  Religious  and  Popxdai 
Music  in  Poland.) 


CHAPTER    IX. 

CHIVALRY. 


[HE  gigantic  em-  f 
pire  of  Char- 
lemagne had 
vanished  like  a 
brilliant  phan- 
tom; the  last 
of  the  Carlo- 
vingians  had  been  stripped  of  his 
kingdom,  already  reduced  to  noth- 
ing by  the  thoughtless  extravagance 
of  his  fathers,  and  the  dukes  of 
France,  who  were  also  pretending 
to  the  throne,  as  descendants  of 
Charlemagne,  having  twice  tried 
on  the  royal  mantle,  had  at  length 
taken  possession  of  it.  Before  they 
appended  the  impoverished  crown 
to  the  great  fief  wherewith  they  en- 
riched it,  the  counts  of  Paris  had 
given  striking  proofs  of  their  devo- 
tion to  the  Blessed  Virgin.  When 
that  mysterious  and  dreadful  mal- 
ady called  feu  des  ardents,  after 
ravaging  the  southern  pai-ts  of 
the  kingdom,  reached  the  Isle  of 
France,  Hugh  the  Great  supported 
at  his  own  expense  the  poor  sick  ^ 


pilgrims  who  sought  (and  never 
failed  to  obtain)  their  cure  from  Our 
Lady  of  Paris.*  Hugh  Capet,  foun- 
der of  the  third  dynasty,  had  a  sin- 
cere devotion  for  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin ;  and  Queen  Adelaide  of  Aqui- 
taine,  his  pious  spouse,  enriched 
with  her  gifts  the  fair  Abbey  of  Our 
Lady  of  Argenteuil,  which  thence- 
forward possessed  the  sacred  relic 
which  is  still  exposed  there  to  the 
veneration  of  the  faithful,  Robert, 
who  proclaimed  Mary  the  Star  of  his 
kingdom,  built  monasteries  in  her 
honor  at  Poissy,  Melun,  Etampes, 
and  Orleans,  as  we  learn  from  Hel- 
gaud.  The  church  of  Orleans  was 
called  Our  Lady  of  Good  Tidings, 
and  was  built  on  the  spot  where 
Robert,  when  heir-presumptive  to 
the  throne,  was  informed  that  his 
father,  Hugh  Capet,  had  escaped 
death.     Worthy  son  of  a  king ! 

In  the  reign  of  Philippe  the  First, 
grandson  of  Robert,  a  prince  who 
showed  himself  more   disposed   to 

*  Felibien,  Hist,  de  Paris,  t.  ler. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


357 


pillage  the  churcli  than  to  enrich  ^ 
it,  a  great  event  took  place,  which 
gave  the  kings  of  France  those  of 
England  for  vassals.  William  the 
Bastard,  son  of  that  Robert  the 
Magnificent  who  died  returning  from 
a  pilgrimage  to  the  Holy  Land,  con- 
quered England  in  a  single  battle, 
and  established  the  Norman  rule 
in  that  country.  "William,  like  his 
father  Robert,  held  Mary  in  the  ut- 
most reverence ;  that  conqueror,  so 
brave,  so  politic,  at  whose  frown 
all  England  quaked,  was  no  sooner 
attacked  by  fever  than  he  humbly 
clasped  his  hands  and  recommended 
himself  to  the  Blessed  Virgin.  Hav- 
ing fallen  sick  at  the  Castle  of  Cher- 
bourg, a  small  town  then  defended 
by  moats  and  towers,  he  made  a 
vow  to  build  a  fair  chapel  to  the 
Virgin,  if  by  her  powerful  inter- 
cession he  quickly  recovered  his 
health.  He  was  cured,  and  relig- 
iously kept  his  vow.  He  recon- 
sti'ucted  at  his  own  expense  the 
superb  Abbey  of  Jumieges,  where 
the  student  found  learning  and  the 

*  This  precious  tapestry,  contemporary  with 
the  conquest  of  England,  remained  in  some 
degree  unknown  for  six  centuries.  Exposed 
only  on  certain  days  in  the  nave  of  the  cathe- 
dral, tradition  had  given  it  the  name  of  Duke    ^ 


poor  bread,  on  condition  that  its 
church,  dedicated  by  Queen  Bath- 
ilda  to  St.  Peter,  should  be  placed 
under  the  invocation  of  the  Mother 
of  God.  He  assisted  in  person, 
with  the  Duchess  Matilda  and  all 
his  great  Norman  barons,  on  the 
1st  of  July,  A.  D.  1068,  at  the  dedi- 
cation of  this  church,  and  some 
years  after  he  crossed  the  sea  to 
be  present  at  that  of  Our  Lady  of 
Bayeux,  with  his  sons  William  and 
Robert,  Lanfranc,  archbishop  of 
Canterbury,  and  Thomas,  arch- 
bishop of  York,  on  the  invitation 
of  Bishop  Philippe  d'Harcourt,  who 
had  rebuilt  it.  It  was  doubtless 
on  that  occasion  that  the  Duchess 
Matilda  made  an  offering  to  Our 
Lady  of  Bayeux  of  that  famous  his- 
torical tapestry  on  which  her  pa- 
tient needle  had  wrought  the  great 
epic  of  the  conquest  of  England.* 
"This  tapestry,  embroidered  with 
images  and  Scriptural  scenes,"  was 
hung  throughout  the  whole  extent 
"  of  the  nave  on  the  day  of  the  ex- 
position of  relics  and  during  their 

William's  Toilet.  It  was  Montfaujon  who  found 
out  that  it  was  at  Bayeux,  and  enriched  his 
Monumens  de  la  Monarchie  Frangaise  with  de- 
signs from  this  tapestry,  till  then  so  little 
known. 


858 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


octaves,"  says  an  inventory  of  the  f 
treasui'es  of  Our  Lady  of  Bayeux, 
drawn  up  in  1476.  But  this  monu- 
mental tapestry  was  not  the  only 
mark  of  her  devotion  to  the  Blessed 
Virgin  left  by  this  fair  and  pious 
princess,  whose  memory  was  so  re- 
vered that  the  Saxon  wife  of  her 
son,  Henry  the  First  of  England, 
changed  her  pretty  name  of  Edith 
for  that  of  Matilda,  "in  order  to 
please  the  Norman  chivalry." 

She  w^as  walking,  towards  the  end 
of  October,  in  one  of  those  beauti- 
ful Norman  meadows,  the  grass  of 
which  resembles  an  immense  car- 
pet of  green  velvet,  painted  with 
flowers.  She  was  accompanied  by 
her  two  young  sons  —  two  future 
heroes,  the  eldest  of  whom  was  to 
immortalize  himself  by  his  chival- 
rous exploits  in  the  taking  of  Jeru- 
salem— and  some  ladies  of  her  court, 
when  a  courier  from  Duke  William, 
riding  with  all  speed  towards  Rouen, 
drew  up  on  perceiving  her,  and 
bounded  into  the  meadow.  "  What 
news  from  my  lord  and  the  Norman 
ai-my?"   cried    Matilda,   pale    with 


emotion "The   battle?" 

" — Is  gained,  noble  lady,"  replied 
the  cornier,  as,  bending  his  knee, 
he  placed  in  the  trembling  hand 
of  the  young  duchess  the  letter  with 
its  pendant  seal,  which  confirmed 
the  truth  of  his  words — "The  per- 
fidious Harold  is  defeated ;  his  body, 
which  ought  to  have  no  other  tomb 
than  the  sand  of  the  sea-shore,  now 
rests  in  the  choir  of  the  Saxon 
abbey  of  Waltham ;  England  is  the 
vassal  of  Normandy."  The  Norman 
princess  joyfully  blessed  herself,  and 
made  a  vow  to  raise  on  the  spot 
where  she  had  heard  these  good 
news,  a  commemorative  church,  un- 
der the  name  of  Our  Lady  of  the 
Meadow,  since  changed  into  that 
of  Our  Lady  of  Good  Tidings.  She 
commenced  it  some  years  after,  and 
her  son,  Henry  the  First,  having 
had  it  finished,  endowed  it  munifi- 
cently.* 

In  his  last  war  with  France, 
William  the  Conqueror  delivei-ed 
Mantes  to  the  flames ;  but  that  fire 
which  destroyed  the  church  of  Our 
Lady  shed  such  a  lurid  and  terrific 


*  In  the  time  of  the  Archbishop  Godefroy,  Good  Tidings,  near  Eouen,  which  his  deceased 

Bling  Henry  (first  of  the  name)  of  England  built         mother,    Matilda,    had    commenced    with    the 
the  Priory  of  the  Meadow,  called  Our  Lady  of   y,    bridge  of  Rouen.     {Antiq.  de  Rouen,  p.  136.) 


HISTORY  OF  TEE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


359 


light,  that  the  king  of  England's 
horse  took  fright,  began  to  rear  and 
prance,  and  threw  his  rider,  who 
was  mortally  wounded.  Attribut- 
ing the  fatal  accident  to  the  burn- 
ing of  the  Virgin's  beautiful  church, 
he  bequeathed  a  considerable  sum 
for  the  purpose  of  rebuilding  it. 
Being  conveyed  to  an  abbey  near 
Rouen,  the  conqueror  of  England 
was  roused  at  the  dawn  of  day,  on 
the  7th  of  September,  1087,  by  the 
sound  of  a  matin-bell.  "What  is 
that  ? "  he  asked,  raising  his  head 
with  difficulty,  his  face  pale  and 
emaciated,  though  still  retaining  a 
portion  of  that  proud,  masculine 
beauty  which  even  the  Saxon  chron- 
iclers ascribe  to  him.  Being  told 
that  it  was  the  bells  of  St.  Mary's 
church  ringing  Prime^  "  Blessed 
Lady  Mary  I "  said  the  Norman  hero, 
raising  his  hands,  "to  thee  I  com- 
mend my  soul ;  mayst  thou  recon- 
cile me  to  thy  Son,  my  Lord  Jesus ! " 
and  with  these  words  he  expired. 

Henry  the  First,  his  son,  who 
usurped  the  crown  from  Robert,  his 
elder  brother,  whose  eyes  he  caused 
to  be  put  out,  was  devout  only  in 
theory.  Although  he  affected  much 
piety,    and    made    many    splendid 


f  foundations  in  England,  where  he 
introduced  the  Norman  architecture, 
yet  he  burned  several  churches  in 
Normandy.  For  instance,  he  burn- 
ed, in  1120  (the  date  is  memorable), 
the  cathedral  of  Lisieux,  with  the 
city  itself.  This  ancient  cathedral, 
which  dated  from  the  first  ages  of 
Christianity,  was  dedicated  to  the 
Virgin,  like  most  of  the  Norman 
cathedrals.  The  punishment  of  this 
sacrilegious  offence  quickly  fol- 
lowed ;  at  the  end  of  the  same  year, 
the  vessel  which  carried  Henry's 
only  son.  Prince  William  of  Eng- 
land, with  two  of  the  king's  ille- 
gitimate children,  foundered  at  sea, 
during  a  calm  moonlight  night,  not 
far  from  Barfleur.  From  that  time 
forward,  Henry  was  never  seen  to 
smile. 

The  Empress  Matilda,  daughter  of 
this  prince,  had  a  signal  proof  of  the 
Virgin's  protection,  and  her  power 
over  the  elements.  Whilst  at  war 
with  Stephen  of  Blois,  she  was 
forced  to  embark  for  Normandy  in 
unsettled  weather,  which  very  soon 
became  stormy,  and  was  overtaken 
in  the  very  shoals  where  her  brother 
William  had   perished,  by   one   of 

^  those  frightful  tempests  which  are 


860 


HISTORY' OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


only  seen  on  the  angry  ocean.  The  * 
horizon  was  sheeted  with  a  vast 
black  cloud,  which  reached  from  sea 
to  sky  like  a  funeral  pall ;  the 
mountain  billows  reared  themselves 
up  with  ominous  slowness,  to  dash 
with  terrific  crash  against  the,  sides 
of  the  royal  bark,  which  they  raised 
high  in  the  air  at  one  moment,  to 
hmi  it,  the  next,  into  the  yawning 
abyss.  The  sailors  shook  their 
heads  despondingly,  whilst  the  En- 
glish lords,  crossing  themselves  de- 
voutly, recommended  themselves  to 
God  and  the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  to 
St.  George,  the  patron  of  chivalry. 
Matilda  was  standing  on  the  deck, 
and  her  composed  countenance, 
though  pale,  belied  not  the  race  of 
heroes  from  whom  she  sprung.  "  Be 
of  good  cheer,  my  lords,"  said  she, 
turning  to  her  faithful  nobles,  "  Our 
Lady  is  kind  and  powerful;  she 
will  save  us.  I  will  sing  her  a 
hymn  of  thanksgiving  as  soon  as 
we  desciy  the  coast;  and  I  pledge 
myself  to  build  her  an  abbey  wher- 
ever we  shall  land."  Scarcely  had 
the  Anglo-Norman  princess  spoken 
these  words,  when  the  waves  were 
seen  to  grow  smooth,  the  winds 
were  suddenly  hushed,  and  the  ves- 


sel flew  swiftly  over  a  calm  sea.  A 
dark  speck  was  soon  discerned  on 
the  blue  sky,  as  the  clouds  cleared 
away ;  it  grew  larger  and  larger 
still ;  it  was  a  lofty  hill,  whose  bare 
summit  was  crowned  with  a  hermi- 
tage, and  a  vast  forest  was  seen 
stretching  far  and  away  in  the 
backgroimd  of  the  picture.  Then 
was  heard  the  hoarse  cry,  so  im- 
patiently expected  from  the  man 
at  the  mast-head,  "  Cante,  Keyne  I 
vechi  terrel"  (Sing,  0  Queen  I  here 
is  the  land !)  and  Matilda  instantly 
began  to  sing  her  hymn  to  the  Vir- 
gin, which  was  joyfully  repeated  by 
the  English  barons,  with  clasped 
hands  and  bare  heads. 

The  bark,  miraculously  preserved 
from  shipwreck,  soon  cast  anchor  in 

r 

the  little  bay  of  Equeurdreville,  in 
Lower  Normandy.  Matilda's  first 
care  on  landing  was  to  point  out 
the  site  of  her  monastery,  which 
she  named  the  Abbey  of  the  Vow, 
and  before  quitting  the  neighbor- 
hood, she  herself  laid  the  first  stone. 
Matilda  did  not  live  to  see  the 
Church  and  Abbey  of  the  Vow  fin- 
ished; it  was  her  son,  Henry  IL 
of  England,  who  accomplished  the 
work.     We  read  in  the  necrology 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


361 


of  this  abbey :  "  On  the  fourth 
day  of  the  ides  of  September  died 
the  Empress  Matilda,  foundress  of 
this  monastery;  a  Libera  is  to  be 
said  for  her,  as  for  a  canons 

Let  not  our  age,  so  cold  in  all 
that  relates  to  God  and  the  Saints, 
scoff  at  those  vows  made  to  Our 
Lady  during  a  storm;  the  most 
incredulous  believe  in  something 
when  in  danger  of  perishing  at 
sea,  as  is  proved  in  the  case  of 
Volney.  He  was  out  on  a  pleasure- 
party  with  some  friends  in  Balti- 
more, when  the  wind  suddenly 
arose,  and  the  small  American 
craft,  freighted  with  the  flower 
of  the  unbelievers  of  both  hemi- 
spheres, seemed  twenty  times  on 
the  point  of  being  lost.  Every 
one  on  board  was  already  praying, 
Volney  as  well  as  the  rest,  when 
the  storm  began  to  subside.  Some 
one  who  had  seen  Yolney  during 
the  danger  lay  hold  of  a  rosary  and 
recite  his  Ave-Marias  with  edifying 
fervor,  approached  him  when  the 
calm  had  returned.  "  My  dear  Sir," 
said  he,  with  an  arch  smile,  "  to 
whom  were  you  praying,  just  now  ?" 
— "  Oh !  "  replied  Yolney,  somewhat 
embarrassed  by  the  question,  "one 


*  may  be  a  philosopher  in  his  study, 
but  not  during  a  storm." 

The  Empress  Matilda  desired  that 
her  mortal  remains  should  be  in- 
terred in  the  most  famous  of  the 
Norman  abbeys,  Ste.  Marie  du  Bee ; 
her  son  Henry,  who  was  as  yet  only 
duke  of  Anjou  and  Normandy,  had 
a  tomb  raised  to  her  memory,  which 
he  covered  with  plates  of  silver. 
When  he  became  king  of  England, 
he  continued  to  protect  and  to  hon- 
or, in  reverence  to  the  Virgin  and 
his  mother,  that  abbey  which  was 
partly  erected  by  his  royal  munifi- 
cence. In  1178,  it  was  consecrated 
anew  by  Rotrou,  bishop  of  Rouen ; 
Henry  the  Second  assisted  at  that 
pious  ceremony,  with  his  son  Henry. 

Richard  the  Lion-hearted,  son  and 
successor  of  Henry  H.,  built  before 
his  departure  for  the  Crusades,  Our 
Lady  of  Good-Haven,  in  the  diocese 
of  Evreux,  and  assisted  with  his 
brilliant  chivalry  at  the  dedication 
of  that  monastery,  which  took  place 
in  1190.*  When  his  eventful  life 
was  drawing  to  a  close,  being  mor- 
tally wounded  by  an  arrow  at  the 
inglorious  siege  of  a  fortress,  he  dic- 
tated his  last  will,  and  decreed  that 

*  Gallia  Christiana,  t.  iv. 


862 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


his  heart  should  be  borne  to  Our  * 
Lady  of  Rouen,  on  account  of  the 
great  devotion  which  he  had  for 
said  place,  and  that  heart,  the  ; 
bravest,  perhaps,  that  ever  beat 
under  knightly  cuirass,  was  decent- 
ly placed  in  the  side  of  the  choir, 
towards  the  revestiary,  in  a  silver 
case,  which  was  afterwards  taken 
f(  r  the  ransom  of  St.  Louis,  king  of 
France,  who  was  taken  prisoner  by 
the  Saracens,  and  in  place  thereof 
was  made  one  of  stone.* 

This  mighty  champion  of  the 
Cross,  whose  name  is  never  pro- 
nounced by  the  Saracens  without  a 
pious  anathema,  was,  by  his  own 
orders,  interred  beside  his  father,  in 
the  abbey-church  of  Fontevi-ault. 
By  his  side  reposes  his  wife,  Be- 
rangeria  of  Navarre;  their  statues, 
painted  and  gilt,  were  laid  on  their 
tombs,  and  amongst  the  ornaments 
of  Queen  Berangeria  is  a  large 
square  medal,  whereon  is  seen  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  surrounded  by  many 
tapers.  The  famous  Eleanor  of 
Aquitaine,  mother  of  King  Kichard, 
retired  to  this  abbey  some  years 
after,  and  her  tomb  is  one  of  those 

*  Antiquum  de  la  Ville  de  Rouen,  p.  137. 


t  According  to  the  Saxon  annalists,  King  John    ^    ale,  in  a  Bernardine  priory  at  Swineshead. 


royal  monuments  which  adorn  the 
fair  abbey-church  of  Our  Lady. 

John  Lackland,  who  died  of  indi- 
gestion in  a  Saxon  abbey f — (what 
an  English  death  1) — was  buried, 
by  his  own  request,  with  great 
pomp,  in  the  beautiful  Anglo- 
Norman  cathedral  of  Our  Lady  of 
Worcester;  but  if  we  may  believe 
the  ancient  chronicles,  the  body  of 
that  base  and  cruel  prince,  who  had 
steeped  his  hands  in  the  innocent 
blood  of  his  lawful  king,  Arthur  of 
Bretagne,  and  who  had  had  a  mind 
to  turn  Tm'k  in  order  to  conciliate 
the  Moors  of  Spain,  did  not  long 
pollute  the  sacred  dwelling  of  Mary. 
They  relate  that  strange  noises  were 
heard  by  night  in  that  dishonored 
tomb — blasphemies,  fearful  shouts 
of  laughter,  revelry,  and  all  manner 
of  terrifying  sounds  —  which  caused 
the  monks  of  "Worcester  secretly  to 
exhume  the  body  of  the  reprobate 
prince,  and  transfer  it  to  some  less 
holy  place. 

The  Plantagenets  distinguished 
themselves  by  their  devotion  to  the 
Virgin,  and  covered  England  with 
those  fair  gothic  churches  of  Maiy 

died  of  indigestion,  after  a  feast  of  peaches  and 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


363 


which  still  exist  in  every  county, 
and  constitute  its  chief  archaeolo- 
gical treasure :  Oui*  Lady  of  York, 
3ompared  to  a  vessel  under  full  sail, 
because  of  the  stately  beauty  and 
lightness  of  its  aerial  architecture ; 
Our  Lady  of  Salisbury,  another  ar- 
chitectural gem,  fashioned  in  the 
noblest  style,  which  was  covered 
with  Flemish  tapestry,  and  filled 
with  light  and  flowers  on  the  solemn 
festivals  of  Mary ;  Our  Lady  of  West- 
minster, "  where  there  was  an  image 
of  Mary,"  says  Froissart,  "  in  which 
the  English  kings  had  great  faith, 
and  by  which  many  miracles  were 
wrought;"  the  superb  gothic  abbey 
of  Our  Lady  of  "Walsingham,  the 
favorite  pilgrimage  of  Edward  L 
and  his  chivalrous  court;  the  fair 
cathedral  of  Wells,  the  Lady-chapel 
of  which  is,  according  to  connois- 
seurs, the  pearl  of  the  gothic  monu- 
ments of  Great  Britain :  these  are 
all  there  to  prove  the  devotion  of 
those  princes  towards  the  holy 
Mother  of  Our  Lord. 

The   Anglo-Saxons,   who   formed 


*  The  custom  of  dressing  the  statues  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  which  still  exists  in  France, 
Spain,  and  Italy,  was  likewise  practised  in  En- 
gland in  former  times.     The  countess  of  War-    ^    wore  rings  of  great  price, 


the  poorer  classes,  with  the  mer- 
chants and  burghers  of  England, 
were  no  less  devout  to  the  Virgin 
Mary  than  the  continental  princes, 
who  ruled  them  by  right  of  con- 
quest. Differing  from  their  con- 
querors on  almost  every  point,  they 
were  in  perfect  harmony  on  that  of 
religion,  and  both  races  went  like 
brethi'en,  staff'  in  hand,  on  their  pil- 
grimage to  Our  Lady  of  Radcliff,  a 
fine  old  abbey,  full  of  Saxon  monu- 
ments, and  to  Our  Lady  of  Wor- 
cester, where  Lady  Warwick,  wife 
of  the  king-maker,  offered  sumptu- 
ous robes  for  the  use  of  the  Blessed 
Yirgin,  after  praying  at  one  time 
for  the  Red  Rose,  at  another  for  the 
White,  according  to  the  party  with 
which  her  valiant  spouse  was  con- 
nected at  the  time.* 

The  fast  of  Saturday,  in  honor  of 
the  Blessed  Yirgin,  was  observed  by 
the  English  people  from  the  time 
of  William  Rufus.  There  was  in 
those  days  a  certain  famous  robber 
— a  Saxon,  without  doubt,  since  St. 
Anselm,  the   Norman   prelate   who 


wick  frequently  presented  her  richest  veils  and 
robes  to  Our  Lady  of  Worcester,  and  we  see,  in 
Leland's  History  of  Ireland,  that  those  statues 


864 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRG  N  MARY. 


relates  the  anecdote,  calls  him  a  f 
robber  without  any  circumlocution 
— and  he,  one  morning,  entered  the 
cottage  of  a  poor  widow  with  intent 
to  rob  her.  Finding  nothing  to  his 
taste,  he  coolly  seated  himself  on 
the  only  spare  stool  in  the  little 
dark  room,  with  its  earthen  floor, 
where  the  widow  was  sitting  at  her 
wheel,  and  addressed  her  with  a 
winning  smile :  "  Well,  Gossip,  have 
you  had  your  breakfast?" — "Is  it  I, 
good  Sir,"  replied  the  poor  woman, 
pausing  a  moment  in  her  work; 
"God  forbid!  Is  it  not  Satm-day? 
I  fast  every  Saturday  throughout 
the  year." — "Every  Saturday!"  re- 
peated the  astonished  robber ;  "  and 
why?" — "Why,  in  honor  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  to  be  sure.  Do  you 
not  know  that  that  is  the  reason 
why  she  prevents  you,  and  others 
like  you,  from  dying  unshriven  ?  " — 
"  K  that  be  so,"  said  the  robber,  "  I 
am  very  glad  to  know  it,  and  from 
henceforward  I  make  a  vow  to  fast 
myself."  He  kept  his  word ;  and 
the  Blessed  Virgin,  on  her  side, 
did  not  fail  him  at  the  hour  of 
his  death.  Being  mortally  wounded 
on  a  perilous  expedition,  she  miia- 
culously  prolonged  his  life  until  he 


had  time  to  make  his  peace  with 
God. 

St.  Anselm  also  informs  us  that 
the  bold  and  haughty  Norman 
knights  piously  honored  Mary, 
whilst  oppressing,  with  all  their 
might,  the  conquered  Saxons.  One 
of  them,  a  great  lord,  had  for  var- 
lets  and  pages  a  troop  of  vaga- 
bonds always  ready  for  mischief, 
and  for  steward  an  incarnate  devil, 
who  constantly  persuaded  the  poor 
baron  now  to  outrage  one,  now  to 
plunder  another,  and  again  to  kill 
that  other,  so  that  not  a  day  passed 
without  some  detestable  crime.  In 
the  midst  of  all  this  wickedness,  he 
kept  praying  devoutly  to  the  Virgin 
night  and  morning,  saluting  her 
with  seven  Aves  and  as  many  pro- 
found genuflections,  for  which  rea- 
son his  infernal  steward  could  not 
strangle  him  as  he  intended,  and 
he  finally  obtained  the  grace  of  a 
sincere  conversion.* 

The  Saxon  outlaws  who  took 
refuge  in  the  depth  of  the  forests 
(where  they  became  the  most  skill- 
ful archers  in  England),  in  order 
to   escape   the   capital  punishment 

*  St.  Anselm,  in  his  book  of  The  Miracles  of 
Our  Lady. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


365 


decreed  by  the  Norman  law  for  * 
crimes  appertaining  to  the  chase, 
regretted  but  one  thing  in  their 
wild  retreats,  their  being  unable  to 
pray  at  Mary's  altar,  when  the  bell 
of  an  old  Saxon  abbey  rang  through 
the  woods  "where  the  lark  gaily 
sang  and  the  king's  deer  ran." 
Those  ancient  English  ballads  in 
black  letter,  "  which  are  now  worth 
their  weight  in  gold,"  says  an  En- 
glish antiquary,  represent  Eobin 
Hood,  "  the  forest-king,"  risking  his 
head,  after  recommending  himself 
to  the  Yirgin,  in  order  to  perform 
his  devotions  in  the  monastery, 
whose  distant  bells  seemed  to  sum- 
mon him  thither.* 

Ir.  summer  when  the  shaws  be  sheyne, 

And  leaves  be  large  and  long, 
It  is  full  merry  in  fayre  foriste 

To  here  the  fouly's  song. 

To  see  the  dere  draw  to  the  dale, 

And  leave  the  hilles  hee, 
And  shadow  hem  in  the  leves  so  grene 

Under  the  green  wood  tree. 

It  befel  on  Whitsuntide, 

All  on  a  May  morning, 
The  sun  up  fayre  did  shine, 

And  the  birddis  merry  did  sing. 


*  See  Robin  Hood :  Ballads  and  Songs  relat- 
ing to  that  celebrated  Outlaw,  with  Anecdotes 
of  his  Life.     From  Kitson  and  others. 


This  is  a  merry  morning,  sayd  Little  John, 
'Fore  Him  that  died  on  the  tree. 

A  more  merry  man  than  I  am  one 
Lives  not  in  Christiente. 

Pluck  up  thi  hert,  my  dere  mayster. 

Little  John  did  say, 
And  thynk  it  is  a  full  fayre  time, 

In  a  morning  of  May. 

Now,  one  thynge  grieves  me,  sayd  Eobyne, 

And  does  my  hert  myche  wo. 
That  I  may  not  so  solemn  day 

To  mass  nor  matins  go. 

It  is  a  fourtnet  and  more,  sayd  hee, 

Syn  I  my  Saviour  see  ; 
To-day  I'll  go  to  Notyngham, 

With  the  might  of  myld  Mary. 


Then  Robyne  goes  to  Notyngham, 

Himself  moiinynge  allone  ; 
And  Little  John  to  merry  Scherewode, 

The  paths  he  knowe  alkone. 

Whan  Robyne  came  to  Notyngham, 

Sertenly  withouten  layne. 
He  pray'd  to  God  and  myld  Mary 

To  bryng  him  out  safe  agayne. 

He  goes  into  Seynt  Mary's  Chirche, 
And  kneyled  down  before  the  Rood, 

AU  that  ever  were  the  chirche  within 
Beheld  wel  Robyne  Hood. 

Spain,  no  less  devout  to  Mary 
than  the  Island  of  Britain,  had 
raised  numerous  shrines  to  her, 
and  fought  under  her  standard.  In 
1212,  Alphonso  IX.  having  obtain- 
ed, under  the  banner  of  Our  Lady 
of  the  Seven  Sorrows,  his  great  vie- 


3GC 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


tory  of  Las  Navas,  where  the  Moors 
experienced  one  of  their  most  signal 
defeats,  built  Our  Lady  of  Victory 
in  Toledo,  to  deposit  therein  that 
sacred  banner  of  Mary.  St.  Ferdi- 
nand, that  holy  prince  who  could 
not  endure  to  increase  the  taxes 
of  his  people,  and  who  was  more 
afi-aid,  he  said,  of  the  curses  of  one 
poor  woman  than  of  all  the  Moorish 
host,  attributed  to  the  protection 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin  his  conquests 
of  Cordova,  Jaen,  and  Murcia. 
Finally,  Alphonso  the  Wise  com- 
posed canticles  to  the  Mother  of 
God,  and  founded  an  order  of 
knighthood  in  her  honor.* 

Portugal  walked  in  the  same  way, 
with  an  ardor  no  less  great.  In 
1142,  after  having  defeated,  through 
the  protection  of  Mary  (to  whom  he 
had  recommended  himself  before 
the  battle),  five  Moorish  princes, 
whose  five  standards  he  captured 
on  the  plains  of  Alentejo,  Alphonso 
I.  founded,  in  honor  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  the  superb  monastery  of  Al- 


*  El  rey  don  Alonso  el  Sabio  dedico  varies 
libros  de  poesias  a  la  Madi*e  de  Dios ;  y  con 
respect©  a  algunas  ordino  en  su  testamento 
que  se  cantasen  en  sus  Estados.  (See  Poetica 
EspaSiola,  p.  162.) 


^  cobaga;  deeming  that  insufficient, 
he  did  homage  for  his  kingdom  to 
Our  Lady  of  Clairvaux,  and  ordain- 
ed that  every  year,  at  the  Feast  of 
the  Annunciation,  a  rent  of  fifty 
maravedis  of  gold  should  be  paid,  in 
token  o£  vassalage,  to  the  Suzeraine, 
in  the  person  of  the  abbots  of  Clair- 
vaux.f  One  of  the  successors  of 
this  prince,  Don  Juan  I.,  after  a 
victory,  offered  to  Our  Lady  of  the 
Olive  the  weight  of  himself  (armed 
cap-k-pie)  of  silver,  and  hung  from 
the  roof  of  Mary's  chapel,  as  ex  voto, 
his  lance  and  his  brilliant  suit  of 
armor.  J 

About  the  same  time,  the  kings 
of  Denmark  undertook  crusades 
against  the  Pagans  of  the  North,  in 
honor  of  the  Blessed  Virgin ;  and  the 
Poles  fought  those  of  Prussia  and 
Pomerania,  singing  the  famous  Boga 
Rodziga  (Mother  of  God),  a  battle- 
hymn  addressed  to  Mary,  composed 
in  the  tenth  centmy  by  St.  Adal- 
bert, bishop  of  Guezne.§ 

The  kings  of  France  had  no  mind 

f  Angelus  Manrique,  Annal.  Cisierc,  ch.  5,  ad 
ann.  1142. 

X  Pere  Paul  de  Barry,  Paradis  Ouvert,  etc 

§  See  last  note  of  chap.  viii. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


367 


to  give  way  to  other  princes  in 
devotion  to  the  Queen  of  Angels. 
Louis  the  Young  and  Philip  Augus- 
tus, of  glorious  memory,  contributed 
liberally  to  the  rebuilding  of  Our 
Lady  of  Paris,  which  Maurice  de 
Sully,  a  very  great  bishop  of  ple- 
beian extraction,  was  reconstructing 
on  the  site  of  King  Childebert's  old 
Merovingian  cathedral. 

Attributing  to  the  Blessed  Virgin 
his  splendid  victory  of  Bouvines, 
Philip  Augustus  founded  on  the 
skirt  of  the  forest  of  Chantilly,  and 
on  the  banks  of  the  deep  Oise,  a 
magnificent  royal  abbey.  Guerin, 
bishop  of  Senlis,  minister  of  the 
king,  and  his  companion  in  arms, 
who  had  ably  filled  the  office  of 
adjutant-general  during  the  battle; 
Mathieu  de  Montmorency,  who  im- 
mortalized himself  by  taking  full 
sixteen  of  the  enemy's  banners ; 
Enguerrand  de  Coucy  and  Guil- 
laume  de  Barres,  who  had  formed  a 
rampart  around  the  king  that  day 
which  the  whole  Anglo  -  German 
army  could  not  force,  would  all  have 
their  share  in  this  commemorative 
foundation,  made  in  reverence  to  the 
Sacred  Virgin  Mary,  as  she  is  called 
in  the  Cartularies. 


Blanche  of  Castile,  the  celebrated 
regent  of  France,  founded  two  fair 
abbeys  in  honor  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin :  the  abbey  of  Maubuisson, 
which  she  called  Notre  Dame  la 
Royale  (Our  Lady  the  Royal),  and 
JSTotre  Dame  du  Lys  (Our  Lady  of 
the  Lily).  These  two  royal  monas- 
teries has  each  a  share  of  her  mor- 
tal remains,  according  to  her  last 
behest. 

King  Louis  the  Ninth,  the  holiest 
and  most  righteous  prince  that  ever 
wore  the  crown  of  France,  the  best 
of  kings  and  the  model  of  knights, 
distinguished  himself  by  his  tender 
devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin.  He 
contributed  to  the  completion  of 
Our  Lady  of  Paris,  and,  after  hav- 
ing that  exquisite  gem  of  art — the 
Holy  Chapel — built  by  Pierre  de 
Montereau,  the  most  famous  archi- 
tect of  his  time,  as  a  shrine  for  the 
sacred  crown  of  thorns,  he  solemnly 
dedicated  the  lower  part  of  it  to 
Our  Lady,  whose  statue,  placed 
under  the  porch,  wrought  a  charm- 
ing miracle,  one  day,  in  behalf  of  a 
little  girl  who  was  very  wise,  if  we' 
may  believe  the  tradition.  As  the 
pious  child,  mounted  on  a  stone 
bench,  destined  for  the  use  of  the 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   TEE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


poor,  stretched  herself  up  on  her 
little  feet  and  reached  her  arms  as 
high  as  she  could,  to  place  a  wreath 
of  white  roses  on  the  head  of  the 
Madonna,  the  kind  Virgin  gra- 
ciously bent  her  fair  marble  brow 
towards  the  little  earth  -  angel ; 
"  wherefore  it  is,"  says  a  monk  of 
the  time  of  Louis  XTLL,  "  that  she 
has  still  her  head  bent  forward." 

St.  Louis  recited  every  day  with 
his  chaplain  the  Office  of  the  Bless- 
ed Virgin,  even  in  his  travels,  and 
forbade  any  one  to  interrupt  him ; 
he  fasted  on  bread  and  water  on 
the  eve  of  Our  Lady's  festivals,  and 
gave  great  alms  on  Saturday  in  her 
honor.  "When  he  thought  of  under- 
taking his  cmsade,  he  came  to  Our 
Lady  of  Paris,"  says  an  ancient 
chronicle,  "  accompanied  by  his 
barons,  all  barefoot,  with  scrip  and 
staff,  and  there  heard  mass  wath 
great  devotion." 

On  his  arrival  in  Egypt,  the  king 
found  a  Mussulman  army  drawn  up 
on  the  shore  to  oppose  his  land- 
ing. The  air  was  darkened  with 
the  clouds  of  arrows  aimed  at  the 
French  barks  by  the  Saracens, 
whose  lances  gleamed  through  the 
clouds  of  dust  raised  by  their  horees, 


*  like  lire  behind  a  dark  curtain. 
Their  chief  bore  "  arms  of  fine  gold, 
so  dazzling,"  says  Joinville,  in  his 
simple  style,  "  that  it  seemed,  when 
the  sun  struck  thereon,  as  though 
it  were  actually  that  star  himself." 
Their  standards  were  surmounted 
by  that  ancient  golden  crescent 
which  had  been  the  emblem  of  the 
Turkish  kings  long  before  the  days 
of  Cyrus,*  and  their  war- music 
"was  terrible  to  hear,  and  very 
strange  unto  French  ears."  But 
Louis  IX.  and  his  warriors  were 
not  easily  frightened.  Having  come 
within  a  short  distance  of  the  shore, 
the  holy  king,  after  commending 
himself  to  God  and  the  Blessed  Vii'- 
gin,  throws  himself  first  into  the 
sea;  the  foaming  wave  covers  him 
even  to  the  shoulders ;  a  shower 
of  arrows  falls  around  him ;  neither 
wave  nor  dart  arrests  his  course ; 
buckler  on  arm,  casque  on  head, 
sword  in  hand,  he  makes  for  the 
Saracens  with  fiery  haste ;  the  whole 
army  hastens  after  him,  and  the 
Africans  are  quickly  routed  to  the 
thrilling  cries  of  "Mont-Joie,  St. 
Denis!"  When  the  Egyptians  had 
disappeared  on  the  wings  of  fear, 

*  See  Firdousi,  Moeurs  den  Rois. 


>HE  SHALL  CRUSH  THY  HEAD  AND  THOU 
^"/^'•y  LIE  IN  WAIT  FOR  HER  HEEL'. 

Lrrrt..  //?.  /o 


1..&-.  J.  SADLIh:H  &;  Cc 


69 

le 
d 

s, 
•o 
n 
>t. 
i- 
)e 
^- 

1- 

Y, 


r- 
m 
1- 

st 
le 

Y, 
t 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


371 


Our  Lady  of  Paris ;  arriving  there, 
he  resumed  the  arms  which  he  had 
worn  at  the  battle  of  Cassel,  mount- 
ed his  charger,  and  thus  entered 
the  church  of  Notre-dame,  thanked 
the  Blessed  Virgin  most  devoutly, 
and  presented  to  her  the  charger 
on  which  he  sat,  with  all  his  own 
equipments.*  The  king  redeemed 
his  horse  and  armor,  from  the  chap- 
ter of  Notre-Dame,  for  the  sum  of 
one  thousand  livres,  and  had  an 
equestrian  statue  of  himself  erect- 
ed in  front  of  Mary's  altar.  It  is 
worthy  of  remark  that  these  two 
great  victories  of  Cassel  and  Mons- 
en-Puelle  were  gained  between  the 
Feast  of  the  Assumption  and  its 
octave.  After  having  fought  the 
Flemings  at  Rosbecq,  Charles  VL, 
who  was  then  but  fourteen  years 
old,  and  was  called  the  little  king^ 
likewise  sent  to  Our  Lady  of  Char- 
tres  his  richly- ornamented  armor 
and  his  royal  sword.f  The  queens 
of  France,  on  their  side,  on  their 

*  We  read  in  the  old  Pariff  breviaries  {lectio 
quinta) :  "  Quod  intelligens  gloriosae  meniorise 
rex  Philippus  Valesius,  cum  opitulante  Deo  per 
merita  Beatse  Virginia  Matris,  insignem  victo- 
riam  de  rebellibus  Flandris  obtinuisset,  qu8B 
contigit  anno  1328,  acturus  Deo  et  sanctas  Vir- 
gini  gratias,  triumphans  et  equitans  ecclesiam 


f  first  entrance  into  the  capital  of  the 
kingdom,  transferred  to  Our  Lady 
the  magnificent  crown  which  they 
received  from  the  city  of  Paris. 
That  offered  by  Isabella  of  Bavaria 
was  of  gold  and  jewels.^ 

It  was  under  Philip  of  Yalois 
that  the  English  wars  commenced. 
King  Edward  III.  of  England  de- 
clared himself  the  rightful  heir  to 
the  throne,  in  right  of  his  mother 
Isabel,  sister  of  Philip  the  Fair,  as 
the  latter  died  without  heirs,  and  he 
was  his  nephew,  whereas  Philip  of 
Yalois  was  only  his  cousin-germ  an. 
The  French  peers  and  barons  de- 
clared for  Philip  of  Yalois  rather 
than  the  princess  Isabel,  not  be- 
cause of  the  Salic  law,  which  speaks 
not  of  the  exclusion  of  women,  but 
by  the  authority  of  existing  cus- 
toms, which  had  acquired  the  force 
of  law.  Edward,  in  reply,  advanced 
a  most  singular  argument,  which  is 
found  in  a  letter  written  by  him  to 
the  Pope.     "K  the  son,"  said  he, 

Beatse  Mariae  Parisiis,  ingressus  est,  non  vana  os- 
tentatione  elatus,  sed  Deo,  per  quern  de  ancipit 
bello  evaserat,  profunda  humilitate  subjectus." 
{Brev.  Ecdesice  Paris.,  festa  Augusti,  anno  1584.) 

•}•  Essais  Hist,  sur  Paris,  par  M.  de  Sainte 
Foix,  t.  iv.,  p.  162. 

J  Froissart,  t.  n. 


872 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


"be  debxrred  from  ascending  the 
throne  because  his  mother  could 
not,  Jesus  Christ  had  no  right  to 
the  inheritance  of  David,  seeing 
that  he  was  only  descended  from 
that  king  by  Madam  St.  Mary^  his 
imther" 

This  unhappy  notion  of  reigning 
over  France,  which  in  an  evil  hour 
crossed  the  minds  of  the  English 
monarchs,  and  which  deluged  the 
kingdom  of  the  lily  with  blood,  was 
firet  aroused  by  a  chivalrous  ap- 
peal, made  in  the  name  of  the  sweet 
Virgin  Mary^  who  showed  herself, 
in  the  sequel,  no  way  disposed  to 
favor  it.  A  "  false  traitor,"  Robert 
of  Artois,  whom  the  king  of  France 
had  "  disobliged  "  (says  an  English 
historian),  revenged  himself  by  re- 
kindling the  all  but  extinguished 
flame  of  resentment  in  the  mind  of 
the  young  English  king,  who  then 
thought  of  little  else  than  feasts  and 
tournaments.  He  presents  himself 
one  day  with  a  heron  in  the  hall 
where  Edward  was  entertaining  the 
great  barons  and  noble  dames  of 
his  court.  Walking  to  the  upper 
end  of  the  hall,  where  sat  the  king 
under  a  white  canopy  fringed  with 
silver,  "  I  bring,"  said  he,  "  the  most 


^  cowardly  of  all  birds,  and  I  will 
give  him  to  the  greatest  poltroon 
amongst  you.  In  my  mind  it  is 
thou,  Edward,  who  permittest  thy- 
self to  be  wronged  of  the  noble 
kingdom  of  France,  to  which  thou 
art  lawfully  entitled."  The  king's 
eyes  sparkled  with  anger.  The  idea 
of  any  one  suspecting  his  courage 
was  worse  than  death :  he  blushed 
with  shame,  and  swore  a  tremen- 
dous oath,  that  before  six  months 
he  would  declare  war  ao:ainst  that 
count's  son  who  wrongfully  as- 
sumed the  title  of  King  of  France. 
When  the  king  had  thus  pledged 
himself,  the  Count  d' Artois  present- 
ed the  heron  to  the  English  lords, 
who,  each  in  his  turn,  swore  to 
make  war  on  the  French,  calling 
on  the  "honored  Virgin,  who  bore 
a  God  in  her  chaste  womb,"  to 
bear  witness  to  their  rash  oath. 

The  first  exploit  of  the  English 
was  the  naval  battle  of  Eel  use. 
Sea-fights  then  had  little  or  no  re- 
semblance to  what  they  are  now ; 
the  combatants  were  hand  to  hand ; 
the  crews  of  the  hostile  ships 
endeavored  to  shatter  the  enemy's 
sails  with  arrows  and  long  sickles, 
whilst  divers  pierced  the  hulls  under 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


373 


water  in  order  to  make  them  sink,  t 
The  ne  2)lus  ultra  of  skillful  manoeu- 
vre consisted  in  driving  the  enemy 
on  shore,  or  dashing  him  against 
the  rocks.  Edward,  who  commanded 
his  fleet  in  person,  was  wounded  by 
an  arrow  at  the  beginning  of  the 
action,  and  yet  continued  to  tight, 
prefacing  every  thrust  of  his  lance 
with  one  of  his  favorite  ejaculations, 
"  Ah,  St.  Edward !— Ah,  St.  George ! 
Ah,  St.  Mary ! "  and  around  his 
blood-red  banner,  whereon  was  em- 
blazoned a  golden  dragon,*  the  En- 
glish nobles  shouted  their  piercing 
war-cries.  Our  Lady  of  Arundel!  — 
Our  Lady  of  Arleton  ! — St.  George  I 
for  at  that  chivalrous  period  every 
warrior  of  note  had  a  patron  saint, 
whom  he  invoked  aloud  during  the 
contest.  Edward  disgraced  his  vic- 
tory by  hanging  from  the  yard-arm 
one  of  the  French  admirals  who  had 
bravely  defended  himself ;  the  other, 
who  died  arms  in  hand,  found  a 
grave  beneath  the  waters.  In  the 
midst  of  that  scene  of  blood  and 
tumult,  some  fair  ladies  from  En- 
gland, who  came  in  the  royal  bark 
in  search  of  pleasurable  excite- 
ment, were  heard  applauding  their 


*■  Stowe's  Chronicle. 


* 


knights; — not  one  asked  mercy  for 
the  vanquished!  and  twenty  thou- 
sand French  corpses  reddened  the 
blue  waves  of  the  German  Sea. 
The  king  of  England,  who  did  not 
forget  to  invoke  Mary  during  the 
combat,  had  no  sooner  landed  in 
Flanders  than  he  went  on  foot  to 
thank  her  (says  Froissart) ,  with  the 
flower  of  his  chivalry,  in  her  shiine 
of  Ardenburg.  Tliis,  then,  was  the 
opening  of  that  famous  war  which 
lasted  for  a  century,  during  which 
time  the  English  carried  their  victo- 
rious banner  from  the  Garcmne  to 
the  Rhine,  and  from  the  Ocean  to 
the  Mediterranean. 

During  this  long  struggle,  inter- 
rupted only  by  some  truces  when 
the  combatants  paused  for  breath — • 
their  hand  on  the  dirk,  and  their 
feet  in  blood — the  Blessed  Virgin, 
whose  abbeys  were  often  unscru- 
pulously plundered  by  the  English, 
was  still  the  object  of  their  pro- 
found veneration.  After  having  de- 
stroyed an  entire  city,  and  retired 
loaded  with  booty,  they  sometimes 
left  one  of  her  statues  perfectly  safe 
on  its  pedestal ;  and  when  the  in- 
habitants, finding  them  gone,  ven- 
tured to  return  in  search  of  their 


374 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


ruined  dwellings,  they  crossed  them- 
selves devoutly,  and  cried,  "A  mira- 
cle!"* It  was  indeed  a  miracle  to 
see  such  an  act  of  respect  amid  a 
scene  of  frightful  devastation. 

The  shrines  wherein  it  had 
pleased  the  Queen  of  Heaven  to 
manifest  her  power,  were  held  as 
neutral  and  sacred  ground ;  each  of 
them  was,  as  it  were,  an  oasis 
of  peace,  towards  which  jom-neyed 
knights  and  soldiers,  from  every 
country,  who  were  nothing  more 
than  pious  pilgrims  from  the  mo- 
ment they  fastened  a  little  image 
of  the  Madonna  to  their  steel  hel- 
met or  serge  hood.  We  read  in  the 
manuscript  chronicles  of  Quercy, 
that  certain  English  soldiers,  having 
been  arrested  by  those  of  Cahors, 
were  restored  to  liberty,  with  kind 
and  encouraging  words,  as  soon  as 
they  were  found  to  be  pilgrims  of 
Our  Lady. 

The  feasts  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 
were  scrupulously  observed  by  the 
English  troops,  who   even  stopped 


*  Our  Lady  of  Vassiviere  was  thus  respected 
amid  the  ruins  of  that  strong  city  "vhich  the 
English  had  pillaged  and  destroyed.  (See  Du 
Chesne,  ch.  9,  §  10,  nomb.  6.) 

t  See  Froissart,  voL  ii.,  p.  112. 


t  on  their  march  to  celebrate  them 
In  1380,  Buckingham,  who  made  his 
way  through  the  heart  of  France, 
sweeping  all  before  him,  halted 
with  his  army  in  the  Forest  of  Mar- 
chenoir  to  celebrate  the  September 
Feast  of  Our  Lady.  The  English 
knights  heard  mass  devoutly  in  an 
abbey  which  they  found  in  the 
w^oods;  and  their  long  Bordeaux 
blades  were  innocent  of  French 
blood  that  day.f 

An  English  captain,  named  Nor- 
wick,  whom  Prince  John,  duke  of 
Normandy  and  heir-presumptive  to 
the  throne,  had  suddenly  besieged 
in  Angouleme,  where  provisions 
failed  him,  skillfully  availed  him- 
self of  that  devotion  to  the  Virgin, 
which  was  common  to  both  nations, 
in  order  to  escape  the  necessity  of 
suiTcndering  at  discretion.  On  the 
eve  of  the  Purification  (one  of  the 
great  festivals  of  Our  Lady,  kept  in 
France  from  the  time  of  Pepin  the 
Short),  he  goes  forth  from  the  walls 
and  demands  speech  of  the  prince. 
The  latter,  coming  forward,  asks, 
"Do  you  come  to  capitulate?" — 
"No!"  replies  the  Englishman; 
"you   and   I   are   both   devoted  to 

i  the  Blessed  Virgin ;   I  crave,  then, 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


375 


of  your  courtesy,  a  suspension  of 
hostilities,  and  that,  during  the 
twenty -four  hours  consecrated  to 
this  festival,  the  soldiers  on  both 
sides  be  forbidden  to  use  their  arms 
on  any  pretence  whatsoever." — "  Be 
it  so,"  said  the  prince ;  "  I  am  well 
content." 

Next  morning,  by  the  earliest 
daw^n,  Norwick  marches  out  with 
the  garrison  and  all  its  stores ;  the 
French  sentries,  stopping  him,  ask 
what  he  means  by  this  sally.  "I 
mean  to  profit  by  the  truce,"  he 
replies,  "to  let  my  soldiers  take  a 
walk." 

When  Prince  John  was  informed 
of  the  fact,  he  said,  "  I  vow  to  God, 
the  stratagem  was  a  good  one !  Let 
them  go  and  welcome,  since  we 
have  the  city."* 

Notwithstanding  all  the  testimo- 
nies of  respect  which  she  received 
from  the  invaders,  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin turned  from  them  to  protect  the 
invaded.  As  an  oppressed  country, 
France  had  found  favor  before  her, 
as  was  proved  by  more  than  one 
miracle.  In  Poictiers,  the  mayor's 
servant,  who  had  sold  the  city  to 
the  English,  and  promised  to  admit 

*  See  Froiasart,  vol.  ii.,  p.  112. 


them  on  a  dark,  moonless  night, 
could  nowhere  find  the  keys,  which 
he  was  astonished  to  see  next  day 
in  the  hands  of  an  ancient  statue 
of  the  Virgin,  in  her  own  cathedral 
of  Notre-Dame.  At  Rennes,  which 
the  duke  of  Lancaster  had  long 
besieged  in  vain,  the  English,  de- 
spairing of  taking  the  brave  city 
by  storm,  made  a  mine  in  order  to 
blow  it  up.  The  Breton  city  sleeps 
calmly  over  a  volcano,  unconscious 
of  its  danger ;  but  Our  Lady 
watches.  When  the  mine  has 
reached  the  cathedral  of  St.  Mary, 
and  the  enemy  is  about  to  set  fire 
to  it,  the  tapers  in  the  chapel  of 
Our  Lady  of  St.  Saviour  are  seen  to 
light  of  themselves  in  the  midst  of 
a  dark  night ;  the  bells,  put  in  mo- 
tion by  invisible  hands,  suddenly 
peal  out;  and  when  the  inhabit- 
ants, awoke  from  sleep  and  has- 
tily clothed,  come  flocking  to  the 
strangely  -  lighted  church,  asking, 
"What  is  the  matter?"  the  Virgin 
slowly  extends  her  stony  arm  from 
the  side  of  the  gothic  nave,  and 
points  to  the  place  where  the  mine 
is  about  to  explode.  The  city, 
warned  in  time,  was  saved.  Many 
other    examples    might   be    given, 


S76 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MA  BY. 


showing  how  Mary  protected  France  * 
during  that  disastrous  period.  "We 
sliall  content  ourselves  with  giving, 
on  the  authority  of  contemporary 
writers  worthy  of  credit,  the  most 
striking  of  these  numerous  prodi- 
gies. 

It  was  after  those  two  lamentable 
days  which  France  will  never  cease 
to  mourn — Crecy,  where  the  flower 
of  the  French  chivalry  fell,  and 
Poictiers,  where  King  John  was 
made  prisoner,  with  eight  hundred 
of  his  barons,  by  the  Black  Prince. 
The  nobles  were  ruined ;  the  young 
Regent  without  troops ;  the  most 
fertile  fields  were  overrun  with 
briers ;  the  cities,  threatened  with 
the  horrors  of  a  siege  by  the  stran- 
ger, who  camped  at  their  gates, 
were  internally  rent  asunder  by 
factions.  When  man  has  nothing 
more  to  expect  on  earth,  he  kneels 
and  raises  his  suppliant  hands  to 
heaven.  This  is  w^hat  was  done  by 
all  good  people  in  town  and  coun- 
try, in  the  cities  and  the  villages. 
They  boldly  demanded  a  miracle 
from  God,  through  the  intercession 
of  Mary,  so  that  these  calamities 
might  have  an  end.  Their  faith 
was  great,  and  their  woes  inexpres- 


sible their  prayer  was  therefore 
heard.  Abusing  his  powder,  and 
taking  advantage  of  the  utter  pros- 
tration of  France,  Edward  III.,  when 
in  treaty  with  the  young  Regent, 
aftei'wards  Charles  the  Wise,  pro- 
posed conditions  so  hard,  so  dis- 
graceful, so  intolerable,  that  France, 
exhausted  as  she  was,  raised  her 
head  with  generous  indignation, 
and  said  "  No  ! "  At  this  unexpect- 
ed refusal,  Edward  crosses  the  sea 
and  lays  siege  to  Chartres. 

The  English  army  pitched  their 
tents  a  short  distance  from  the 
walls,  and  in  front  of  that  splendid 
cathedral  so  magnificently  rebuilt 
by  Fulbert  with  the  gifts  of  the 
faithful,  high  and  low.  Placed  on 
a  height  which  commands  the  city, 
the  fair  gothic  church  —  with  its 
lofty  spires,  which  may  be  seen  at 
a  distance  of  ten  leagues — looked 
like  a  sacred  citadel,  with  the  city 
reposing  in  its  shade.  In  that  sanc- 
tuary, so  universally  revered,  there 
was  a  reliquary  of  precious  w^ood, 
overlaid  with  thick  plates  of  gold, 
and  incnisted  with  diamonds,  ru- 
bies, and  pearls ;  in  it  was  kept 
one  of  Mary's  precious  garments — 
her    wedding -robe    of   Babylonian 


HISTORY  OF   THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


377 


stuff,  flowered  with  bxue,  violet, 
white,  and  gold.  One  day,  the  Nor- 
mans were  besieging  Ohartres,  and 
the  inhabitants,  well  disposed  to  de- 
fend their  temple,  took  this  sacred 
relic  for  their  standard.  The  Nor- 
mans, beholding  it,  instantly  fled. 
It  was  then  customary  to  touch 
with  this  reliquary  the  doublet  of 
fine  Breton  linen  worn  by  the  no- 
bles on  the  day  of  their  receiv- 
ing knighthood.  Eichard  Coeur  de 
Lion,  to  whom  it  was  brought  all 
the  way  to  England,  offered  in  re- 
turn to  Our  Lady  of  Chartres  a  rich 
jewel  of  gold  and  precious  stones, 
containing  relics  of  St.  Edward. 
The  Madonna  of  Chartres  was, 
therefore,  held  in  high  veneration 
by  the  English  knights,  and,  doubt- 
less, there  were  many  of  them  who 
secretly  blamed  the  king  for  expos- 
ing to  sacrilege  and  pillage  the  holy 
things  of  Mary's  cathedral. 

The  city,  summoned  by  the  En- 
glish king  to  surrender,  simply  re- 
plied that  it  would  not;  and  Ed- 
ward's messengers  saw  nothing  but 
the  massive  gate,  strongly  plated 
and  studded  with  iron,  above  which, 
in  a  charming  gothic  niche,  deco- 
rated  with   carved  foliage,   was   a 


white  Madonna,  with  this  inscrip- 
tion engraved  on  stone — "Tutela 
Oarnutum  ! " 

The  siege  of  the  ancient  capital 
of  the  Carnuti  was  of  long  dm-ation, 
and  the  fertile  fields  of  France  were 
bristling  with  English  swords  in- 
stead of  ears  of  grain.  The  Dau- 
phin tried,  by  negotiation,  to  save 
the  favorite  city  of  Mary;  but  Ed- 
ward was  deaf  to  his  offers  and 
representations.  The  French  en- 
voys, rudely  repulsed,  had  no  longer 
the  shadow  of  a  hope,  and  the  city 
seemed  all  but  lost,  "when  there 
took  place,"  says  Froissart,  "  a  mira- 
cle which  much  humbled  and  broke 
down  the  courage  of  the  English 
king.  A  thunderbolt,  a  storm  so 
great  and  so  horrible,  descended 
from  heaven  on  the  king  of  En- 
gland's army,  that  it  seemed  as 
though  the  end  of  the  world  had 
indeed  come ;  for  there  fell  from  the 
sky  stones  so  large  that  they  killed 
both  men  and  horses,  and  even  the 
boldest  were  struck  with  fear." 

"If  thou  sowest  in  the  garden 
of  life  the  seed  of  wrath,"  said  the 
ancient   sages   of  Iran,*  "thy   star 

*  Iran  was  the  name  of  Persia  before  the  time 
of  Cyrus. 


878 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


shall  have  to  mourn."  The  king  f 
of  England  must  have  had  some 
such  thoughts,  when  the  sun  arose 
like  a  golden  lamp  to  show  him  the 
disasters  of  the  previous  evening. 
His  whole  camp  was  devastated; 
the  canvass  of  the  tents  hung  in 
tatters,  and,  all  over  that  immense 
plain  where  the  green  grain  had 
been  trodden  down  by  the  English 
cavalry,  seven  thousand  horses  lay 
dead  beside  their  masters.  There 
is  no  historical  fact  better  attested 
than  this  extraordinary  event.  Ed- 
ward was  so  awed  by  it,  that  he 
was  long  before  he  recovered  the 
shock,  as  he  himself  confessed  t.) 
the  continuator  of  Nangis. 

Some  time  after,  conformably  to 
the  promise  which  he  had  made, 
in  his  fright,  to  the  powerful  pa- 
troness of  Chartres,  he  signed  the 
peace  concluded  at  Bretigny,  a 
small  town  of  the  Chartresian  dis- 
trict; and  his  haughty  nobles,  lay- 
ing aside  their  arrogance  for  the 
time,  came  as  peaceful  and  humble 
pilgrims  to  kneel  before  the  Virgin's 
shrine. 

But  Mary's  intervention  in  the 
despcn-ate  affaii's  of  France  did  not 
stop   here ;    she   raised  up   one   of 


those  strong  men  whose  iron  arm 
is  alone  sufficient  to  sustain  a  fall- 
ing kingdom ;  she  inspired  with,  a 
hatred  of  the  British,  a  young  Bre- 
ton, who  made  his  first  achieve- 
ments in  arms  under  her  auspices, 
and  took  her  name  for  his  war-cry. 
The  troops  that  followed  the  red 
flag  of  Albion  were  scattered  like 
straw  before  the  wind  at  the  cry 
of  "Our  Lady  of  Guesclin!" 

When  the  insanity  of  the  unfortu- 
nate Charles  YIL — that  prince  so 
brave,  so  beloved  by  the  people, 
and  so  devoted  to  Mary — had  re- 
vived the  failing  hopes  of  the  Eng- 
lish kings,  and  Henry  of  Monmouth, 
yielding  to  the  temptation  of  uniting 
the  diadem  of  France  to  his  own  ill- 
acquired  crown,  crossed  the  sea  to 
do  a  hundred  times  worse  than  ever 
Edward  had  done,  the  Virgin  op- 
posed to  him  only  a  pure-hearted 
young  maiden,  who  dropped  the 
shepherd's  crook  to  assume  the 
sword  of  battle.  It  was  while  light- 
ing mystic  tapers  before  the  vener- 
ated image  of  Our  Lady  of  Bermont, 
and  dressing  with  flowers  the  her- 
mitage of  St.  Mary,*  that  Joan  of 

*  Deposition  of  the  witnesses  in  the  investiga- 
tion of  Vaucouleurs  on  the  habits  of  Joan  of  Arc. 


HISTORY  OF  TEE  DEVOTION  TO   TEE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


379 


Arc,  hearkening  to  the  interior 
voice  that  prompted  her,  conceived 
the  bold  project  of  ridding  France 
of  the  "  English  people,"  and  of 
having  the  young  Dauphin,  Charles, 
consecrated  at  Rheims.  Thus  did 
the  Virgin  decree,  and  the  inspired 
shepherdess  announce.  St.  Mary 
of  Rheims,  whither  the  kings  of 
France  of  that  time  went  to  make 
the  vigil  of  arms  with  the  young 
lords  of  their  court,*  before  they  re- 
ceived the  knightly  spurs,  joyfully 
opened  its  ponderous  gates  to  admit 
the  true  king  of  France — he  who 


*  could  alone  be  anointed  as  the 
chosen  of  the  Lord.  A  flight  of 
birds  was  sentf  to  tell  the  angels 
these  happy  tidings;  and  near  the 
kneeling  prince,  at  the  altar  where 
Clovis  bent  his  haughty  head  be- 
neath the  baptismal  water,  "  the 
daughter  of  God,  the  high-hearted 
maiden,"  the  chaste  heroine  sent  by 
the  Virgin,  unfurled,  with  a  counte- 
nance at  once  modest  and  joyful, 
her  banner  of  white  mohair,  where- 
on were  emblazoned,  in  letters  of 
gold,  the  two  sweet  names — the 
saving  names — "Jesus!  Mary!" 


CHAPTER    X. 


THE    ORDERS . 


HE  star  of  chival- 
ry, which  shone 
from  the  time 
of  the  Crusades 
over  the  zenith 
of  Europe,  be- 
gan at  length  to 
descend  towards  the  horizon;   but, 

*  Froissart. 

t  At.  the  consecration  of  our  kings,  from  time 
immemorial,  two  or  three  hundred  dozens  of 


majestic  even  in  its  decline,  it  con- 
tinued to  shed  a  brilliant  light, 
religious  as  well  as  martial.  Those 
were,  indeed,  better  and  happier 
days  than  ours,  when  religion  was 
respected,  and  its  holy  laws  obeyed, 
from  the  palace  to  the  cottage,  and 
the  veneration  of  Mary  was  at  its 

birds  were  set  at  liberty.  (Essais  lEstoriques 
sur  Paris,  par  M.  de  Sainte-Foix  tome  v., 
page  26.) 


;;so 


HISTORY  OF  TEE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


height — when  all  was  done  through 
her  and  for  her.  "  It  is  very  natu- 
ral for  all  to  invoke  her,"  said  the 
warlike  ti'oubadours  of  Germany, 
"  since  her  bidding  is  done  in  heav- 
en." And  so  she  was  universally 
invoked ;  and  although  each  paladin 
took  for  his  patron  either  St.  James, 
St.  George,  St.  Michael,  or  St.  Mar- 
tin (whom,  in  their  simple  respect 
for  the  inhabitants  of  the  heavenly 
kingdom,  the  feudal  lords  distin- 
guished by  honorary  titles),  yet  the 
honored  Virgin,  who  contained  with- 
in herself  all  the  beauty,  the  sweet- 
ness, and  the  angelic  purity  which 
became  a  sovereign  lady,  was  the 
object  of  a  homage  far  superior  to 
that  paid  the  baron  St.  James,  or 
the  good  knight  St.  George.  Tour- 
naments were  proclaimed  and  feasts 
performed  in  honor  of  Madam  St. 
Mary ;  kings  and  knights  made  the 
vigil  of  arms  in  her  chapels ;  her 
name,  translated  into  every  Euro- 
pean language,  was  the  war-cry  of 
the  Norman,  the  Danish,  and  the 
English  barons,  as  well  as  of  Du 
Guesclin.  In  the  battle  of  Trente 
(the  site  of  which  is  still  pointed 
out  amid  the  heath  of  Lower  Bre- 
tagne  by  a  mutilated  piUar),  Beau- 


t  manois  recommends  himself  to  God, 
Om-  Lady,  and  St.  Yves.  Seeing 
that  his  companions  redden  the 
grass  with  then*  blood,  and  that  the 
English  have  the  advantage,  he 
knights  a  squire  of  noble  birth, 
named  Jean  de  la  Hoche,  in  Our 
Lady's  name,  and  fortune,  quickly 
changing  sides,  declared  for  the 
Bretons.* 

Having  commended  themselves 
to  Mary,  they  fought  one  to  ten 
with  that  conlidence  in  the  support 
of  heaven  which  trebles  the  strength 
of  man ;  a  good  cause,  a  clean  con- 
science, and  the  Virgin's  aid,  suf- 
ficed to  effect  a  marvellous  featj  and 
to  obtain  the  most  signal  victories. 
In  1388,  an  army  from  Brabant 
entered  the  duchy  of  Gueldre,  and 
destroyed  all  with  fire  and  sword. 
The  duke  had  neither  men  nor 
money  to  repulse  the  invaders.  His 
counsellors  were  of  opinion  that  he 
should  shut  himself  up  in  one  of 
his  fortresses ;  but  he  rejected  their 
advice  with  indignant  contempt. 
"  Neither  in  town  nor  castle  will  I 
enclose  myself,"  he  exclaimed,  "and 
leave  my  country  to  be  burned ;  I 
would   rather  die  manfuUv  on   the 


*  Froissart,  vol.  xiii 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


381 


open  field."  Having  made  this  chiv- 
alrous answer,  the  young  duke  arm- 
ed himself  for  the  fight ;  but  before 
he  left  Mmegue,  he  went  and  pray- 
ed devoutly  before  the  image  of 
Our  Lady,  in  whom  he  had  great 
trust,  and  consecrated  himself  and 
his  knights  to  her.  This  done,  he 
mounted  his  horse,  and  set  out,  at 
the  head  of  four  hundred  lancers, 
to  fight  an  army  of  forty  thousand 
men.  At  sight  of  the  enemy,  the 
advisers  of  the  Flemish  prince, 
frightened  by  the  fearful  odds, 
sought  again  to  dissuade  him  from 
coming  to  an  engagement ;  but  the 
duke,  laying  his  hand  on  his  heart, 
replied,  "  Something  tells  me  that 
the  day  is  mine.  On,  then;  unfurl 
my  banner  quickly,  and  let  all  who 
are  true  knights  advance !  I  will 
do  it  in  honor  of  God  and  Madam 
St.  Mary,  of  whom  I  took  leave  on 
my  departure ;  to  her  care  I  commit 
all  my  affairs.  Forward!  forward!" 
And  the  brave  young  duke  charg- 
ed the  enemy  at  full  gallop,  crying, 
"Our  Lady  of  Gueldre  !"  The  army 
of  Brabant  was  completely  routed, 
and  lost  seventeen  banners,  "  which 
may  be  found,"  says  Froissart,  "  be- 
fore the  image  of  Our  Lady  of  Mm- 


*  egue,  to  the  end  that  the  victory 
may  be  kept  in  perpetual  remem- 
brance." After  the  battle,  the 
Flemish  knights  held  a  council  on 
the  field.  Some  proposed  to  enter 
a  neighboring  city,  to  place  their 
prisoners  in  safety,  and  to  dress  the 
wounded.  "  Not  so,"  said  the  duke  ; 
"•  I  gave  and  pledged  myself  to  the 
department  of  Nimegue,  and  to-day 
I  consecrated  myself,  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  battle,,  to  Our  Lady  of 
Nimegue ;  I  will  and  ordain,  there- 
fore, that  we  go  back  thither  to  see 
and  to  thank  the  Royal  Lady  who 
has  helped  us  to  obtain  the  victory." 
So  saying,  he  galloped  back  with 
his  knights  to  return  thanks  to  Our 
Lady,  and  to  hang  up  his  spoiled 
and  broken  arms,  as  ex  voto,  in  her 
chapel.* 

In  1363,  King  Louis  L  of  Hun- 
gary, finding  himself,  with  only 
twenty  thousand  men,  in  presence 
of  eighty  thousand  infidels,  conse- 
crated himself  with  all  his  army  to 
the  Queen  of  Angels,  whose  image 
he  always  wore.  In  order  to  thank 
Our  Lady  for  the  brilliant  victory 
which  he  gained,  he  built  around 
the  chapel  of  Afiieuz,  in  Carinthia, 

*  Froissart,  vol.  i.,  p.  112. 


382 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


a  very   beautiful    church,   wherein  * 
he  deposited  the  sacred  image  to 
which    he    attributed    his    victory, 
and   the   sword  wherewith  he  had 
fought* 

In  the  fourteenth  century,  Louis, 
duke  of  Bourbon,  surnamed  the 
Great,  resolved  on  quitting  France 
for  a  time  (it  was  then  in  a  most 
disturbed  state,  owing  to  the  minor- 
ity of  Charles  VI.),  in  order  to  put 
down  the  audacious  piracy  of  the 
Saracens  of  Africa,  which  totally 
impeded  the  commerce  of  Europe. 
Genoa  and  the  French  ports  de- 
manded an  expedition  against  these 
robbers.  Louis  of  Bourbon  heard 
the  appeal,  and  resolved  to  make  a 
crusade  on  that  side,  in  honor  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin,  whom  he  held 
in  supreme  veneration.  He  sum- 
moned his  chivalry,  and  was .  soon 
joined  by  the  Dauphin  of  Auvergne, 
John  of  Beaufort,  son  of  the  duke 
of  Lancaster,  the  Count  d'Harcourt, 
Walter  of  Chatillon,  William  of  Hai- 
nault,  Philip  of  Artois,  Count  d'Bu, 
tlie  Sire  de  la  Tremouille,  and  Philip 

*  This  Carinthian  church,  now  known  by  the 
name  of  Maria-Zell,  is  still  one  of  the  most  fa- 
mous pilgrimages  of  Catholic  Germany.  The 
Emperor  Mathias  went  thither  to  return  thanks 
for  a  victory  obtained  over  the  Turks  in  1601. 


de  Bar.  All  these  warriors,  before 
they  set  sail,  solemnly  pledged 
themselves  to  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
and  took  for  their  flag  the  duke  of 
Bourbon's  banner,  "  which  was  then 
emblazoned  with  the  fleur  de  lys  of 
France,  a  white  image  of  Our  Lady, 
the  mother  of  Jesus  Christ,  repre- 
sented as  sitting  in  the  midst ;  un- 
derneath the  feet  of  said  image  was 
the  escutcheon  of  Bourbon."  f 

The  duke  of  Bourbon  put  to  sea 
with  a  fleet  of  eighty  vessels  "under 
the  keeping  of  God,  Our  Lady,  and 
St.  George."  They  arrived  about 
midsummer,  in  front  of  a  city  to 
which  Froissart  and  others  give 
the  name  of  Africa,  and  which  is 
thought  to  be  Tunis.  The  crusaders 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin  laid  siege  to 
this  place,  which  they  tried  four 
times  to  take  by  assault,  but  could 
not  succeed,  the  Turks  making  a 
vigorous  resistance.  The  arrival  of 
the  Christians  had  been  the  signal 
of  a  holy  war  for  the  Mussulmans 
of  Africa ;  the  kings  of  Tripoli,  Mo- 
rocco, and  others,  sent  their  troops 

Ferdinand  III.  had  the  church  finished,  such  as 
we  now  see  it;  and  Maria  Theresa,  we  are  cred- 
ibly informed,  made  her  first  communion  there, 
A.  D.  1728. 

f  Froissart,  vol  xi.   p.  266. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


383 


to  succor  the  besieged  city,  and  the 
Christians  had  to  guard  against  the 
ambuscades  and  nocturnal  assaults 
of  the  barbarians.  But  their  strat- 
agems were  all  defeated  without 
the  aid  of  sentinels  or  lights,  in  a 
manner  which  excited  the  gratitude 
of  the  crusaders  for  their  divine 
protectors.  A  large  dog,  which  had 
no  known  master,  kept  watch  every 
night  around  the  Christian  camp,  so 
that  it  was  impossible  for  the  Turks 
to  elude  his  vigilance.  The  soldiers, 
seeing  something  extraordinary  in 
the  unfailing  instinct  of  this  animal, 
called  him  Our  Lady^s  dog. 

This  African  expedition,  com- 
menced under  the  auspices  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  was  accompanied 
by  prodigies,  according  to  Frois- 
sart.  He  relates  that  "the  Saracens, 
thinking  to  surprise  the  French  by 
a  nocturnal  attack,  stealthily  ap- 
proached the  Christian  camp,  when 
they  perceived  before  them  a  com- 
pany of  ladies,  robed  in  white,  and, 
especially,  one  at  the  head  who  was 
fairer  than  all  the  others,  and  car- 
ried in  her  hand  a  snow-white  flag 
with  a  red  cross.  The  Saracens 
were  so  amazed  and  confounded  at 
the   sight,   that   they   had,  for   the 


f  time,  neither  the  power  nor  the 
courage  to  advance."* 

Whether  it  was  that  Mary  wished 
to  protect  the  chivalry  of  France, 
trusting  in  her  protection,  by  plac- 
ing herself  and  her  heavenly  train 
between  the  Christians  and  the 
Mussulmans,  or  that  a  hallucination 
caused  by  the  doubtful  light  of  the 
stars  and  the  waving  banners  of  the 
knights  was  the  sole  cause  of  the 
prodigy,  the  camp  was  none  the 
less  saved  from  a  night  attack. 

Owing  to  the  excessive  warmth 
of  the  climate,  an  epidemic  broke 
out  amongst  the  Christians,  which 
decimated  their  army,  and  forced 
them  to  raise  the  siege  of  Tunis, 
after  nine  weeks  of  unavailing  ef- 
forts ;  but,  before  they  retired,  they 
twice  gave  battle  to  the  Saracens, 
and  defeated  them,  notwithstanding 
their  numbers.  The  banner  of  Mary 
was  gloriously  borne  by  the  chiv- 
alry of  France ;  and  the  Christians 
achieved  under  that  flag  such  prodi- 
gies of  valor,  that  the  king  of  Tunis, 
thoroughly  frightened,  was  but  too 
happy  to  conclude  a  treaty,  where- 
by he  engaged  to  give  up  the  Chris- 
tian slaves,  to  leave  the  navigation 

*  Froissart,  t.  xi.,  p.  266. 


884 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


of  the  Mediterranean  undistiu-bed, 
and,  finally,  to  pay  ten  thousand 
gold  pieces  to  defray  the  expenses 
of  the  war. 

The  good  cities  of  the  kingdom, 
in  times  of  calamity,  placed  them- 
selves under  the  special  protection 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  as  well  as  the 
sovereigns.  In  1357,  after  that  fatal 
battle  of  Poictiers,  which  mowed 
down  the  flower  of  the  French  no- 
bility, and  in  which  the  king  was 
taken  by  the  English,  the  merchant- 
provost  then  made  a  vow,  in  the 
name  of  the  city  of  Paris,  to  offer 
eveiy  year  to  the  Mother  of  God,  in 
the  cathedral  church,  a  taper  whose 
length  should  equal  the  circumfer- 
ence of  the  city  walls.  This  offer- 
ing was  actually  made  down  to  the 
time  of  the  League,  when  it  was  in- 
terrupted for  twenty -five  or  thirty 
years.  In  1605,  the  city  substitu- 
ted for  this  immense  taper  a  silver 
lamp  with  a  large  wax  taper,  which 
burned  continually  before  the  altar 
of  Our  Lady  till  the  year  1789  * 

*  Sauval,  Mem.  MS.  There  is  found  in  the  ac- 
counts of  receipts  and  expenses  for  the  corpora^ 
tion  of  Paris,  k.  d.  1488,  an  item  concerning  this 
taper  :  "  To  the  Widow  Gerbelot,  the  sum  of  27 
livres,  19  sols,  8  deniers  ;  to  her  likewise  due  by 
said  city,  for  11 7^  lbs.  of  wax,  made  into  a  large 


Rouen,  where  the  image  of  Mary 
formerly  adorned  every  street  and 
square,  the  foimtains  and  the  public 
monuments,  placed  itself  by  solemn 
vow  under  her  protection  in  1348, 
on  the  appearance  of  that  famous 
black  plague  which  ravaged  the 
whole  earth,  and  which  struck  its 
victims  so  fiercely  that  they  died, 
say  the  chronicles  of  the  time,  while 
looking  at  each  other.  When  the 
intercession  of  the  Virgin  had  put 
an  end  to  this  frightful  pestilence, 
there  was  founded  in  the  Norman 
cathedral  one  of  the  most  maa:nifi- 
cent  chapels  in  the  world,  imder  the 
title  of  Our  Lady  of  the  Yow.  The 
istatue  of  Mary,  in  white  marble, 
crowned  with  white  roses,  sur- 
mounted the  altar  erected  to  her 
by  public  gratitude,  and  over  this 
sacred  image  the  magistrates  of 
Rouen  suspended  a  massive  golden 
lamp,  which  was  kept  lit,  night 
and  day,  tiU  the  sixteenth  century, 
when  it  was  extinguished  by  the 
Protestants.f 

taper,  and  placed  on  a  wooden  tower  by  said 
■widow,  duly  delivered  on  the  12th  February,  at 
the  price  of  4  sols,  8  deniers  per  lb.  ;  amount 
for  Our  Lady's  candle,  53  livres,  11  sols,  8 
deniers." 

f  Amiot,  Hist,  de  la  Ville  de  Rouen,  t.  ii. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


385 


Tlie  cities  of  France  were  not 
then  alone  in  consecrating  them- 
selves to  the  Blessed  Virgin.  Ge- 
noa the  Proud  had  inscribed  on 
each  of  her  gates,  "  Citta  di  Maria" 
(the  City  of  Mar}^)  ;  and  Venice  the 
Beautiful  had  adorned  her  grand 
Council  Hall,  in  1385,  with  a  mag- 
nificent work  of  Guariotto,  a  disci- 
ple of  Giotto,  representing  Chi'ist 
crowning  his  mother  Queen  of 
Venice.  Underneath  this  painting, 
which  has  perished  in  the  lapse 
of  ages,  were  written  these  four 
lines  from  Dante: 

L'  amor  che  mosse  gia  I'eterno  Padre 
Per  figlia  aver  di  sua  Delta  trina, 
Costei  che  fa  del  Figlio  siio  poi  Madre 
Deir  universo  qui  la  fa  regina. 

The  doges  of  Venice  were  obliged 
to  leave  in  the  ducal  palace  a  pic- 
ture in  which  they  were  painted 
kneeling  before  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
so  as  to  make  them  remember  that 
she  was  their  sovereign,  and  that 
of  the  republic* 

This  devotion  of  Genoa  and  Ven- 
ice to  the  Mother  of  God  was,  how- 
ever, eclipsed  by  the  fervent  hom- 
age rendered  to  her  by  the  small 
republic  of  Parma,  which  was  also 

*  Delices  de  Vltalie,  t.  1,  p.  60. 


*  consecrated  to  Mary.  There  was 
no  day  more  solemn  amongst  the 
citizens  of  Parma  than  the  15th  of 
August,  the  Feast  of  the  Assump- 
tion of  the  Virgin,  patroness  of  their 
cathedral,  and  sovereign  of  their 
republic.  This  festival  stood  on  a 
par  amongst  them  with  that  of 
Easter,  and  was  so  respected  that 
the  Holy  See,  when  placing  Parma 
under  an  interdict,  always  exempt- 
ed the  day  of  the  Assumption  from 
the  excommunication.  On  that  day 
the  heads  of  families,  with  all  the 
members  of  their  household,  re- 
paired to  the  splendid  cathedral  of 
Mary  (the  roof  of  which  was  subse- 
quently painted  by  Corregio),  with 
banners  flying  and  the  singing  of 
hymns,  and  laid  flowers  and  rich 
offerings  on  her  altar.  "  An  inhab- 
itant of  Parma,  who  failed  to  ap- 
pear in  the  cathedral,  would  have 
been  disgraced,"  says  Turchi,  "and 
held  up  to  public  scorn."  At  this 
solemn  festival,  in  which  all  ranks 
were  mingled,  there  were  neither 
grades  nor  distinctions ;  it  seemed 
as  though  the  members  of  one  fam- 
ily had  joyously  met  to  do  honor  to 
their  mother. 

Truly  it  is  a  fervent  and  sincere 


886 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


devotion  that  can  stifle  party  feuds  ! 
Such  was  that  of  the  Parmesans  for 
the  Mother  of  God.  In  the  year 
1323,  on  the  day  of  the  Assump- 
tion, the  Guelphs,  exiled  from  Par- 
ma, laying  aside  their  old  animos- 
ity, presented  themselves  under  the 
walls  of  the  city,  and,  with  clasped 
hands,  begged  to  be  admitted,  for 
the  Holy  Virgin's  sake.  The  peo- 
ple within  the  city,  hearing  Mai7's 
name  thus  humbly  invoked  on  the 
day  of  her  solemn  festival,  were 
moved  with  compassion,  and,  by  a 
spontaneous  movement,  each  ran  to 
open  the  gates.  Guelphs  and  Ghi- 
belines  embraced  each  other  with 
tears  of  joy,  and  the  exiles  were 
conducted,  amid  the  vivas  of  the 
citizens,  to  the  famous  cathedral  of 
Our  Lady,  where  peace  was  sworn 
at  the  Virgin's  altar.  That  peace 
lasted  fifty  years.* 

To  appease  these  fiery  factions  of 
the  Guelphs  and  Ghibelines,  which 
divided  each  of  the  Italian  cities 
into  two  camps,  and  made  their 
streets  and  pubUc  places  fields  of 
battle,  it  was  thought  best  to  create 

*  Chronic.  Farm,  in  med.  ann.  1323. — Chronic. 
Parm.  apud  Muratori,  10,  Ber. 
f  In  1191  the  Pope  approved  of  the  institu- 


an  order  of  knighthood  of  a  purely 
pacific  nature — the  Frati  Gaudenti, 
or  Knights  of  the  Virgin,  who,  with- 
out renouncing  the  world,  applied 
themselves  to  restore  peace  and 
concord  in  the  Italian  peninsula,  in 
the  name  and  for  the  sake  of  the 
Mother  of  God. 

This  devotion  to  Mary,  which  re- 
stored the  peace  of  cities  and  in- 
spired waiTiors  with  courage,  was 
the  soul  of  the  military  orders— 
those  great,  aU- conquering.  Mediae- 
val armies,  which  were  generally 
founded  on  faith  in  the  Mother 
of  God,  and  achieved  their  heroic 
deeds  in  her  name.  In  that  austere 
and  religious  section  of  chivalry, 
the  love  and  honor  of  absent  ladies 
was  represented  by  a  particular  de- 
votion to  the  Blessed  Virgin.  Thus, 
the  Knights  of  St.  John  of  Jerusa- 
lem invoked  Mary  when  receiving 
their  sword — an  invocation  which 
is  still  practised  by  the  Knights  of 
Malta,  the  last  phase  of  that  cele- 
brated order.  The  Teutonic  knights 
took  the  name  of  Knights  of  the 
Virgin.f    The  territories  which  they 

tion  of  these  knights,  under  the  title  of  Brothers 
Hospitallers  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  placed 
them  under  the  rule  of  St.  Augustine. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


387 


wrested  from  the  Pagans  of  North- 
ern Europe  they  called  "Mary's 
lands."  The  Virgin  was  their  heav- 
enly Lady,  as  she  was,  in  fact,  "  the 
Lady  of  the  world,"  according  to 
the  simple  legends  of  the  Middle 
Ages. 

These  orders — subject  to  a  mighty 
organization,  which  participated  in 
the  discipline  of  a  camp  and  the 
severity  of  a  rule — conquered,  in 
Mary's  name,  provinces  which  they 
collected  into  kingdoms.  The  order 
of  Teutonic  Knights  became,  as 
every  one  knows,  the  Prussian  mon- 
archy; and  under  the  name  of  the 
Knights  of  Rhodes,  the  Hospitallers 
governed  one  of  the  fairest  islands 
of  the  Levant.  To  these  religious 
and  chivalrous  orders,  who  extended 
the  devotion  to  Mary  by  prodigies 
of  valor,  were  added  the  Royal  Or- 
ders, which  were  like  them,  in  gen- 
eral, under  the  patronage  of  Mary. 
It  was  in  her  honor  that  King  John 
founded  the  knightly  order  of  Our 
Lady  of  the  Noble  House,  better 
known  as  the  Knights  of  the  Star. 
Those  knights  fasted  every  Satur- 
day when  they  could,  and,  when 
they  could  not,  they  were  to  give 
fifteen  pence  to  the  poor,  in  mem- 


ory of  the  fifteen  joys  of  Om*  Lady. 
They  were  allowed  to  carry  a 
banner,  spangled  with  stars,  with 
an  image  of  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
whether  in  making  war  on  the  en- 
emies of  the  faith  or  in  the  service 
of  their  liege  lord.  They  were 
sworn  to  die  rather  than  surrender, 
and  not  to  retreat  more  than  four 
acres,  when  forced  by  superior  num- 
bers to  retire.  • 

Charles  VI.,  that  poor  prince 
whose  precocious  valor  gained, 
when  he  was  but  fourteen,  the 
famous  victory  of  Rosbecq,  likewise 
instituted,  in  the  first  years  of  his 
reign,  an  order  of  knighthood  in 
honor  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  in  con- 
sequence of  a  vow  made  by  him  in 
Languedoc,  During  his  stay  at 
Toulouse,  he  frequently  went  hunt- 
ing with  Olivier  de  Clisson,  Pierre 
de  Navarre,  and  a  number  of  other 
lords,  in  the  ancient  forest  of  Bou- 
conne.  Having  one  day  separated 
from  his  suite  while  too  ardently 
chasing  a  wild  deer,  night  surprised 
him  alone  in  the  wildest  recesses 
of  the  old  Druid  forest ;  to  increase 
the  dangers  of  his  situation,  the 
shades  gathered  deeper  and  deeper 
J  around  him,  so   that  not  a  single 


S8S 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


Btar  was  visible.  Terrified  by  the  * 
dread  loneliness  of  the  place,  and 
not  knowing  whither  to  tui'n,  the 
prince  made  a  solemn  vow  to  Our 
Lady  of  Hope,  and  humbly  put 
himself  under  her  protection.  Im- 
mediately a  light  wind  dispersed 
the  clouds,  and  a  brilliant  star  shed 
its  trembling  light  on  a  beaten 
track,  which  conducted  the  young 
monarch  aout  ot  the  woods.  Next 
day,  Charles,  followed  by  his  lords 
in  complete  armor,  except  their 
head,  went  to  accomplish  his  vow 
in  Mary's  chapel.  To  perpetuate 
the  memory  of  his  perilous  adven- 
ture, he  founded,  shortly  after,  the 
order  of  Our  Lady  of  Hope,  and 
ordained  that  its  emblem  should  be 
a  star.* 

In  the  year  1370,  Louis  H.,  duke 
of  Bourbon,  instituted  the  order  of 
the  Knights  of  Our  Lady's  Thistle. 
This  order  consisted  of  twenty-six 

*  The  institution  of  Oui-  Lady  of  Good  Hope 
is  proved  by  an  ancient  painting  which  is  seen 
on  the  walls  of  the  Carmehte  cloister  in  Tou- 
louse, near  the  chapel  of  Our  Lady  of  Hope, 
where  the  king  of  France  is  represented  on 
horseback,  tending  before  an  image  of  the  Vir- 
gin. Some  lords  are  also  painted  there,  all 
armed,  except  the  head.  Their  names,  written 
below,  are  almost  effaced;  but  those  of  the  duke 
of  Tooraine,  the  duke  of  Bourbon,  Pierre  de 


knights,  who  wore  a  girdle  of  sky- 
blue  velvet,  embroidered  with  gold, 
and  having  the  word  Hope  embla- 
zoned thereon ;  tlie  buckle  was  of 
fine  gold,  enamelled  with  green, 
and  represented  the  head  of  a  this- 
tle. On  the  day  of  Our  Lady's  Con- 
ception, which  was  the  grand  fes- 
tival of  the  order,  the  Knights  of 
the  Thistle  wore  a  sumptuous  robe 
of  flesh-color  damask,  and  a  sky- 
blue  cloak  embroidered  with  gold, 
whereon  they  wore  the  grand  collar 
of  the  order,  composed  of  golden 
lozenges  and  fleurs  de  lys,  with  the 
word  liope  on  every  lozenge.  From 
the  end  of  the  collar  hung  an  oval 
medallion  bearing  the  image  of 
Mary,  under  which  was  seen  a  this- 
tle's head,  enamelled  with  gi-een 
and  eUilied  with  wJiite.f 

Devout  and  chivalrous  Spain  had 
also,  in  the  Middle  Ages,  royal  or- 
ders founded  in  honor  of  Mary.     Al- 

Navarre,  Henri  de  Bar,  and  Olivier  de  Clisson, 
may  still  be  distinguished.  All  these  figures 
are  of  full  length.  The  background  of  this 
painting  is  filled  with  bears,  wol'  es,  boars,  etc 
At  the  top,  on  a  sort  of  fi-ieze,  angels  bear 
streamers,  whereon  is  thrice  written  the  word 
"Hope."  (Dom.  Vaissette,  Hist,  de  Languedcc, 
t.  iv.,  p.  396.) 


^        f  Pavin,  Hist,  de  Navarre,  1.  viiL 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


889 


plionso,  or  rather  Don  Alonzo  the 
Wise,  founded  an  order  of  chivahy, 
which  he  placed  under  the  patron- 
age of  the  Virgin ;  and  Don  James 
11. ,  king  of  Arragon — to  reward  the 
valor  of  the  inhabitants  of  Montesa, 
whose  castle,  built  on  the  top  of  a 
high  mountain,  had  several  times 
repulsed  the  Moors — founded,  in 
1319,  an  order  of  knighthood,  under 
the  title  of  Santa  Maria  de  Montesa, 
to  which  he  generously  gave,  with 
the  Pope's  consent,  the  property 
which  the  suppressed  order  of  the 
Templars  had  possessed  in  the  king- 
dom of  Valencia. 

A  little  later,  about  the  middle  of 
the  fifteenth  century,  Christian  the 
First,  king  of  Denmark,  founded,  in 
honor  of  the  Holy  Trinity  and  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  the  royal  order  of 
the  Elephant,  the  members  of  which 
entered  into  divers  pious  engage- 
ments ;  for  instance,  that  of  defend- 
ing the  Catholic  faith  at  the  peril 
of  their  life ;  the  elephant  was  sym- 
bolical of  the  virtues  of  the  order. 

But  it  was  not  only  the  royal  and 
military  orders  that  took  Mary  for 
their  patroness ;  the  religious  mili- 
tia, which  gains  its  battles  by  pray- 
er under  the  shield  of  Faith,  would 


^  also  move  forward  under  the  Vir- 
gin's banner,  and  distinguished  it- 
self by  another  kind  of  heroism.  In 
the  West,  the  first  religious  order 
founded  especially  in  honor  of  Mary, 
was  that  of  Citeaux,  the  founder  of 
which  was  St.  Robert,  a  young  Nor- 
man gentleman  who  had  been  des- 
tined by  his  family  for  the  profession 
of  arms,  but  who  chose  rather  to 
gain  the  kingdom  of  heaven  than 
any  of  this  world's  gifts  or  honors. 
In  the  year  1098  he  founded,  in  a 
desert  place,  given  him  by  the  duke 
of  Burgundy,  the  famous  abbey  of 
Citeaux,  and  caused  the  twenty 
monks  who  accompanied  him  thith- 
er to  assume  the  white  habit,  in 
honor  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  and, 
according  to  the  annalists  of  Ci- 
teaux, on  a  special  revelation  from 
her.  In  order  to  merit  the  protec- 
tion of  Mary,  Robert  and  his  monks 
condemned  themselves  to  a  life  the 
most  detached,  the  most  laborious, 
the  poorest,  and  the  most  austere 
that  it  is  possible  to  imagine ;  they 
banished  from  their  cloisters  all  that 
had  the  least  appearance  of  luxury. 
Their  abbatial  church  had  but  one 
wooden  cross ;  the  censers  and  can- 

^  dlesticks  were  of  iron,  and  the  chal- 


390 


niSTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


ices  of  gilt  copper ;  the  ornaments 
were  of  coarse  stuff;  the  abbot's 
crozier  was  merely  the  wooden 
crutch  then  used  by  old  men.  In 
oi-der  to  avoid  all  that  might  dis- 
turb retreat  and  recollection,  it  was 
agreed  that  no  prince  or  noble 
should  henceforward  keep  his  court 
in  their  church  or  in  their  monas- 
tery, as  had  been  hitherto  the  case 
on  high  festivals.  These  rules  were 
made  by  degrees;  most  of  them 
were  enacted  by  Abbot  Stephen, 
who  succeeded  Alberic,  the  suc- 
cessor of  Robert,  in  1109.  There 
was  so  great  scarcity  of  provisions 
in  the  abbey  during  the  following 
year,  that  the  abbot  was  obliged 
to  mount  an  ass  and  go  out  to  beg 
with  one  of  the  brothers.  The 
rigorous  austerity  practised  in  the 
abbey  caused  Citeaux  to  be  desert- 
ed ;  no  one  presented  himself  to  re- 
place the  monks  who  died,  and  the 
abbot  began  seriously  to  fear  that 
this  new  institute  must  perish  in 
its  cradle ;  but  Mary,  its  patroness, 
would  not  permit  it  to  fall  to  the 
ground,  and  made  it  a  magnificent 
present  in  the  person  of  St.  Ber- 
nard, who  retired  thither,  with  sev- 
eral of  his  kinsmen,  in  1113.     He 


*  was  then  scarcely  seventeen;  at 
nineteen  he  was  sent  to  Clairvaux, 
in  the  capacity  of  abbot,  and  ap- 
plied himself  to  clear  that  place, 
then  overgrown  with  brushwood. 

Whilst  St.  Bernard  was  laying 
the  foimdations  of  Clairvaux,  La 
Fert^,  Pontigny,  and  Morimond — 
the  three  other  daughters  of  Ci- 
teaux— were  being  peopled  under 
favor  of  the  Blessed  Virgin.  The 
wild,  dreary  spot  whereon  arose 
the  abbey  of  Morimond,  the  most 
austere  of  all  the  Cistercian  abbeys, 
was  a  pious  donation  from  Olderic 
de  Grammont,  and  Adeline,  his 
wife.*  These  fom'  abbeys  were  the 
first  and  the  mothers  of  several 
others,  which  we  need  not  mention 
in  detail,  all  equally  austere  and 
regular,  all  worthy  of  their  heavenly 
patroness.  The  monks  went  to  work 
in  the  woods  and  fields,  sowed  and 
reaped  grain,  mowed  hay,  felled 
trees  and  carried  them  on  their 
back.  On  returning  to  the  convent, 
they  thankfully  received  what  was 
given  them  to  eat — that  is  to  say, 
a  pound  of  coarse  black  bread,  with 
a  potage  of  beech  -  leaves.     Their 

*  Annales   Cisterciennes,    a  R.   P.    Manrique, 
^    aun.  1115,  ch.  1. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


391 


bed  was   of  straw,  their  bolster  a  * 
bag  of  oats,  and,  after  having  slept 
some  hours,  they  rose  in  the  middle 
of  the  night  to  sing  the  praises  of 
the  Lord. 

Such  was  the  life  of  these  monks 
of  the  Virgin,  whom  their  conduct 
honored  according  to  the  expres- 
sion of  God  himself  in  the  sacred 
books ;  hence  she  was  pleased  to 
give  them  the  most  striking  proofs 
of  her  approbation.  The  annals  of 
Citeaux  relate  that,  when  these 
good  monks,  whose  life  was  so 
austere,  whose  heart  so  pure,  and 
whose  hands  so  occupied,  were  toil- 
ing and  sweating  in  the  heat  of 
a  harvest  day,  without  daring  to 
quench  their  thirst  in  the  neighbor- 
ing stream,  or  to  refresh  their  ex- 
hausted frame  by  a  few  moments' 
rest  in  the  cool  shade  of  the  woods 
hard  by,  the  Virgin  wiped  away 
with  her  white  veil  the  sweat  that 
bathed  the  pale  and  fmTowed  brow 
of  the  brothers.* 

Men  of  high  birth  thronged  to 
Citeaux:  Prince  Henry,  brother  of 
Louis  the  Young,  became  a  monk 
of  Clairvaux  in  1149.     St.  Malachy, 

*  Annates  Cisterciennes,  a.  d.  1199,  ch.  5,  and 
1228,  ch.  6  J  ann.  1121,  ch.  6.  * 


who  was  descended  from  the  kings 
of  Ireland,  and  was  himself  primate 
of  that  island,  exchanged  his  ponti- 
fical robes  for  the  serge  and  fustian 
of  these  austere  monks.  One  of  the 
first  lords  of  the  Scottish  court,  and 
much  beloved  by  the  king,  who  was 
his  relative,  abandoned  the  world 
and  its  glories  to  shut  himself  up 
in  a  Cistercian  monastery.  The 
king  had  often  noticed  that  the 
young  nobleman  withdrew  from  the 
exciting  pleasures  of  the  chase  to 
read  and  pray  amongst  the  tall 
ferns  or  the  blooming  hawthorn 
bushes.  "We  must  make  him  a 
bishop,"  said  the  pious  monarch, 
one  day,  with  a  thoughtful  air. 
The  young  man  anticipated  him, 
and  became  a  monk  at  Wardon. 

In  1129,  Everard,  count  du  Mans, 
gave  up  his  princely  coronet  for 
the  Cistercian  cowl.  He  presented 
himself  in  disguise  at  one  of  the 
houses  of  the  order,  and  was  en- 
trusted with  the  care  of  one  of  the 
flocks.  He  might  have  remained 
unknown  had  not  some  lords  of  his 
acquaintance  met  him  while  mind- 
ing his  sheep  on  the  border  of  a 
wild  heath.  Another  young  noble- 
man,  of  very    high    bu'th,   having 


1 


892 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


Uiken  the  Cistercian  habit,*  wajs 
charged  to  conduct  a  flock  of  swine 
every  day  to  feed  in  a  neighboring 
forest,  where  they  fared  sumptu- 
ously on  the  acorns  and  beech-nuts. 
One  evening,  when  the  novice  neg- 
lected to  pray  as  usual,  he  heard 
the  voice  of  Satan,  the  father  of 
Pride,  whispering  in  his  ear  that 
his  was  certainly  a  strange  trade 
for  the  son  of  a  powerful  baron. 
The  young  lord,  hitherto  so  pious, 
bit  his  lip,  and  all  his  fervor  fled 
like  a  dream.  Night  came ;  he  re- 
gained his  monastery,  and  retired 
to  the  chapel.  Any  one  who  saw 
him  kneeling  before  Our  Lady's 
altar,  buried  in  profound  medita- 
tion, would  have  said,  "There  is  a 
saint  whose  thoughts  are  in  heav- 
en." Yet  his  thoughts  did  not  take 
so  lofty  a  flight;  for  he  was  think- 
ing of  his  father's  castle,  and  be- 
gan to  entertain  the  idea  of  flight. 
"The  night  is  dark,"  thought  the 
novice,  as  he  looked  through  the 
open  door  of  the  chapel ;  "  the  wind 
is  high ;  it  is  just  the  time  to  make 

my  escape Herding   swine, 

indeed  !  and  I  the  son  of  one  of  the 
first  lords  of  the  court !     Why,  it  is 

♦  AnTiales  Cisterciennes,  a.  d.  1207,  ch.  4. 


f  a  shame ! "  He  arose,  and  crossed 
the  nave  with  a  firm  step.  He  was 
about  to  pass  the  threshold,  when, 
lo !  a  woman  stood  before  him !  At 
first  he  thought  it  was  but  a  dream. 
But  no ;  there  she  was  I  a  woman 
of  majestic  mien,  and  beautiful  as 
an  angel.  With  a  graceful  motion 
of  her  hand,  and  a  sweet  smile  of 
compassion,  she  made  a  sign  for 
him  to  follow,  and  was  mechanic- 
ally obeyed.  The  unknown  direct- 
ed her  steps  towards  the  cemetery, 
as  it  lay  ghastly  and  cold  in  the 
light  of  the  half- veiled  moon ;  the 
huge  yew-trees,  agitated  by  the 
wind,  seemed  to  mourn  for  the 
dead,  and  the  night-birds  mingled 
their  doleful  cries  with  the  tumul- 
tuous voice  of  the  tempest.  A  cold 
shudder  began  to  creep  over  the 
young  monk.  His  fair  and  calm 
conductress  extended  her  hand,  and, 
behold !  the  turf  coverings  of  the 
graves  began  slowly  to  open,  and 
the  dead  arose,  cold  and  pale,  in 
their  shrouds.  The  novice  was 
sinking  to  the  ground  with  teiror; 
but  the  unknown,  regarding  him 
with  an  eye  of  tender  compassion, 
said,  in  a  sweet  and  penetrating 
voice,  "  Yet  a  little  while,  and  thou 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIBGIN  MAEY. 


393 


glialt  be  dead  like  these !  Whither,  * 
then,  would  st  thou  go,  and  of  what 
art  thou  thinking  ?  This  is  the  end 
of  all  earthly  glory !"  Saying  these 
words,  the  Virgin — for  she  it  was — 
vanished  from  his  sight ;  the  graves 
closed  again,  and  the  young  novice, 
who  thought  no  more  of  quitting 
the  convent,  became  a  model  of 
humility  and  virtue. 

The  order  of  Citeaux,  which  ex- 
tended itself  into  every  country  of 
Christendom,  was  suppressed  in 
France  at  the  beginning  of  the 
Revolution. 

The  order  of  Fontevrault,  founded 
in  1100  by  Robert  d'Arbricelle  to 
honor  the  holy  obedience  of  Jesus 
Christ  to  the  orders  of  his  mother, 
and  the  filiation  of  John  with  re- 
gard to  Mary,  could  only  have  its 
origin  in  the  chivalrous  Middle 
Ages.  In  that  order — whose  nuns 
were  high  and  noble  ladies,  and  its 
abbesses  princesses  of  the  blood 
royal — the  women  governed  the 
men,  and  the  abbots  dared  not 
treat  the  abbess  as  a  sister,  but 
were  bound,  in  all  humility,  to  call 
her    mother,*   she    being   absolute 

*  The  monks  of  the  abbey  of  Fontevrault 
were  commanded  by  an  act  of  Parliament  to    4 


sovereign  of  the  order.  The  foun- 
dation of  this  order  raised  some 
storms  at  the  outset.  Marbode, 
bishop  of  Rennes,  and  Godefroi, 
bishop  of  Vendome,  alarmed  by 
the  strangeness  of  this  reversed 
obedience,  declared  against  Fonte- 
vrault ;  but  the  order,  nevertheless, 
existed  till  the  time  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. It  was  in  this  abbey  that 
the  princesses  of  the  royal  family 
were  brought  up. 

Seven  merchants  of  Florence  also 
founded,  in  the  second  period  of  the 
Middle  Ages,  the  order  of  Servantes, 
or  Serfs  of  Mary,  which  gave  to  the 
church  St.  Philip  Benizzi,  author  of 
the  touching  devotion  of  the  Seven 
Dolors  of  the  Virgin.  Finally,  the 
sweet  name  of  Mary  was  given  to 
the  order  of  Om-  Lady  of  Mercy, 
destined  to  redeem  Christian  cap- 
tives from  the  hands  of  the  infidels. 
This  order,  founded  on  the  10th  of 
August,  1218,  is  one  of  those  holy 
works  which  do  honor  to  humanity  ; 
its  rules  were  extremely  severe,  and 
it  formed  the  most  perfect  link  be- 
tween the  military  orders  and  those 
that  were  purely  monastic. 

call  the  abbess  their  mother,  and  not  their  sis- 
ter,    {^ee  ih.&  Anncds  of  Fontevrault.) 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


If  the  other  religif)iis  orders  of  t 
ehivah'ous  times  were  placed  less 
directly  than  those  of  which  we 
have  spoken,  under  the  immediate 
patronage  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  all 
united  in  honoring  her,  and  were 
founded  under  her  influence.  The 
ancient  Carthusians  dedicated  to 
Mary  their  first  chapel,  which  still 
exists  amongst  the  rocks  where  it 
was  first  built,  and  it  retains  the 
commemorative  name  of  Om*  Lady 
of  Cottages.* 

The  cradle  of  the  Franciscan  or- 


Sacellum  beatce  Marioe  de  Casalibus.  This 
chapel,  which  the  Carthusians  have  preserved 
with  all  respect  as  the  cradle  of  their  order,  is 


der  was  a  small  chapel,  very  old. 
and  in  bad  repair,  built  originally 
by  four  hermits  of  Palestine,  who 
gave  it  the  name  of  St.  Mary  of 
Josaphat,  because  they  had  in  it 
some  relics  from  the  tomb  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin. 

The  Dominican  order  had  its  ori- 
gin in  Our  Lady  of  Prouille. 

St.  Norbert  reformed  the  Premon- 
stratensions  by  order  of  the  Mother 
of  God,  and  he  obliged  his  monks 
to  recite  the  office  of  the  Virgin 
every  day,  under  pain  of  mortal  sin. 


still  in  existence.  Tastefully  ornamented,  and 
hidden  in  the  depth  of  the  woods,  it  has  a  very 
pleasing  effect. 


Jfourtlj  iperioir  d  tlje  §tiidm\  U  Parj. 

PROM  THE  MIDDLE  AGES  TO  OUR  OWN  TIMES. 


CHAPTER   XL 


THE    REVIVAL. 


|T  the  opening  of 
the  15th  cen- 
tury, Catholic 
Europe  was  still 
kneeling  before 
Mary,  Avhose 
cathedrals,  al- 
ready secularized,  were  being  fin- 
ished with  admirable  constancy.  At 
that  time  "  Poor  Companions,"  made 
their  tour  of  France,  offering  their 
hammers  and  trowels  wherever  the 
piety  of  the  faithful  was  raising 
churches ;  most  of  them  asked  no 
payment ;  they  got  bread  and  roots 
to  eat,  and  slept  on  the  bare  ground. 
One  hundred  thousand  men  were 
seen  working  in  this  way  for  two 
centuries,  at  the  cathedral  of  Stras- 
burg,  which  Bishop  Werner  had 
dedicated  to  Mary. 

Some  of  these  workmen  were 
wholly  devoted  to  the  construction 
of  chapels  in  honor  of  the  Blessed 


Virgin ;  they  wrought  for  the  love 
of  God,  and  refused  all  other  em- 
ployment. Amongst  these  were 
some  who  imposed  on  themselves 
the  daily  fabrication  of  a  certain 
number  of  oak  leaves,  trefoil  or  ara- 
besques ;  this  pious  task  was  called 
the  stone-cutter^ s  beads.  The  enthu- 
siasm reached  even  the  weaker  sex ; 
women  were  seen  taking  up  the 
chisel  to  carve  Madonnas ;  the 
statue  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  which 
may  be  observed  over  the  portal  of 
the  cathedral  of  Strasburg,  with  a 
crown  on  the  head  and  a  chalice  in 
the  right  hand,  is  the  work  of  Sabi- 
na,  daughter  of  Ervin,  herself  a 
famous  architect,  like  her  father 
and  brother,  whose  great  work  she 
continued  when  they  had  worn 
away  their  lives. 

Those  artists  who  wrestled  like 
giants  with  the  idea  of  the  infinite 
to  translate  it  into  stone,  acquired 


896 


mSTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


no  wealth  by  their  colossal  under- 
takings; they  would  have  deemed 
it  a  disgrace.  Their  labor  was 
more  suitably  rewarded  ;  after  their 
death,  the  stately  basilica  which 
tlioy  had  built,  raising  its  flags  of 
black  marble,  took  them  respect- 
fully to  its  bosom,  and  one  might 
fancy  that  its  tall,  tapering  steeples, 
piercing  the  clouds  like  the  just 
man's  prayer,  went  up  to  plead 
their  cause  before  the  Eternal. 

The  carvers  of  wood  likewise 
consecrated  their  work  to  the  Vir- 
gin ;  the  choir-stalls  of  the  ancient 
churches  were  adorned,  for  the  most 
part,  with  those  sculptures  where 
the  artist  delighted  to  concentrate, 
in  a  narrow  space,  some  graceful 
scene  from  the  life  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin.  The  cathedrals  of  Auch  and 
Evreux,  both  dedicated  to  Mary,  are 
so  fortunate  as  to  have  preserved 
many  of  these  carvings,  whose  loss 
would  be  irreparable. 

Under  the  vaulted  roof  of  the 
cathedral  of  Paris,  that  dread  peri- 
odical press  which  does  so  much 
good  and  so  much  evil,  according  to 
the  passions  which  set  it  in  motion, 
was  then  springing  into  life  like  a 
timid   dove    that  feai's   to   venture 


*  from  the  parent  nest.  A  great  iron 
branch,  with  tubes  running  hither 
and  thither,  as  far  up  as  the  eye 
could  reach,  was  fastened  to  one  of 
the  walls  of  Notre  Dame,  close  by 
one  of  those  side-doors  which  are 
master  -  pieces  of  the  locksmith's 
craft.  On  a  level  with  these  tubes, 
garnished  with  tapers  of  yellow 
wax,  was  hung  by  a  flexible  fast- 
ening, a  hollow  tablet,  coated  with 
wax.  There,  every  morning,  on  the 
advice  and  responsibility  of  the  di- 
rectors or  chief  editors  of  the  period, 
the  bishop,  the  mayor,  or  the  sheriff, 
the  printer  in  wax  inscribed  with 
his  pen  the  official  announcement 
of  whatever  was  most  interesting  to 
the  people  of  the  good  old  times, 
the  arrival  of  a  bull,  the  gaining  of 
a  battle,  etc.  Every  lettered  indi- 
vidual was  then  free  to  come,  by 
the  light  of  the  tapers  (which  the 
stained  glass  windows  rendered 
necessary,  even  in  daylight),  and 
read  to  the  assembled  crowds  that 
daily  gazette — daily  in  the  fullest 
sense  of  the  word,  since  the  news  of 
the  morrow  effaced  that  of  the  day 
before. 

Confraternities    in   honor   of  the 
Virgin  were  then  founded  all  over 


/ 


/ 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


397 


Europe — still  Catholic  fi-om  one 
end  to  the  other.  The  princes  of 
Germany  gloried  in  wearing  her 
scapular,  and  the  English  kings  of 
the  Lancastrian  line  were  conse- 
crated with  a  miraculous  oil  "  more 
radiant  than  fine  gold,  which  the 
Blessed  Virgin  had  given  expressly 
for  them  —  the  Lancastrians  —  to 
St.  Thomas  a  Becket  during  his 
exile."  * 

In  France,  the  students  of  the 
great  colleges  (where  so  many  gra- 
tuitous burses  were  given  in  Our 
Lady's  name)  arose  at  the  dawn 
of  day  to  say  the  office  of  the  Vir- 
gin in  common.  Princes  recited  it 
also,  at  regular  hours,  with  some 
other  offices  of  the  Church.  A 
small  space,  something  like  the  do- 
mestic chapels  of  the  Romans,  was 
reserved  in  their  apartments  for 
these  morning  devotions.  The  duke 
of  Orleans,  uncle  of  Charles  YL, 
though  his  life  was  far  from  being 

*  Boucher,  Annates  de  V Aquitaine,  t.  iv.,  p.  3. 

f  Felibien,  t.  ler,  p.  654.  —  Sauval,  Mem. 
MS 

J  The  rosary  was  instituted  in  1208,  by  St. 
Dominick,  but  he  was  not  precisely  the  in- 
ventor of  it.  In  the  year  1094,  Peter  the  Her- 
mit devised  wooden  beads,  whereon  the  sol- 
diers of  the  Crusade,  for  the  most  part  unable 


*  edifying,  had  nevertheless,  in  the 
Hotel  St.  Paul,  an  oratory,  adorned 
with  gothic  sculptures  in  Irish  oak, 
on  the  door  of  which  was  read, 
"Eetreat  where  Monsieur  Louis  ol 
France  says  his  offices."  f 

The  beads  J  were  the  favorite  or- 
naments of  great  and  small,  the 
magistrate  and  the  warrior.  Kings 
of  France  substituted  them  for  the 
knightly  collar,  the  fashion  of  which 
had  been  brought  by  the  crusaders 
from  Eastern  lands,  famous  for  their 
gorgeous  costumes.  A  costly  rosary 
was  put  in  every  wedding  casket; 
and  the  great  ladies  of  the  period 
of  the  Revival,  as  well  as  those  of 
the  Middle  Ages,  were  often  repre- 
sented on  their  stone  monuments 
with  a  rosary  in  their  hand.  This 
prayer,  originally  invented  for  the 
poor,  had  become  the  prayer  of  all 
classes.  Burgesses  and  gentlemen 
said  their  rosary  going  out  to  the 
country   or  returning   to   the   city, 


to  read,  might  recite  a  certain  number  of  Paters 
and  Aves,  accordingjfcb  the  solemnity  of  the 
feasts.  Even  before  his  time,  some  ancient 
historians  relate  that  devout  persons  said  a 
aeries  of  Paters  and  Aves  on  knotted  cords,  per 
cordulam  nodis  distinciam.  {Regies  de  la  Gonfr. 
du  Rosaire.  Astolfi. — Gabriel  Pennotus,  in  Hist. 
^    Tripart.) 


"OS 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


clients  in  coui-t  while  awaiting  their 
lawyei-s,  and  Christians  of  every 
grade  when  going  to  churches  at 
a  distance  to  gain  indulgences. 
Kings  themselves  set  the  example. 
Blanche  of  Castile  said  her  rosary 
every  day.  Edward  III.,  king  of 
England,  gave  his  beads,  enriched 
with  pearls,  to  Eustace  de  Ribeau- 
mont,  a  French  knight,  who  had 
twice  defeated  him.  In  the  inven- 
tory taken  after  the  death  of  Charles 
v.,  there  were,  as  La  Sage  tells  us, 
ten  gold  rosaries.  The  Swiss,  at 
Grandson,  found  in  the  ducal  tent 
of  Charles  of  Burgundy  his  Pater 
.  (beads) ,  whereon  the  Apostles  were 
represented  in  solid  gold.*  It  is 
weU  known  that  the  famous  con- 
stable, Anne  de  Montmorenci,  was 
accustomed  to  say  his  beads  while 
riding  at  the  head  of  his  men-at- 
arms.  "  Sometimes,  leaving  a  Pater 
unfinished,  he  commanded  some  mil- 
itary expedition,  or  gave  the  signal 
for  attack ;  then  "  he  carefully  re- 
sumed his   Pater  or  Ave,"  says   a 


*  History  of  Louis 
f  The  chaplet  ow 


kM.  Lisken,  p.  91. 

origin  to  a  young 
monk  of  the  order  of  St.  Francis.  Before  taking 
the  habit  of  the  Friars  Minors,  this  young  man 
made  it  a  practice  to  crown  an  image  of  Our 
Lady  e\erj  iay  with  a  wreath  of  flowers.     Be- 


*  contemporary  historian,  "so  devout 
was  he." 

The  chaplet,  which  takes  its  name 
from  the  crowns  of  flowers  called 
in  the  Middle  Ages  chapels  or  cha- 
peaux,  was  the  spiritual  crown  of 
Mary.  People  said  then — and  it 
was  a  graceful  and  poetical  idea — 
that  there  was  beside  every  person 
who  recited  it  devoutly,  an  angel, 
sometimes  visible,  who  strung  on 
a  golden  thread  a  rose  for  every 
Ave,  and  a  golden  lily  for  every 
Pater,  and  that  after  laying  this 
garland  on  the  brow  of  the  devout 
servant  of  Mary,  the  angel  disap- 
peared, leaving  behind  him  the 
sweet  perfume  of  roses.f 

The  kings  of  Scotland  and  their 
great  vassals  wore  chaplets  of 
golden  beads  "  to  preserve  them- 
selves from  all  evil."  The  bold 
troopers  of  the  borders  provided 
themselves  with  others,  simpler  and 
less  costly,  consisting  of  filberts 
browned  by  the  autumn  sun ;  "  and 
never   did   they    recite   them   with 

ing  unable  to  continue  this  pious  practice  in 
the  convent,  he  was  on  the  point  of  giving  up 
the  habit ;  but  Our  Lady  appeared  to  him,  and 
ordered  him  to  substitute  the  spiritual  crown 
of  the  chaplet  for  the  wreath  of  flowers,  (P. 
Alex.  Salo,  Meth.  ad.  pour  hon.  la  V.  M.,  p.  672.) 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


399 


more  fervor,"  says  Leslie,  "than  in  * 
their  expeditions  against  the  En- 
glish." The  golden  chaplets  disap- 
peared with  poor  Queen  Mary,  the 
last  of  the  Catholic  sovereigns  ;  but 
those  which  the  borderers  gathered 
in  the  woods  long  withstood  the 
shock  of  the  Eeformation.  It  was 
the  last  Catholic  practice  kept  up 
in  Caledonia ;  with  it  fell  the  an- 
cient religion  of  Bruce,  of  Wallace, 
and  of  David  I. — the  religion  to 
which  England  and  Scotland  both 
owe,  according  to  Cobbett,  all  that 
they  have  of  greatness  both  in  men 
and  things. 

The  Georgians  and  the  nations  of 
Italy  fabricated  beads  for  them- 
selves with  as  little  expense  as  the 
Scotch :  they  made  them  of  the  nuts 
of  the  azedarah,  still  known  among 
the  Italians  as  Valhero  dei  paternostri 
(the  paternoster  tree). 

The  tender  and  sincere  piety  of 
our  ancestors  for  the  Blessed  Virgin 
then  manifested  itself  in  forms  the 
sweetest  and  most  touching.  Ber- 
ries from  the  shrubs  and  fruit  from 
the  bushes  sufficed  to  form  a  reli- 
gious garland ;  flowers,  heath,  the 
plants  of  Europe  and  of  Asia,  were 
honored  with  her  name,  and  kept 


her  memory  alive  amid  the  woods 
and  fields.  The  narcissus,  with  its 
purple  -  tinted  bell,  received  tlie 
name  of  Mary^s  lily ;  the  rose  of 
Jericho,  the  seal  of  Solomon,  be- 
came her  rose  and  her  seal;  the 
lung-wort,  spotted  with  white,  was 
Our  Lady's  milk;  the  Scotch  toolv 
for  their  emblem  her  blessed  thistle ; 
the  Christian  Arab  gave  the  name 
of  St..  Mary^s  smoke  to  a  sort  of 
wormwood,  with  a  white  flower, 
which  grows  on  his  sandy  wastes ; 
the  mountain  shepherd  designated 
as  St.  Mary's  grass  the  Alpine  mint, 
the  rosemary,  and  the  persicaria ; 
the  Mussulmans  of  the  East  call  the 
fragrant  cyclamen  hokour  Miriam 
(Mary's  perfume),  and  the  same 
plant  bears  in  Persia  the  name  of 
tchenk  Miriam  (Mary's  hand)  ;  a 
vernal  plant  of  Europe  received  the 
name  of  Our  Lady's  cloak:  the  plant 
that  bears  the  blue  sweet  wortle- 
berry  was  her  signet,  the  sherbets 
of  the  Alps  her  pears ;  and  the 
bed  of  wild  thyme,  whereon  the 
wearied  bee  reposes,  had  likewise 
her  name. 

In  some  northern  countries,  on 
the  other  hand,  they  scrupulously 
avoided  giving  the  Virgin's   name, 


100 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


not  only  to  things  but  to  persons, 
fearing  lest  that  name  might  event- 
ually be  ti'eated  with  irreverence, 
or  unworthily  borne.  Amongst  the 
Poles,  no  \s'oman  was  called  Mary, 
and  this  prohibition  extended  so 
far,  that  Ladislaus  lY.,  when  marry- 
ing Marie  Louise  of  Nevers,  would 
have  a  clause  inserted  in  the  mar- 
riage contract  to  the  eifect  that  the 
new  queen  should  give  up  her  name 
of  Marie,  which  was  displeasing  to 
the  Poles,  because  of  their  respect 
for  the  Mother  of  God,  and  that  she 
should  retain  only  the  simple  name 
of  Louise.* 

bi  the  first  years  of  the  fourteenth 
centm-y,  Pope  Innocent  XXII.,  justly 
alarmed  by  the  conquests  of  the 
Mussulmans,  instituted  a  prayer  to 
the  Blessed  Virgin,  under  the  name 
of  Hail,  Mary!  This  prayer,  for 
which  the  sweetest  and  most  mys- 
terious hour  of  the  day  had  been 
chosen,  that  is,  the  close  of  day,f 
was  said  in  France  and  England 
at  the  first  toll  of  the  curfew-bell. 
All  Catholics  thenp^said  three  Hail 

*  Dovendo  Ladislao  IV.  prendere  per  moglie  la 
figliuoladel  duca  di  Nevers,  chiamata  Maria  Alo- 
isa,  messe  questa  special  condizione  che  la  reina, 
per  riverenza  della  Vergine,  si  chiaraasse  nell'  ave- 
nire solamente  Aloisa.  {IIP.  Pao.Seg.t.\ii.  p.  571.) 


*  Marys  for  the  success  of  the  Chris- 
tian arms,  and  besought  the  Blesseil 
Virgin  that  peace,  union,  and  pros- 
perity might  prevail  in  every  Chris- 
tian kingdom.  Louis  XL,  in  1475, 
instituted  the  Angelus,  as  it  now  is, 
in  honor  of  the  mystery  of  the  In- 
carnation, and  desired  that,  to  the 
evening  prayer  offered  up  for  the 
general  peace  of  Christendom,  one 
might  be  added  at  noon  for  the 
particular  peace  of  his  kingdom. 
His  decree  is  thus  conceived :  "  It 
is  hereby  ordained,  that  all  French- 
men, knights,  men-at-arms,  and 
clowns,  do  kneel  on  their  two  knees 
at  the  stroke  of  noon,  cross  them- 
selves devoutly,  and  ofier  a  prayer 
to  Our  Lady  for  the  maintenance  of 
peace." 

The  decree  was  executed  with  an 
exactness  which  proves  how  popu- 
lar was  the  devotion  to  Mary. 
During  the  fifteenth  century,  at  the 
first  stroke  of  the  Angelus,  there 
was  not  a  single  Frenchman  in  the 
houses,  in  the  streets,  in  the  fields, 
or  on  the  highways,  who   did   not 

t  Polidorus  Virgil  attributes  the  institution  of 
the  evening  Ave  Maria  to  Pope  John  XXIL,  and 
that  of  the  morning  to  Theodoric,  archbishop  of 
Cologne. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


401 


prostrate    himself    to    invoke    the  ' 
Blessed    Virgin.      That    duty    dis- 
charged,   the    wayfarer    and    trav- 
eller arose  and  went  on  his  way.* 

In  those  immense  processions,  the 
head  of  which  was  at  St.  Denis 
when  the  end  was  still  on  the  steps 
of  Notre  Dame,f  the  Virgin's  ban- 
ner of  mohair,  embroidered  with 
gold,  was  borne  high  over  all  the 
other  sacred  ensigns,  and  was  car- 
ried immediately  after  the  Cross. 
Kings,  queens,  bishops,  and  bur- 
gesses of  high  degree,  were  all 
members  of  Our  Lady's  confrater- 
nity, J  and  in  pious  assemblies  the 
gold  embroidered  hoods  of  princes 
were  seen  side  by  side  with  thfe 
blue  and  red  hoods  of  the  Parisian 
citizens. 

At  every  corner  of  the  streets,  a 
little  statue  of  Mary,  rudely  carved 
in  oak,  blackened  by  time,  and  cov- 
ered with  a  veil  of  antique  lace, 
raised  its  guardian  head  above  a 
pile  of  flowers,  which  the  good  peo- 

*  Alex.  Monteil,  Vie  privee  des  Frangais,  t.  1. 

f  Capef.,  Hist,  de  la  Ref. 

I  This  confraternity,  the  most  ancient  belong- 
ing to  Our  Lady  in  Paris,  was  established  in 
1168.  It  was  named  the  Grand  Confraternity 
of  Our  Lady  of  the  Lords,  Priests,  and  Citizens 
of  Paris.     The  king,  the  queen,  and  the  bishop    ^ 


pie  renewed  every  morning  when 
the  trumpets  announced  the  dawn 
from  the  towers  of  the  Chatelet.§ 
Sometimes  these  flowers,  placed 
there  secretly  before  daybreak,  were 
taken  for  the  gifts  of  angels,  who 
came,  it  was  said,  to  teach  Chris- 
tians to  honor  their  Queen.  During 
the  night  lamps  burned  continually 
in  these  little  grayish  niches,  which 
on  Saturday  were  illuminated  all 
day  long.  II  This  was  the  first  light- 
ing of  streets ;  and  though  it  was 
less  brilliant  than  that  now  in  use, 
it  had,  at  least,  one  great  advantage 
— it  was  connected  with  a  pious 
thought,  calculated  to  excite  reflec- 
tion amongst  a  believing  people. 
The  mystic  lamps  of  the  Madonnas, 
shining  here  and  there  like  a  light 
chain  of  stars,  through  the  perfumed 
stems  of  flowers,  seemed  to  say  to 
the  nightly  wanderer,  intent  on 
crime,  "  There  is  on  this  slumber- 
ing city  an  eye  which  never  closes, 
but  watches    for   ever    over    those 


of  Paris,  were  members,  and  none  but  the  most 
exemplary  persons  were  received  into  any  of  the 
three  orders  of  the  confraternity.  (Le  Maire, 
t.  ii.,  p.  19.—Traii.  de  la  Police,  t  i.,  p.  372.) 

§  Alex.  Monteil,  t.  i. 

]1  Hist,  de  Notre  Dame  de  la  Pair,  par  le  P. 
Medard,  Capucin. 


402 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIROIN  MARY. 


silent  and  doserted  stref^ts — the  eye 
of  God!"* 

These  little  corner  -  Madonnas, 
though  not  so  richly  adorned  as 
those  which  figured  in  massive  sil- 
ver over  altars  of  marble  and  gold, 
were  none  the  less  dear  to  the  peo- 
ple. Young  men  and  women  came 
there  from  all  sides — in  procession, 
barefoot,  and  crowned  with  flowers 
— singing  the  Litanies  of  the  Bless- 
ed Virgin ;  every  one  followed  them, 
let  the  time  be  what  it  might,  and 
the  crowd  was  sometimes  so  dense 
that  the  street  was  completely 
blocked  up.  A  little  cedar  statue, 
about  a  foot  high,  which  had  be- 
longed to  the  house  of  Joyeuse,  and 
which  stood  between  two  pointed 
turrets  over  the  gate  of  the  rever- 
end Capuchin  fathers  in  the  Rue  St. 
•Honor^,  came  near  being  the  cause 
of  a  civil  war,  on  a  small  scale, 
between  two  of  the  wards  of  Paris. 
Some  persons  of  more  zeal  than 
j)rudence  would  fain  carry  oif  the 
miracle-working  Madonna,  to  enrich 


*  It  is  still  the  only  lighting  of  several  towns 
in.  Italy.  The  following  are  the  words  of  an 
author  who  wrote  in  1803  :  "  II  popolo  e  divoto 
alle  Madonne,  per  cui  ve  ne  sono  in  ogni  an- 
gollo  delle  strade  con  fanali  accessi  di  notte. 


^  their  own  parish.  The  people  of 
the  neighborhood  came  to  hear  of 
their  intention,  and  forthwith  took 
up  arms,  mounted  guard  day  and 
night  before  the  tutelary  Virgin 
and  made  up  their  minds  to  chain 
the  street  across.  Tranquillity  was 
only  restored  by  the  formal  trans- 
lation of  the  sacred  image  to  the 
very  church  of  the  convent. f 

The  Queen  of  Heaven,  who  in- 
spired the  armies  of  the  Middle 
Ages  with  the  confidence  of  vic- 
tory, reigned  over  the  fleets  and 
merchant  vessels  of  that  fifteenth 
century,  which  was  justly  styled 
the  age  of  discoveries.  Christopher 
Columbus  undertook  the  discovery 
of  the  New  World,  under  the  aus- 
pices of  the  Virgin,  whose  office  he 
read  on  board  his  ship,  from  a  pre- 
cious manuscript  given  him  at  his 
departure  by  Pope  Alexander  VI., 
and  which  he  bequeathed  at  his 
death  to  the  republic  of  Genoa,  his 
native  country.  Don  Henry  of  Por- 
tugal, who  presided  over  and  pro- 


Essi  tengono  illuminate  le  strade,  e  cosi  la 
divozione  supplisce  alia  polizia."  (Descrizione  di 
Napoli,  p.  269.) 

*  See  Hint,  de  Notre  Dame  de  la  Paix. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


403 


moted  the  discovery  of  the  East 
Indies,  raised  a  church  at  Belem  in 
honor  of  Our  Lady,  accompanied  by 
an  hospital  for  Portuguese  sailors. 
John  Gonsalvo  Zares,  his  first  and 
ablest  navigator,  had  a  church  built 
to  Our  Lady  in  Madeira.  When  the 
Portuguese,  under  the  direction  of 
Yasco  de  Gama,  landed  for  the  first 
time  on  the  coast  of  Coromandel, 
where  they  expected,  on  the  faith 
of  some  old  tradition,  to  find  some 
of  St.  Thomas'  Christians,  they  were 
conducted  by  the  natives  to  the 
temple  of  an  Indian  goddess,  whom 
they  had  the  simplicity,  notwith- 
standing her  four  arms  and  her  long 
golden  ears,  to  take  for  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  and  prayed  to  her  accord- 
ingly. One  of  them,  however,  be- 
gan to  have  some  doubts,  and  cried 
out,  as  he  looked  at  the  hideous- 
features  of  the  idol,  resembling 
nothing  less  than  the  fair,  sweet 
Virgin  of  the  Christians,  "  If  the 
devil  be  worsliipped  here,  which  is 
very  possible,  it  is  well  understood 
that  we  are  only  addressing  our 
prayers  to  the  Mother  of  God!" 

After  establishing  themselves  in 
the  Indies,  the  Portuguese,  faithful 
in  their  devotion  to  Mary,  dedicated 


'^  to  her  in  Goa,  a  superb  church, 
wholly  gilt  in  the  inside,  styled  Our 
Lady  of  Asara,  or  Mercy.  Several 
other  churches,  such  as  Our  Lady 
of  Cranganor  and  of  Meliapour, 
arose,  by  their  means,  in  several 
parts  of  India,  even  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Ganges,  the  sacred  river  of 
Hindostan.  There  was  then  among 
them  a  pious  practice  of  offering  to 
Mary  the  tenth  part  of  the  booty 
obtained  from  the  heathen,  and  thai 
custom  caused  the  construction  of 
many  private  chapels  in  her  honor. 
Even  in  our  days  their  vessels  never 
pass  in  sight  of  the  Virgin's  chap- 
els, situated  along  the  coast  of  their 
superb  Macao,  without  saluting 
them  with  discharges  of  all  their 
guns.*  The  Spaniards,  no  less  de- 
vout than  the  Portuguese  to  the 
divine  Mother  of  the  Saviour,  bore 
on  their  gold- laden  galloons  her 
statue  in  massive  silver,  before 
which  the  brave  Castilian  mariners 
of  Isabella  the  Catholic  said  their 
morning  and  evening  prayers.  At 
a  somewhat  more  recent  period,  the 
buccaneers  of  the  Island  of  Tortua, 
having  taken  one  of  these  images 
in  a  naval  engagement,  the  Span- 

*  Annals  of  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith. 


404 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


iards,  robbed  of  all  they  possessed, 
thought  only  of  recovering  their 
revered  Madonna.  The  governor- 
geneiul  opened  a  negotiation  with 
the  pii'ates,  solely  to  save  the  Santa 
Senora  from  the  profanations  to 
which  she  was  exposed  amongst 
those  lawless  men,  who  gloried  in 
living  without  any  religion,  but 
they  refused  to  give  it  up. 

Italy — then  conspicuous  amongst 
all  Catholic  kingdoms  by  the  revi- 
val of  the  arts — consecrated  the 
pallet  of  her  painters,  the  chisel  of 
her  sculptors,  and  the  pen  of  her 
poets,  to  celebrate  the  greatness  of 
Mary. 

From  Cimabue,  who  founded  the 
Italian  school  about  the  year  1240, 
to  Carlo  Maratti  and  Salvator  Rosa 
(who  are  considered  its  last  mas- 
ters)—that  is  to  say,  for  a  period 
of  five  centuries — religious  painting 
produced  a  series  of  master-pieces 
to  which  the  history  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin  contributed  the  largest  share. 
Raphael,  then  fine,  poetical,  and 
pious  as  an  angel,  was  the  first  to 
divine,  in  bis  admirable  sposalizio, 
the  noble  jet   simple  bearing,  the 

*  There  are  still  to  be  seen  in  the  domestic 
chapel  of  ]VIichael  Angelo,   in  Florence,  large 


*  fair  and  serious  countenance,  the 
celestial  attitude  of  the  Mother  of 
divine  Love  and  of  holy  Mercy. 
One  would  say,  that  on  a  day  of 
fervent  prayer  Mary  appeared  to 
him  seated  on  the  clouds,  with  her 
angelic  train,  and  that  he  painted 
her  in  her  glory,  such  as  he  saw 
her.  How  many  men  of  genius  fol- 
lowed in  the  footsteps  of  that  great 
master!  Michael  Angelo,  Corregio, 
Titian,  the  Carraclii,  Spagnoletto, 
Dominichini,  that  austere  Carlo 
Dolchi  who  consecrated  his  pencil 
to  the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  the  fierce 
Salvator  who  made  pilgrimages  to 
Our  Lady  of  Loretto.  What  rich- 
ness of  imagination  !  What  super- 
human conceptions  !  What  a  pro- 
found sentiment  of  the  holiness  of 
their  art  amongst  those  great  Ital- 
ian masters !  Those  wondrous  men, 
who  disinherited  the  future  and  ef- 
faced the  past,  feared  not  to  show 
themselves  faithful  servants  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin ;  they  lit  tapers 
before  her  images,  took  ofi"  their 
beretta  as  they  passed  before  them, 
said  their  beads  like  every  one 
else,*  and  their  greatest   ambition 

rosaries  which  belonged  to  him,  and  which  he 
took  with  him  on  his  travels. 


HISTORY  OF  TEE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


405 


was  to  adorn  a  Christian  church 
with  some  sacred  painting,  for 
w^hich  they  prepared  themselves  as 
a  holy  work.  "Sound  the  trum- 
pets, ring  the  bells,"  wrote  Salvator 
Rosa  to  Dr.  Ricciardi ;  "after  thirty 
years'  residence  in  Rome,  after  six 
whole  lustres  of  blighted  hopes  and 
a  life  of  continual  tribulation  both 
from  man  and  heaven,  I  am  at  last 
called  on,  for  once,  to  paint  a  pic- 
ture for  a  high-altar!"*  This,  we 
see,  is  downright  ecstasy.  But,  on 
the  other  hand,  how  Catholicity 
loved,  encouraged,  and  protected 
the  art  which  enriched  its  temples 
with  so  many  master-pieces! — how 
the  Holy  See  honored  and  exalted 
the  man  of  genius ! — how  it  levelled 
heights  and  effaced  social  distinc- 
tions, to  honor  illustrious  talents 
and  to  raise  their  possessors  to  a 
level  with  the  rich  and  nobly  born ! 
Giotto,  the  peasant  who  left  his 
flock  in  a  romantic  valley  of  Tus- 
cany, to  work  in  the  school  of  Cim- 
abue,  was  the  jiTotege,  of  Pope 
Clement  Y.;  and  it  was  the  suc- 
cessor of  St.  Peter  who  first  sought 
out  the  artist.     Michael  Angelo,  in- 

*  Leitere  di  Salvator  Rosa  al  dott.  Giov.  Batista 
Ricciardi,  Lettera  20. 


*  tended  by  his  father  for  a  weaver 
of  w^ool,  w^as  honored  with  some- 
thing more  than  the  favor,  he  pos- 
sessed the  confidence  and  the 
friendship  of  Julius  II.  To  Ra- 
phael, the  son  of  a  poor  and  obscure 
painter,  there  was  offered  on  the  one 
hand  a  cardinal's  hat,  and  on  the 
other,  the  hand  of  a  cardinal's  niece. 
Lanfranco,  that  Parmegiano  so  pop- 
ular in  the  eighteenth  century,  was 
the  intimate  friend  of  cardinals,  a 
knight  of  the  Holy  Roman  Empire, 
and  the  special  ^rofe^e  of  the  Pope. 
Caravaggio,  the  son  of  a  mason, 
received  the  cross  of  the  order  of 
Malta,  a  superb  gold  chain,  which 
the  grand -master  himself  hung 
around  his  neck,  and  two  slaves  to 
wait  upon  him.  Claude  Lorraine, 
who  was  first  a  cook  and  then  a 
grinder  of  colors,  was  the  friend  of 
the  elegant  Cardinal  Bentivoglio,  and 
the  distinguished  favorite  ol  Urban 
YIIL  The  Roman  cardinals  expend- 
ed part  of  their  fortune  on  master- 
pieces of  art  which  are  still  the  or- 
nament of  the  churches  or  of  their 
splendid  galleries,  and,  following 
their  example,  the  Catholic  princes 
all  encouraged  the  arts,  and  adorned 
the  altars  with  religious  paintings.  / 


i06 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VTROTN  START. 


Behold  what  Catholicity  has  done 
for  painting!  '  Protestants  acted  in 
a  very  different  manner.  Calvin, 
who  despised  poetry,  and  even  set 
down  church-organs  as  foolish  van- 
ttiesy^  protested  with  no  less  bitter- 
ness and  vehemence  against  idol- 
atrous  painting ;  hence,  religious 
pictures  were  unmercifully  lacerated 
l)y  his  ferocious  followers,  and  this 
aversion  for  that  most  noble  art 
lasted  so  long  that,  in  the  acts 
passed  by  the  British  Parliament 
in  1636,  it  is  ordained  that  all  the 
pictures  in  the  Royal  Gallery  which 
represent  the  Virgin,  or  the  second 
person  of  tlie  Trinity^  shall  be  pub- 
licly bm-ned.f  What  more  could 
the  Caliph  Omar  have  done  ? 

It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  the 
two  chiefs  of  the  Protestant  sects, 
whilst  exclaiming  against  Catholic 
pictures,  were  quite  willing  to  sit 
for  their  own  portraits,  as  often  as 
theii'  partisans  desired  to  have  them. 
"  Luther,"  says  an   English  writer, 

*  The  Scotch  Covenanters  despised  poetry, 
which  they  deemed  a  profane  and  useless  art. 
This  rough  fanaticism  lasted  •  so  long  in  some 
parts  of  Scotland,  that  Wilson,  author  of  a  poem 
called  The  Clyde,  being  appointed,  some  thirty 
years  ago,  to  teach  a  school  in  Greenock,  was 
obliged  to  give  a  written  promise  that  he  would 


*  "was  always  well  pleased  to  nnil- 
tiply  his  portrait  and  that  of  his 
homely  rib. J  His  statue,  erected 
at  Wittenberg,  is  exposed  to  the 
veneration  of  the  Lutherans  of  Ger- 
many, and  M.  Lerminier  himself 
compares  this  veneration  to  that 
which  Catholics  bear  to  Our  Lady 
of  Loretto.  Calvin,  possessed  by 
the  same  strange  mania,  drew  on 
the  Huguenots  of  France  that  judi- 
cious question  of  Saconay :  "  Why 
are  ye  so  much  opposed  to  paint- 
ings and  images?  Does  not  your 
own  Calvin  take  pleasure  in  having 
his  likeness  multiplied,  carved  in 
Geneva  with  so  much  skill  that  his 
hollow  eyes  and  countenance  are 
vividly  represented,  and  he  is  show^n 
to  the  life,  ungainly  as  he  is."§ 

Statuary  also  arose,  grand  and 
majestic,  under  the  inspiration  of 
Mary.  Greece  had  seated,  erected, 
and  reclined  her  statues;  but  she 
had  not  devised  the  suppliant  pos- 
ture  of  Our  Lady  of  Dolors;    she 

renounce  poetry.  The  Scotch  Puritans  gave 
organs  the  contemptuous  name  of  whistling 
chests.     (Sir  Walter  Scott,  Border  Minstrelsy.) 

f  Journal  of  the  House  of  Commons. 

\  Memoirs  of  Salvator  Bosa,  By  Lady  Mor- 
gan, 

§  Archives  Curieuses. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


407 


had  not  placed  innocence  and  purity 
kneeling  before  God;  she  confided 
to  Bacchantes,  or  to  old  Silenus,  her 
fair  marble  children.  Mary,  bearing 
the  infant  Jesus  in  her  arms,  came 
to  reveal  both  to  art  and  to  society 
the  religion  of  maternity,  and  open- 
ed to  sculpture  tlie  unexplored 
career  of  moral  things.  Sculpture 
revived,  like  her  sister,  in  the  classic 
land  of  art — fair,  sunny  Italy ;  like 
her  sister,  she  was  protected  there 
by  the  princes  of  the  Roman  Church, 
who  had  preserved  the  noble  pro- 
ductions of  the  great  masters  of  an- 
cient Greece.  A  bull  had  been 
issued  by  the  Yicar  of  Jesus  Christ, 
forbidding  the  mutilation  of  ancient 
statues  ;  and  if  the  modern  sculptor 
can  yet  study  those  master -pieces, 
he  owes  it  to  Martin  Y. 

Benvenuto  Cellini,  one  of  the 
greatest  artists  of  the  time  of  Leo 
X.,  and  one  of  the  most  dangerous 
bravos  of  Italy,  had,  nevertheless,  a 
profound  faith  in  the  Virgin ;  vin- 
dictive as  he  was — and  there  was 
no  one  more  so — he  would  not  dare 
to  draw  his  richly- chased  stiletto 
from  his  silken  sleeve  in  presence 
of  a  Madonna.  One  day,  when  he 
had  been  cast  into  prison  for  his 


*  misdeeds,  he  thought  he  saw  the 
Virgin,  in  the  midst  of  the  sun's 
disc,  holding  her  divine  Son  on  her 
knee,  and  looking  down  on  him 
with  the  sweetest  smile.  "I  saw 
her,"  says  he,  in  a  letter  which  is 
still  extant — "I  saw  her  clearly 
and  distinctly,  and  I  glorified  God 
aloud." 

Amongst  the  great  Italian  poets 
of  the  Revival,  the  most  illustrious 
were  distinguished  by  their  devo- 
tion to  Mary.  Dante  sang  her 
praise  in  the  magnificent  verse  of 
his  Paradiso.  ''0  woman!"  he  ex- 
claims, "  thou  art  so  great,  thou  hast 
so  much  power,  that  he  who  solicits 
a  favor  without  having  recourse  to 
thee,  sends  up  his  aspirations  with- 
out wings."*  In  the  romantic  sol- 
itudes of  Vaucluse,  Lintenno,  and 
Arqua,  where  Petrarch  shut  himself 
up  to  await  the  poetic  inspiration 
which  is  repelled  by  the  tumult  of 
cities,  we  still  behold  the  spire  of 
his  little  domestic  chapels  adorned 
with  a  superb  Madonna  of  Peru- 
gino's.  It  was  at  the  feet  of  this 
fair  Madonna  that  he  composed  his 
Invocation  to  Mary,  his  last  can- 
zona,     so    humble,     so    tender,    so 

*  Dante,  II  Paradiso,  c.  33. 


408 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIROIN  MART. 


Christian,  wherein  "he  prostrates  f 
his  heart"  before  the  "sweet  and 
pious  Virgin,"  to  the  end  that  she 
may  guide  him  back  to  the  way 
from  which  he  had  wandered,  and 
recommend  him  to  her  divine  Son 
at  his  last  moment*  Tasso,  being 
on  his  way  from  Mantua  to  Rome, 
turned  aside  to  acquit  himself  of  a 
vow  to  Om*  Lady  of  Loretto;  he 
arrived,  overpowered  with  fatigue, 
and  without  money  to  finish  his 
jom-ney;  but  happily  one  of  the 
Gonzagua  princes,  who  was  much 
attached  to  him,  happened  to  be 
there  at  the  same  time,  and  amply 
provided  for  all  his  wants.  Recov- 
ered fi'om  his  fatigue,  he  fultilled 
with  the  most  feiTent  devotion  all 
the  duties  of  his  pilgrimage,  and 
composed  the  finest  canticle  ever 
written  in  honor  of  Our  Lady  of 
Loretto.f 

Stretched  on  his  bed  of  death,  in 
the  convent  of  St.  Onuphre,  Tasso 
asked  of  the  yoimg  Rubens — who 
had  taken  him  from  the  dungeons 
of  the  duke  of  Ferrara — a  small 
silver  Madonna,  which  he  had  him- 
self given  long  before  to  the  father 
of  that  great  painter.     "Thou  wilt 

*  Le  Rime  'id  Petrarca  (Fireuze),  t.  iii.,  c.  8. 


take  it  back,"  said  he,  "  when  I  am 
dead."  Rubens  instantly  obeyed, 
and  the  author  of  Jerusalem  Deliv- 
ered, after  having  burned  some 
poetical  sketches  written  during 
the  delirious  hours  of  his  crael  and 
unjust  captivity,  began  to  say  his 
prayers  in  a  low  voice,  clasping  in 
his  convulsed  hands  the  sacred  im- 
age which  encouraged  him  to  hope 
till  the  last.  When  the  body  of  the 
great  poet,  so  cruelly  neglected  dur- 
ing his  life,  was  borne  triumphantly 
to  its  last  resting-place,  Rubens 
could  not  bring  himself  to  join  the 
funeral  procession ;  he  hastened  to 
take  shelter  in  the  most  obscure 
corner  of  St.  Peter's,  in  Rome, 
where,  prostrate  before  the  Virgin's 
altar,  he  prayed  with  great  fervor, 
holding  in  his  hands  the  little 
silver  Madonna  which  he  had  taken 
from  the  icy  hands  of  Tasso. 

Music,  purified  by  the  tender  and 
inspiring  breatli  of  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin, was  then  beginning  to  revive 
under  her  auspices.  In  the  fifth 
century,  Sedulius,  whose  verses  were 
considered  very  pleasing  to  her,  had 
sung  her  praise  in  his  Carmen  Pas- 
cliale.      In  the  twelfth,  a  monk  oi 

f  Such  is  the  opinion  of  Ginguend. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


409 


St.  Victor  composed  the  Litanies, 
which  accorded  so  well  with  the 
lofty  arches  of  the  cathedrals,  the 
majestic  tones  of  the  organ,  the 
white  veils  and  scarfs  of  gold-bro- 
cade, and  the  roses  scattered  by 
the  hands  of  innocent  children. 
These  Litanies  were  sung,  during 
the  Middle  Ages  and  those  which 
immediately  followed,  by  the  pil- 
grims as  they  journeyed  to  some 
shrine  built  on  the  sandy  beach,  or 
far  amid  the  granite  and  basalt  of 
the  mountains.  That  long  series 
of  divine  titles  and  graceful  appel- 
lations, broken  only  by  the  simple 
and  most  touching  words,  "pray 
for  us,"  went  floating  on  the  wind 
to  awake  the  slumbering  echoes  of 
the  valleys,  or  to  die  away  on  the 
distant  wave  in  many  a  plaintive 
cadence.  One  would  have  thought 
that  the  angels  of  God,  who,  when 
Mary  lived  on  earth,  kissed  her 
shadow  as  they  passed  her  by, 
as  the  Spaniard,  Zorilla,  poetically 
says,  'sowed  her  praises  in  the 
fields  of  air." 

The  Christmas  carols — those  joy- 
ous hymns  so  full  of  the  memory 
of  the  Virgin  of  Bethlehem — sung 
by  torch-light   through   the   snowy 


fields,  or  by  the  antique  cribs 
adorned  with  verdure  and  winter- 
flowers,  were  then  the  favorite  song 
of  all  the  French  provinces.  Our 
church -hymns  have  impressed  on 
the  music  a  noble  and  severe  char- 
acter, which  fills  the  soul  to  over- 
flowing, and  plunges  it  into  the  in- 
finite. The  Christmas  carols,  more 
simple  in  their  effect,  gave  it  a 
tinge  quite  Arcadian.  It  is  a  bird- 
like" song,  which  goes  up  gaily  to 
God  to  celebrate  a  joyous  mystery ; 
it  is  a  woodland  perfume,  which 
embalms  the  altar  of  the  Saviour's 
youthful  mother.  The  fresh  and 
simple  lays  connected  with  these 
charming  airs,  all  breathe  the  cool- 
ness of  the  woods,  the  smell  of  the 
white -thorn,  the  perfume  of  the 
hive,  and  the  bleating  of  lambs.  It 
is  the  song  of  the  people,  the  song 
of  the  shepherds,  the  song  of  Nature 
itself. 

In  the  carols,  Mary  is  always  rep- 
resented as  a  youthful  Virgin,  fair 
and  pure,  wrapping  up  in  her  linen 
veil  the  King  of  Angels,  and  too 
much  absorbed  in  her  joy  to  heed 
the  bareness  of  the  stable  or  the 
straw  in  the  crib.  The  people,  in- 
ured  to   privations   of  every  kind, 


CIO 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


dwell  not  on  the  poverty,  but  on  * 
the  happiness  of  the  Mother  of 
Christ;  it  is  like  one  of  Claude 
Lorraine's  paintings — all  light.  In 
the  Stahaf^ — that  hymn  of  the  thir- 
teenth century  which  the  Italians 
have  so  poetically  styled  II  pianto 
di  Maria  (Mary's  wail) — there  is 
no  longer  aught  of  the  joys  of  the 
Nativitv,  but  all  the  terrors  of  the 
Golgotha.  It  is  a  strain  burdened 
with  the  deepest  sorrow,  and  break- 
ing forth  at  times  into  heart-rend- 
ing cries  of  anguish ;  it  is  the  pierc- 
ing recital  of  the  sufferings  of  a 
mother,  who  sees  an  adored  son  ex- 
piring before  her  eyes.  To  under- 
stand the  inconceivable  sadness  of 
that  hymn,  and  the  mournful  mys- 
teries Avhich  it  reveals,  it  must  be 
heard,  as  we  have  heard  it,  in  one 
of  those  vast  Italian  churches  where 
people  pray  with  faith  and  sing 
with  soul;  one  would  say  that  the 
majestic  voice  of  the  organ  is  choked 
with  sobs,  and  that  the  angels  are 
weeping  for  their  Queen.  No  re- 
ligion, since  the  world  began,  ever 

*  It  is  thought  that  the  Stahat  Mater  Dolorosa 
was  composed  by  Innocent  IIL,  one  of  the 
greatest  Popes  that  ever  ruled  the  Church,  and 
the  founder  of  two  great  orders,  the  Dominicans 


furnished  such  a  theme  for  poetry 
and  music  as  the  Stahat.  The  sor- 
rows of  Mary  at  the  foot  of  the 
Cross  call  forth  all  the  power  of 
harmony  and  all  the  inspiration  of 
poetry.  That  theme,  although  most 
effective  as  it  now  stands,  is  still 
far  from  perfection ;  to  give  it  as  it 
onglit  to  be,  or  7m(/ht  be,  w^ould  be 
the  last  and  most  sublime  reach  of 
art. 

At  the  period  of  the  Revival, 
those  competitions  in  poetry  found- 
ed in  honor  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 
during  the  ages  of  chivalry,  were 
still  kept  up  with  great  pomp  and 
splendor,  in  Rouen,  Dieppe,  and 
Caen,  under  the  name  of  puys  or 
palinods.  The  meeting  w^as  held  in 
one  of  Mary's  churches,  and  the  suc- 
cessful competitor  received  from  the 
prince  of  the  puy  a  golden  palm.f 
This  was  the  germ  of  the  French 
Academy.  A  little  later,  that  of  the 
Floral  Games,  w^hich  aw^arded  a  sil- 
ver lily  to  the  best  piece  of  poetry 
on  the  Virgin,  was  established  in 
Toulouse,  where  it  still  exists. 

and  the  Franciscans;  others  attribute  it  to  Ja- 
copone  de  Todi,  St.  Gregory,  and  some  to  St. 
Bernard. 

f  Antiq'dit'es  de  la  Ville  de  Rouen. 


HISTORY  OF    TEE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


411 


In  the  fifth  century,  it  was  said 
of  Mary  that  she  was  honorum  poeta- 
rum  magistram ;  in  the  fifteenth, 
she  was  still  the  queen  of  all  the 
poets  of  the  Christian  woi-ld.  The 
Britons,  who  had  substituted  the 
dialogue- ballad  for  the  dread  and 
mystic  songs  of  the  Druids,  almost 
invariably  introduced  an  invocation 
to  Mary.  The  cantadours  of  Gui- 
enne,  the  bards  of  Provence,  never 
passed  a  shrine  of  hers  without  go- 
ing in  to  sing  there  (accompanying 
themselves  with  the  lute  or  hand- 
organ)  some  pretty  hymn  composed 
in  her  honor,  and  it  was  said  by 
those  wandering  sons  of  song  tha-t 
the  Madonna  sometimes  rewarded 
their  simple  strain  by  a  smile  or  a 
graceful  inclination  of  the  head, 
which  made  them  happier  than  the 
golden  cups  given  them  as  guer- 
dons by  princes  whose  victories 
they  sang.  The  descendants  of  the 
English  bards — who  sang,  like  the 
birds  of  the  air,  now  in  the  shadow 
of  the  cloister,  anon  in  the  shade 
of  the  woods,  to  the  sound  of  the 
Saxon  harp — had  no  song  sweeter 
or  more  admired  than  the  ballads 
wherein  they  related  some  miracle 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin.    Italian  song, 


*  so  highly  extolled,  began  with  the 
raadriale^  the  hymn  to  Mary  which 
the  gondolier  of  Venice  sang  on  his 
lagoons,  the  Neapolitan  contadino  in 
the  shade  of  his  vine,  and  the  Sicil- 
ian fisherman  in  his  light  bark. 
Spanish  poetry  had,  even  in  the 
Middle  Ages,  signalized  its  awak- 
ing by  songs  consecrated  to  Mary. 
In  the  thirteenth  centmy,  Gonzalo 
de  Berceo,  the  first  Spanish  poet  on 
record,  styled  himself  the  Blessed 
Virgin's  poet ;  and  Louis  of  Leon 
soon  after  created  Spanish  lyric 
poetry,  the  better  to  celebrate  her 
name.  In  Germany,  the  Tudescan 
poets  early  softened  their  rude 
idiom  for  Maiy,  whom  they  sang, 
even  in  the  sixteenth  century,  with 
admirable  faith  and  charming  sim- 
plicity. "  Thou  canst  not  choose 
but  hear  us,"  sang  the  most  popular 
poet  of  Germany,  Walter  de  Wol- 
gelweide ;  "  we  delight  so  much  in 
honoring  thee!"  Conrad  de  Wurz- 
burg  was  no  less  devout  to  Mary. 
In  the  northern  kingdoms,  the  Vir- 
gin's hymns  superseded  the  fierce 
and  warlike  songs  of  the  Scalds,  of 
which  .none  now  remain  except  the 
funeral  hymn  of  Regnier  Lodbrog, 
that  wild  sea-king,  who  wrote,  on 


412 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


tlio  dark  walls  of  his  dungeon,  the 
sanguinary  exploits  which  he  had 
committed  on  the  gloomy  shores  of 
the  Baltic  and  the  stormy  German 
Sea,  whose  waves  he  had  made  "red 
as  the  fresh  wound  of  a  warrior." 
In  Lithuania,  with  difficulty  con- 
verted to  Christianity,  the  hymn 
to  Mary  replaced  the  canticles  of 
Milda,  the  goddess  of  beauty,  spring 
and  roses ;  and  the  bartinilcas,  those 
roving  minstrels  of  White  Russia, 
who  were  regarded  as  inspired,  and 
who  presided  at  the  musical  cho- 
mses  of  the  feast  of  crops  and  the 
still  more  joyous  feast  of  flowers, 
abandoned,  in  the  fifteenth  century, 
the  god  Sotwaros,  their  eastern 
Apollo,  to  seek  their  poetic  inspira- 
tion from  Mary,  who  was  proclaim- 
ed Grand  Duchess  of  the  Lithuan- 
ians.* 

The  Virgin,  who  vivified  the  arts, 
watched  ever  and  always  over  the 
preservation  of  empires,  and  the 
sweet  Queen  of  Heaven  had  still 
for  her  vassals  the  kings  of  Cath- 
olic Europe  in  general,  and  those 
of  France  in  particular.     In  1478, 

*  Sketch  of  Ihe  Pagan  Religion  and  tfie  Popular 
Traditions  of  the  Lithuanians,  by  Felix  Wrot- 
nowski. 


f  King  Louis  XL  detached  the  earl- 
dom of  Boulogne  from  Artois,  and 
transferred  it  to  the  Virgin  Mary, 
whom  he  declared  Countess  of  Bou- 
logne. In  payment  of  his  feudal 
debt,  he  laid  on  her  altar  a  golden 
heart  of  the  weight  of  thirteen 
marks,  and  engaged  that  his  suc- 
cessors on  the  throne  should  be 
bound  to  renew  the  homage  and 
the  off'ering  to  the  Virgin  suzeraine. 
It  is  well  known  that  this  cruel, 
but  politic  prince,  disdaining  pomp 
even  so  as  to  fall  into  the  opposite 
extreme,  wore  no  other  ornament 
in  his  public  audiences  than  a  small 
leaden  Madonna  in  his  royal  hat. 
He  was  accustomed  to  say  that  he 
thought  more  of  that  little  bit  of 
lead  than  of  all  the  gold  in  his 
kingdom. 

He  was  buried,  according  to  his 
orders,  in  the  church  of  Our  Lady 
of  Clery.  So  particular  was  he 
about  the  execution  of  this  com- 
mand, that  Pope  Sixtus  IV.,  at  his 
request,  forbade  any  one,  under 
pain  of  excommunication,  to  re- 
move the  body  of  Louis  to  any 
other  place. 

Anne  of  Brittany,  who  was  twice 
queen  of  France,  built  chapels  to 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


413 


the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  wished  that  ^ 
her  scapular  might  be  placed  in 
the  golden  box  wherein  her  heart 
was  to  be  sent  to  the  Bretons.  The 
tomb  of  Francis  IL,  last  duke  of 
Bretagne,  having  been  opened  in 
the  year  1727,  there  was  found  in 
the  vaults,  between  the  coffin  of  that 
prince  and  that  of  Marguerite  de 
Foix,  a  small  leaden  chest  contain- 
ing a  golden  box  shaped  like  a 
heart,  surmounted  by  a  royal  crown, 
and  encircled  by  the  cord  of  the 
Franciscan  Order,  all  of  exquisite 
workmanship.  This  box,  which  had 
inclosed  the  heart  of  Queen  Anne, 
then  contained  only  a  little  water, 
and  the  remains  of  the  scapular 
which  the  pious  princess  had  worn 
in  honor  of  Mary. 

Francis  L,  having  learned  that  a 
certain  Huguenot  had  had  the  au- 
dacity to  strike  off,  in  the  very 
heart  of  Paris,  the  head  of  an  image 
of  Our  Lady,  made  a  solemn  act  of 


reparation  to  the  Mother  of  God, 
walking  barefoot  and  bareheaded, 
with  a  taper  in  his  hand.  The 
lords  of  the  court  and  the  members 
of  Parliament  walked  in  procession 
after  the  monarch,  who  replaced 
with  his  own  hands,  on  the  altar 
where  the  mutilation  had  taken 
place,  a  magnificent  statue  of  the 
Virgin.* 

In  Spain,  the  work  commenced 
by  Prince  Pelagius,  under  the  ausr 
pices  of  Mary,  to  deliver  the  penin- 
sula from  the  Moors,  was  consum- 
mated by  the  taking  of  Grenada. 
The  first  war-cry  of  Spanish  inde- 
pendence was  "  Mary ! "  in  the  cave 
of  Covadonga.  This  victory  was 
gained  under  her  banner,  by  Fer- 
dinand the  Catholic,  who  had  en- 
graved in  gold,  on  his  good  Toledo 
blade,  the  guardian  image  of  Our 
Lady;  and  on  his  banners  was  in- 
scribed, "Ave  Maria." 

*  p.  de  Barry,  Paradis,  etc. 


CHAPTER    KII. 

THE    LATER    HERESIES. 


HERE  is;  in  the 
Caramanian  des- 
ert, towards  the 
Pci-sian  Gulf,  a 
shrub  which  the 
Persians  call^?/Z 
Md  samoun  (tVe 
flower  that  poisons  the  wind) .  Her- 
esy sprang  up  in  cold  Germany,  like 
the  poisonous  plant  that  impreg- 
nates the  warm  breeze  of  the  Per- 
sian summer  with  a  quality  so  dead- 
ly that  it  kills  those  who  inhale  it; 
the  only  difference  is,  that  the  fatal 
breath  which  went  forth  from  the 
Germanic  countries  commenced  by 
killing  souls,  which  it  did  by  thou- 
sands !  Then  it  was  that  the  cheer- 
ing rays  of  the  fair  star  which  re- 
flected the  uncreated  Sun  so  benign- 
ly on  the  zenith  of  the  Christian 
worli  were  lost  amid  the  thick  fogs 

*  Those  who  follow  the  Confession  of  Augs- 
burg honor  the  saints  by  hymns,  images,  and 
festivals  ;  but  they  do  not  think  themselves 
bound  to  invoke  them.  Stuyter,  minister  of 
Eibergen,  wrote  a  very  beautiful  poem  on  the  vir- 


*  of  error  which  obscured  the  North- 
ern sky,  while  its  light  was  sensibly 
diminished  even  in  the  faithful  coun- 
tries which  it  continued  to  illumine. 

The  sectaries  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury were  outrageous  against  the 
images  of  Mary  and  the  Saints ;  the 
patrician  sect  of  Luther,  it  must  be 
confessed,  showed  somewhat  more 
moderation  in  this  respect;*  but 
the  fury  of  the  Calvinists  exceeded 
all  belief. 

Opposed  to  arts  and  letters  as 
much  as  to  Catholicity,  concealing 
a  destructive  radicalism  under  the 
mask  of  religion,  assailing  by  in- 
flammatory pamphlets,  now  the 
pope,  now  the  prince,  that  small 
minority,  laboring  with  all  its  might 
to  impose  its  doct^'ine  and  belief  on 
the  vast  majority  of  the  people,  by 
whom   it  was  held   in   abhorrence, 

tues  and  prerogatives  of  the  Mother  of  God.  It 
is  not  so  with  the  other  sectaries,  who  despise  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  or  look  upon  her  as  no  more  than 
any  other  woman.  {Du  Culte  des  Saints  et  de  la 
St.  Vierge,  par  I'^veque  de  Castorie,  pp.  2  and  3  ) 


SIS  TORY  OF   THE  DEVOTION  TO    THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


415 


covered  France  with  ruin  and 
mourning.  "  These  good  reformers," 
says  a  Count  of  Lyons,  an  eye- 
witness of  their  atrocities,  "  began 
by  reforming  public  peace  and 
tranquillity."  In  Tours,  in  Blois, 
in  Poictiers,  in  Bourges,  in  Rouen, 
they  completely  sacked  the  church- 
es, mutilated  the  statues  of  the 
Saints,  and  dragged  the  images 
of  Christ  and  his  Blessed  Mother 
through  the  mire,  singing  the  Lit- 
anies in  derision.*  Li  Gasoony  they 
buried  Catholics  alive,  cut  infants 
in  two,  ripped  priests  open  and  tore 
out  their  bowels.  The  dead  them- 
selves were  not  respected  in  their 
dusty  sepulchres ;  the  Huguenots 
tore  Louis  XI.  from  his  tomb,  burn- 
ed what  decay  had  spared,  and 
audaciously  flimg  to  the  winds  the 
ashes  of  a  king  of  France  whose 
race  still  occupied  the  throne.  The 
ancestors  of  the  kings  of  Navarre 
and  the  princes  of  Conde  were  no 
better  treated  than  Louis  XI. ;  the 
tombs  of  the  house  of  Angouleme 
(the  reigning  house)  shared  the 
same  fate.  The  lords  of  Longue- 
ville  were  taken  but  half  decayed 

*  Archives  Curieuses  de  I'Histoire  de  France, — 
Capefigue. — Astolfi, 


f  from  their  coffins,  and  thrown  to  the 
dogs.f 

The  Count-Canon  Saconay,  who 
lived  near  the  time  of  the  Hugue- 
nots, of  whom  little  good  was  then 
to  be  told,  has  left  us  the  relation 
of  their  doings  in  the  churches  of 
Lyons.  "Ruffi,  one  of  their  prin- 
cipal preachers,"  says  he,  "  with  a 
two-handled  sword,  which  he  wore 
while  preaching,  like  a  painted  St. 
Paul,  entered  with  his  satellites  into 
the  great  church  of  St.  John,  where 
he  beat  down  and  demolished  a 
cnicifix  of  great  height,  which  was 
in  the  middle  of  said  church,  partly 
of  solid  silver,  and  the  rest  overlaid 
with  the  same  precious  metal.  Hav- 
ing thrown  it  down,  Ruffi  fell  on  it 
with  great  fury,  setting  his  feet  on 
its  head ;  and  seeing  some  of  his 
soldiers  and  ministers  drawing  near- 

'  er  than  he  wished,  fearing  lest  they 
might  secure  (lie  silver^  he  drew  his 
huge  sword,  and  brandished  it  five 
or  six  times.  '  What ! '  said  he,  '  am 
I  not  to  be  respected?  shall  any 
other  have  the  honor  of  smiting  this 
great  idol  before  me?'  So  say- 
ing, he  struck  off  the  head  of  said 

f  Archives  Curieuses,  etc — Capefigue,  Hid.  de 
laBef. 


416 


BISTORT  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


likeness    of    Jesus    crucified,    and 

held    it    up,   sa}ing,    'Behold    the 

head  of  the  idol.'    But  what  was 

not  of  solid  silver,  he  left  to  the 

others. 

"  The  lesser  thieves  must  needs 

have  then*  share  of  the  plunder: 
they  scraped  the  gold  or  silver  im- 
ages so  as  to  get  a  mouthful  for 
themselves  before  they  handed  them 
over  to  the  greater  thieves.  From 
an  angel  they  took  a  wing,  from  a 
saint  an  arm,  from  a  virgin  the 
head,  etc.  They  melted  'down  a 
massive  silver  cmcilix  which  was  in 
the  church  of  St.  Stephen,  saying  in 
derision  that  the  poor  crucifix  had 
been  a  long  time  cold,  being  naked, 
but  that  they  would  give  it  such 
a  warming  that  it  should  never  be 
cold  again.  They  likewise  melted 
the  copes,  and  other  ornaments  of 
the  altars,  which  were  of  knapped 
cloth  of  gold,  and  could  not  but 
make  great  profit  of  the  same,  which 
were  of  the  value  of  ten  thousand 
crowns.  Truly  theirs  was  a  hot  and 
a  fiery  gospel " 

*  Archives  Curieuseii. 

fThe  chapel  of  Our  I/ady  of  Beth- Aram, 
which  had  been  destroyed  by  the  Huguenot!-', 
was  rebuilt  in  1615,  by  John  de  Salette,  bishop 
of  Lescar  ;  but  the  miraculous  image  is  wanting. 


*  The  hermitages,  whose  little  round 
spires  invited  the  belated  traveller 
to  turn  aside,  promising  him,  in  the 
A^ii'gin's  name,  a  lodging  for  the 
night,  a  frugal  meal,  and  a  kindly 
welcome ;  these  were  demolished  by 
the  Calvinists,  who  had  the  cruelty 
to  shoe,  as  they  did  their  horses,  the 
pious  old  men  who  inhabited  those 
calm  retreats.* 

The  priests  fled  with  the  relics, 
the  crucifixes  and  the  statues  of  Our 
Lady,  as  in  the  time  of  the  Norman 
invasion ;  one  of  them  went  all  the 
way  to  Gallicia  (where  it  still  re- 
mains) to  hide  the  image  of  Our 
Lady  of  Beth -Aram,  which  shep- 
herds of  the  olden  time  had  miracu- 
lously found  in  the  woods.f 

In  Paris,  under  the  very  eyes  of 
the  court  which  then  protected  them, 
they  massacred  in  St.  Medard,  dur- 
ing the  sermon,  a  crowd  of  imaimed 
Catholics.  The  parishes,  frightened 
by  the  insolence  of  these  sectaries, 
•  who  went  to  their  conventicles  dag- 
ger in  hand  and  harquebuss  on 
shoulder,J  petitioned  to  have  artil- 


J  The  Calvinists  went  to  meeting  armed  to  the 
teeth  ;  they  were  met  journeying  thus  in  hostile 
array,  twelve  cavaliers,  accompanied  by  twenty 
footmen. — (Archives  Gurieuses.)      These  evan- 
#   gelical  people,  who  came  forth  from  their  con- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


■iV. 


lery  placed  at  the  entrance  of  the 
churches  as  a  means  of  defence,  and 
the  day  was  seen  when  the  ceremo- 
nies of  Catholic  worship  could  no 
longer  be  celebrated,  in  the  most 
Christian  kingdom,  without  the  pro- 
tection of  a  row  of  cannon.*  "  It 
was  then  that  they  commenced  in 
Paris,"  says  M.  Capefigue,  "  a  war 
of  popular  pamphlets  destined  to 
annihilate  all  the  old  belief;  they 
posted  placards  against  the  Eu- 
charist, and  especially  against  the 
Mass,  even  in  the  palace  of  the 
Louvre.  The  walls  of  the  chm'ches 
and  posts  in  the  squares,  displayed 
every  morning  that  thirst  for  pros- 
elytism  which  distinguished  the 
Reformers.:|- 

After  having  gone  to  the  most 
unheard-of  excesses,  so  as  to  exas- 
perate the  Catholic  population  to 
the  last  degree,  the  Huguenots  pub- 
lished a  number  of  hypocritical 
apologies,  wherein  they  set  them- 
selves forth  as  martyrs.     '^Protest- 

venticles  with  fierce  looks  and  threatening 
gestures,  according  to  the  testimony  of  Eras- 
mns,  were  always  ready  to  take  up  arms,  and  as 
ready  to  fight  as  to  dispute. 

*  Arch.  Cur.,  etc. 

fOapefigue. 

X  M.  de  Chateaubriand,  Ess.  sur  la  Lift.  Ang.  t.  i. 


antism,"  says  M.  de  Chateaubriand, 
"  cried  out  against  the  intolerance 
of  Rome  whilst  slaughtering  Catho- 
lics in  England  and  France,  throw- 
ing to  the  winds  the  ashes  of  the 
dead,  kindling  funeral-piles  in  Ge- 
neva, perpetrating  all  manner  of 
atrocities  in  Munster  (Germany), 
and  dictating  the  vile  penal  laws 
which  oppressed  the  Irish,  and  do, 
in  great  measure,  oppress  them 
still,  after  three  centm-ies  of  perse- 
cution ! '.'  \ 

Kings  were  not  more  quiet  than 
the  people,  and  the  throne  was  no 
less  menaced  than  the  altar.  ^'  These 
people  are  disturbers  of  the  public 
peace, "  said  Henry  YIE.,  sending 
them  to  the  stake  with  the  i:jnglish 
Catholics.  "  I  see  anarchy  through 
their  banner,"  said  Francis  1.  In 
fact,  Luther  established  the  prin- 
ciple that  it  is  lawful  to  make  war 
on  sovereigns  for  the  propagation  of 
Protestantism ;  §  and  the  Calvinist 
preacher,  Des  Hosiers,  laid  down  in 

§This  was  also  the  opinion  of  Calvin,  who 
added  :  "  The  powers  of  the  earth  give  in  their 
resignation  when  they  oppose  the  progress  of 

our  doctrine It  is  better  to  spit  in  their 

face  than  obey  them."  The  Huguenots  under- 
stood their  apostles  so  well,  that  Catherine  de 
Medici  found,  in   her   very  chamber,   a  notice 


as 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   Till:  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


his  pamphlets  this  maxim,  which  he  ^ 
subsequently  applied  to  Catherine 
de  Medici :  "  It  is  lawful  to  kill  a 
king-    (i-    (jiui'ii    who   opposes    the 
reformation  of  the  Church."  * 

This  insolence  and  these  subver- 
sive theories,  duly  caiTied  out,  drew 
down  on  the  authors  of  our  civil  dis- 
cord, the  heaviest  and  most  severe 
reprisals ;  the  policy  of  a  prince  ex- 
asperated to  the  last  degree  by  an 

that  she  should  be  stabbed  if  she  did  not  dis- 
miss all  Catholics  from  about  her  pereon. — (Ca- 
pefigue.  Hid.  de  la  Ref.) 

*Ibid. 

f  It  must  be  acknowledged  that  if  Charles, 
our  king,  was  cruel  to  the  Huguenots,  it  was 
not  without  just  cause.  The  affair  of  Meaux,  in 
particular,  gave  him  great  offence:  the  others 
might  all  be  excused  by  some  covering  of  rehg- 
ion ;  but  that  one  might  be  truly  called  an  at- 
tempt on  the  person  of  the  king,  his  brother  and 
the  queen,  whom  they  would  gladly  have  put  to 
death,  if  they  could.  Hence,  the  king  often  said 
that  he  could  never  forgive  them  for  that,  and 
well  for  him,  he  said,  that  he  made  a  good  show 
of  defence  amongst  his  Swiss,  to  whom  he  often 
said  that  he  would  rather  die  a  king  than  live  a 
captive  and  a  slave.  The  transactions  of  Shrove- 
Tuesday  likewise  touched  him  to  the  heart,  and 
excited  him  still  more  against  the  Huguenots 
for  having  corrupted  Monsieur  his  brother,  and 
the  King  of  Navarre,  and  inducing  them  to 
make  war  on  him  while  he  lay  dangerously  ill 
"They  might  at  least,"  said  he,  "have  waited  for 
my  death;  this  was  the  worst  of  all." — {Vie  de 
Charles  IX.,  par  Br.,  p.  16.)  It  is  to  be  remark- 
ed that  the  author  was  a  cotemporary  of  Charles 
IX.,  that  he  lived  at  his  court,  that  he  boldly 


attempt  of  the  Protestants  on  his 
person,f  threw  the  court  into  an 
extreme  party;  it  believed,  what 
was  really  true,  that  the  question 
was  whether  the  kingdom  was  to  be 
or  not  to  be,  and  hence  it  was  that 
a  bloody  page  was  added  to  our 
history.  St.  Bartholomew's  day 
saved  the  house  of  Valois  from  the 
fate  of  the  Stuarts, J  and  Catholicity 
from    imminent    danger.       Still,    it 

called  the  affair  of  St.  Bartholomew  a  base 
slaughter,  and  that  he  nowhere  assigned  religion 
as  its  motive. 

I  Hear  how  Swift,  a  great  politician  and  a 
distingfuished  member  of  the  English  Church, 
judged  the  Calvinists  in  1732:  "The  Puritans, 
who  had,  almost  from  the  beginning  of  Queen 
Elizabeth's  reign,  been  a  perpetual  thorn  in  the 
Church's  side,  joining  with  the  Scotch  enthu- 
siasts in  the  time  of  King  Charles  I.,  were  the 
principal  cause  of  the  Irish  rebellion  and  mas- 
sacre, by  distressing  that  prince,  and  making  it 
impossible  for  him  to  send  over  timely  succors. 
And  after  that  prince  had  satisfied  his  parlia- 
ment in  every  single  point  to  be  complained  of, 
the  same  sectaries,  by  poisoning  the  minds  and 
affections  of  the  people,  with  the  most  false  and 
wicked  representations  of  their  king,  were  able, 
in  the  compass  of  a  few  years,  to  embroil  the 
three  nations  in  a  bloody  rebeUion,  at  the  ex- 
peiise  of  many  thousand  lives;  to  turn  the 
kingly  power  into  anarchy;  to  murder  their 
prince  in  the  face  of  the  world;  and  (in  their 
own  style)  to  destroy  the  Church,  root  and 
branch." — (Swift's  Works,  Queries  relating  to  the 
Sacramental  Test.)  At  the  battle  of  Phillip- 
haugh,  in  Scotland,  when  Leslie,  the  chief  of  the 
J  J    Coven  anters,  defeated  the  Marquis  of  Montrose, 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


419 


was  an  inhuman  step,  which  the 
religion  of  Christ  must  ever  con- 
demn, and  the  guilt  of  which  she 
indignantly  denies.  Catherine  and 
Charles  dealt  themselves  with  her- 
esy; they  annihilated  the  conspir- 
ing faction.  The  Catholic  bishops 
protested  against  that  act  of  intim- 
idation and  violence  by  sheltering 
the  Calvinists  in  their  palaces.* 
This  is  the  only  fact  omitted  by  these 
sectaries,   who   took    good   care   to 

the  Presbyterians  massacred  many  of  their  pris- 
oners in  cold  blood;  others,  as  Wishart  relates, 
"were  cast  from  a  bridge  into  the  Tweed," 
whilst  a  Presbyterian  minister,  who  presided  at 
the  execution,  rubbed  his  hands  and  cried  : 
" Bravely  done !" — {Border  Minstrelsy.)  Under 
Cromwell  the  Church  of  England  was  declared 
malignant,  and  the  Puritans,  who  had  so  loudly 
demanded  freedom  of  conscience  for  themselves, 
shut  up  all  the  Anghcan  churches  when  they 
came  into  power.  It  is  related  by  Evelyn  that 
they  went  on  Christmas  Day,  armed  with  mus- 
kets, into  the  English  cathedrals,  and  insulted 
the  Anglicans  who  were  preparing  to  take  the 
Supper.  Hence  Swift  said  of  them:  "There  is 
one  small  doubt  I  would  be  willingly  satisfied  in 
before  I  agree  to  the  repeahng  of  the  Test;  that 
is,  whether  these  same  Protestants,  when  they 
have  by  their  dexterity  made  themselves  the 
national  reUgion,  and  disposed  of  the  Church 
revenues  among  their  pastors  or  themselves,  will 
be  so  kind  as  to  allow  us  dissenters,  I  do  not 
say  a  share  in  employments,  but  a  bare  tolera- 
tion by  law  ?  ^  The  reason  of  my  doubt  is,  be- 
cause I  have  been  so  very  idle  as  to  read  above 
fifty  pamphlets,  written  by  as  many  Presbyte- 
rian divincSj  loudly  disclaiming  this  idol  tolera- 


* 


magnify  and  exaggerate  their  losses 
in  every  possible  way. 

Ferdinand  the  Catholic,  unwilling 
that  the  pernicious  weed  of  heresy 
should  make  its  way  into  the  fair 
land  of  Spain,  or  dry  up  that  truly 
Christian  soil,  debarred  its  entrance 
from  the  very  outset  by  raising  up 
the  Inquisition,  which  arrested  its 
audacious  march  at  the  foot  of  the 
Pyrenees. 

Italy,  then  torn  asunder  by  civil 

tion:  some  of  them  calling  it  (I  know  not  how 
properly)  a  rag  of  Popery,  and  all  agreeing  it 
was  to  establish  iniquity  by  law.  Now,  I  would 
be  glad  to  know  when  and  where  their  success- 
ors have  renounced  this  doctrine,  and  before 
what  witnesses."  Under  the  first  Hanoverian 
princes,  they  began  once  more  to  cry  out  against 
Anglican  persecution,  and  were  answered  with 
cutting  sarcasm:  "If  the  dissenters  will  be  sat- 
isfied with  such  a  toleration  by  law  as  has  been 
granted  them  in  England,  I  believe  the  majority 
of  both  houses  will  fall  readily  in  with  it;  far- 
ther, it  will  be  hard  to  persuade  this  House  of 
Commons,  and  perhaps  much  harder  the  next 
For,  to  say  the  truth,  we  make  a  mighty  differ- 
ence here  between  suffering  thistles  to  grow 
among  us,  and  wearing  them  for  posies." — 
{Ibid.) 

*  The  bishop  of  Lizieux,  Jean  Hennuyer, 
boldly  prevented  the  execution  of  the  king's  or- 
der, by  opening  the  doors  of  his  palace  to  those 
Calvinists  who  insulted  and  outraged  the  Nor- 
man bishops.  Several  other  prelates,  and  es- 
pecially those  of  Bayonne,  Valence,  Vienne, 
Oleron,  and  Uzes,  incurred  the  displeasure  of 
the  court  by  extending  their  protection  to  the 
Calvinists. 


420 


HISTORY  OF   THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


wars,  was  not  so  fortunate  as  Spain,  * 
and  Protestantism  there  manifested 
all  its  horroi-s  in  the  sack  of  Rome. 
The  Constable  de  Bourbon  had 
pointed  out  to  his  heretic  soldiers 
the  capital  of  the  Christian  world 
as  a  rich  and  defenceless  prey, 
which  they  might  plunder  almost 
without  a  blow.  From  the  spirit 
which  animated  the  leaders  of  these 
disorderly  hordes,  we  may  form  an 
idea  of  that  of  the  soldiers :  the 
Lutheran  Colonel  Frunsberg,  who 
accompanied  the  constable  to  the 
siege  of  Rome,  had  a  chain  made 
of  solid  gold,  taken  from  the 
churches,  "  for  the  express  purpose," 
he  said,  "of  strangling  the  Pope 
with  his  own  hand."* 

Rome,  without  a  single  ally,  and 
attacked  unawares,  still  defended 
itself  bravely,  and,  at  the  first  as- 
sault, the  Constable  de  Bom-bon 
was  mortally  wounded  by  an  arque- 
busade.  He  had  scarcely  time  to 
order  that  his  body  should  be  cov- 
ered with  a  cloak  in  order  to  con- 
ceal his  death  from  his  troops.  But 
the  precaution  was  useless.  The 
ominous  news  quickly  spread;  "and 
the    heretic    soldiers,"   says    a    co- 

*  Brantome,  Capilaines  etrangers,  t.  ii. 


temporary  historian,  who  gathered 
his  materials  on  the  very  spot — 
"  the  heretic  soldiers  thenceforward 
fought  only  in  the  diabolical  spirit 
of  revenge,  to  the  furious  cries  of 
"  Sangre !  sangre !  Bourbon !  Bour- 
bon!" Nothing  could  resist  these 
imperial  bands,  mad  with  rage  and 
thirsting  for  blood ;  the  ramparts 
were  scaled ;  the  Romans  gave  way, 
and  the  fatal  victory  of  impiety 
went  on  from  street  to  street  with 
so  great  fury,  that  it  seemed  as 
though  hell  loere  undud'iied  and 
fought  under  the  banners  of  the 
Prince  of  Orange,  who  had  the  mel- 
ancholy glory  of  accomplishing  this 
criminal  enterprise.  "The  arque- 
busades,"  says  Brantome,  in  his 
Life  of  Constable  de  Bourbon,  "  the 
shouts  of  the  combatants,  the  cries 
of  the  wounded,  the  clashing  of 
arms,  the  shrill  sound  of  the  trum- 
pets, the  incessant  roll  of  the  drum 
urging  the  soldiers  to  the  fight,  kept 
up  such  a  noise  that  the  very  thun- 
der itself  could  not  have  been 
heard."  So  hotly  did  the  victors 
pursue  the  vanquished  that  the  lat- 
ter had  barely  time  to  lower  the' 
gates  of  the  castle  of  San  Angelo, 
the    stronghold    of   modern   Rome, 


HISTORY  OF   THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


421 


where  the  pope  had  hastily  taken  * 
refuge  with  some  of  the  cardinals. 
Even  that  could  not  have  been  done 
but  for  the  chivalrous  devotion  of 
three  young  Roman  nobles,  descend- 
ants of  one  of  those  rare  patrician 
families  which  authentically  date 
from  the  time  of  Augustus.  When 
all  Rome  lay  at  the  mercy  of  the 
ruthless  marauders,  and  the  princes 
of  the  Church  rode  for  life  or  death 
towards  the  citadel,  pursued  by  the 
lansquenets,  three  of  the  Orsini, 
Juannino,  Antonio,  and  Yalerio, 
'brave  and  valiant  lords,"  says 
Brantome,  and  Jerome  Mathei,  ral- 
lied with  "two  hundred  chosen 
men"  at  the  head  of  the  Sixtine 
Bridge,  to  keep  back  the  Imperials 
and  leave  the  passage  free.  The 
Prince  of  Orange,  at  the  head  of  his 
heretic  battalions,  set  upon  them, 
"  and  the  contest  was  right  valiant- 
ly sustained  on  both  sides.  But,  at 
length,  the  prince  made  such  a  furi- 
ous charge  that  the  Romans  were 
forced  tg  abandon  the  bridge  which 
they  had  defended  so  bravely,"  yet 
not  before  they  had  seen  the  iron 
gate  of  the  citadel  close  behind  the 
illustrious  fugitives.  "Rome  being 
thus  vanquished,"  pursues  the  same  ^ 


historian,  "the  lansquenets,  who 
w^ere  recently  imbued  with  the  new 
religion,  began  to  rob  and  massacre, 
not  sparing  even  the  sacred  relics 
in  the  temples,  the  convents,  or  the 
ornaments  of  the  Madonnas;  their 
cruelty  extended  itself  even  to  mar- 
bles and  ancient  statues.  Accord- 
ing to  the  usual  practice  of  the  Hu- 
guenots of  those  days,  they  mingled 
sacrilegious  buffoonery  with  those 
scenes  of  blood  and  pillage.  Robed 
as  cardinals,  they  made  sham  pro- 
cessions through  the  city,  reciting 
the  Litany  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 
in  derision.  After  having  polluted 
themselves  with  crimes  shameful 
either  to  tell,  or  to  hear,  these  mis- 
creants," observes  Brantome,  "went, 
nearly  all  to  die  at  the  siege  of  Na- 
ples a  short  time  after,  having  pre- 
viously lost,  in  one  way  or  another, 
the  gold  sacrilegiously  taken  from 
temples  and  altars;  which  made  the 
Spaniards  say  that  el  diablo  los  avia 
dado,  y  el  diablo  los  avia  llevado — 
that  is  to  say,  the  devil  gave  and  the 
devil  tooky 

In  Great  Britain,  where  the  ven- 
eration of  Mary,  once  so  popular, 
was  abolished  by  Henry  YIII.  and 
the  fratricide  Somerset,  the  people 


■[•12 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


long  regretted  the  Mother  of  Mercy, 
and  often  went  back  to  pray,  by 
tlie  glimmering  light  of  the  stars, 
aiiiid  the  desolate  ruins  of  her  plun- 
dered shrines.  The  Welsh  peasants 
— the  Armoricans  of  England — who 
had  embraced  Christianity  before 
the  invasion  of  the  Saxons,  could 
by  no  means  reconcile  themselves 
to  the  absence  of  the  saints  with 
whom  they  had  adorned  their  an- 
cient oaks,  their  Druid  stones  *  and 
fountains.  "Watched  and  harassed 
as  they  were  by  the  last  Tudors, 
and  afterwards  by  Cromwell,  they 
could  not  profess  Catholicity,  and 
gradually  returned  to  a  state  bor- 
dering on  paganism.  Not  many 
years  have  passed  since  the  Angli- 
cans talked  of  going  to  convert 
these  gross  idolaters  who,  for  want 
of  sympathy  with  arid  and  multi- 
form f*rotestantism,  had  fallen  back 
on  the  worship  of  trees  and  brooks, 
as  practised  by  the  ancient  Britons 
in  the  time  of  Caesar.f 


*  In  Brecknockshire,  there  is  still  to  be  seen 
a  menhir  of  gigantic  size  which  bears  the  name 
of  Mayen  y  Marynnion,  or  the  Virgin  Mary's 
stone. — (Camden's  Britannia.) 

f  Gor  Ion's  Modern  Geography,  p.  217. 

X  The  beautiful  lake  of  St.  Mary  (situated  at 
the  rise  of  the  river  Yarrow,  on  the  Scottish 


The  people  who  dwelt  along  the 
Scottish  frontier  were  just  as  un- 
willing as  the  Welsh  to  embrace 
the  new  doctrines.  The  border  was, 
more  than  any  other  part  of  the 
kingdom,  under  the  immediate  pro- 
tection of  Mary,  whose  name  was 
given  to  the  clearest  lake,|*  the 
most  sparkling  fountains,  and  the 
most  picturesque  sites.  There  stood 
Jedburgh  and  Melrose,  two  stately 
abbeys  dedicated  to  the  Blessed 
Yirgin,  and  raised  by  the  faith  that 
worketh  miracles,  in  a  poor  country 
continually  torn  by  foreign  and  in- 
ternal warfare.  Who,  of  all  the 
border  troopers,  had  not  asked  and 
freely  obtained  hospitality  at  Jed- 
burgh, in  the  Virgin's  name  ?  Was 
there  a  highland  chief  who  did  not 
doff  his  blue  bonnet  with  its  eagle's 
feather  before  the  Yirgin  of  Melrose, 
the  most  famous  and  the  most  fre- 
quented of  the  four  great  shrines 
of  Scotland  ?  The  flags  of  its  vast 
chapel   covered    all   that  the  land 

border),  which  is  often  covered  with  numerous 
flocks  of  wild  swans,  took  its  name  from  a  pretty 
chapel  of  Our  Lady,  which  was  formerly  a  fa- 
vorite pilgrimage  of  the  Scottish  nobles  of  the 
border.  The  chapel  has  been  destroyed,  but 
the  lake  has  still  its  sweet  name  and  its  snow- 
white  birds. 


HISTORY  OF   THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


423 


had  ever  owned  of  brave  and  noble ; 
lieroes  whose  effigies  reposed  on 
their  tombs,  with  their  hands  de- 
voutly joined  as  though  still  invok- 
ing Jesus  and  Mary,  two  names 
which  Catholics  always  unite.  The 
Blessed  Virgin  reigned  there  over 
the  living  and  the  dead.  By  day, 
the  place  resounded  with  sacred 
songs,  and  by  night,  when  the  tem- 
pest roared  and  the  flickering  light 
of  the  moon  illumined  at  intervals 
the  richly-stained  glass,  set,  as  it 
were,  in  the  light  stone  tracery  of 
the  windows,  it  seemed  as  though 
all  the  petrified  wreaths  and  all 
the  knightly  banners  which  adorned 
the  church  quivered  in  the  blast, 
and  that  the  old  Scottish  lords, 
rising     armed    from    their    tombs, 

*  Who  knows  not  Sir  Walter  Scott's  charm- 
ing description  of  the  ruins  of  Meh-ose  Abbey — 
a  description  marked  by  the  exquisite  taste  of  a 
painter  arid  the  research  of  an  antiquarian: — 

If  thou  would' st  view  fair  Melrose  aright, 

Go  visit  it  by  the  pale  raoonlight ; 

For  the  gay  beams  of  lightsome  day 

Gild  but  to  flout  the  ruins  gray. 

When  the  brokea  arches  are  black  in  night, 

And  each  shafted  oriel  glimmers  white  ; 

When  the  cold  light's  uHcertain  shower 

Streams  on  the  ruin'd  central  tower  ; 

When  buttress  and  buttress,  alternately, 

Seem  framed  of  ebon  and  ivory; 

When  silver  edges  the  imagery, 

And  the  scrolls  that  teach  thee  to  live  and  die  ; 

When  distant  Tweed  is  heard  to  rave, 

And  the  owlet  to  hoot  o'er  the  dead  man's  grave  ; 

Then  go — but  go  alone  the  while — 


saluted  the  Blessed  Mother  of  the 
Eedeemer.* 

Before  the  revered  altar  of  Our 
Lady  of  Melrose,  the  English  and 
Scotch,  laying  aside  their  hereditary 
hatred,  were  nothing  more  than 
humble  and  peaceable  pilgrims. 
Chiefs  of  dans  came  there  to  pray 
for  the  souls  of  those  who  had  fallen 
beneath  their  dirk  or  claymore  in 
the  course  of  a  mountain-war  or 
foray.f  Sinners  there  bewailed 
their  crimes  before  the  Comfort  of 
the  Afliicted;  and,  rising  full  of  con- 
fidence in  her  merciful  intercession, 
went  thence  to  found  expiatory 
monuments  whose  name  perpetu- 
ated the  memory  of  their  remorse.  J 

The  Calvinist  preachers,  enemies 
of  the   arts   as   they   were   of   the 

To  view  St.  David's  ruin'd  pile  ; 
And  home  returning,  soothlj'  swear, 
Was  never  scene  so  sad  and  fair  ! 

{Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel,  Canto  II.) 
■f  There  is  still  extant  a  treaty  of  peace  be- 
tween two  hostile  clans,  whereby  the  chiefs  of 
both  bind  themselves  to  make  the  four  pilgi-im- 
ages  of  Scotland,  for  the  repose  of  the  souls  of 
those  who  had-  fallen  on  either  side.  These  four 
pilgrimages  were  Scone,  Dundee,  Paisley,  and 
Melrose. — (Introduction  to  Border  Minntrelsy.) 

I  These  monumental  penances  were  frequent 
along  the  borders;  some  of  the  buildings  still 
remain,  for  instance,  the  Tower  of  Repentance  in 
Dumfriesshire,  and,  according  to  vulgar  tradi- 
tion, the  church  of  Linton,  in  Roxburghshire. — 
{Border  Minstrelsy,  Introd.) 


A24 


mSTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


saints,  destroyed  Melrose  and  Jed- 
burgh, with  a  considenible  number 
of  shrines  of  lesser  note.  Of  all 
the  splendor  that  once  surrounded 
the  Virgin  of  Melrose,  there  was 
left  but  one  shattered  fragment  of 
an  altar,  which  was  soon  overgrown 
by  the  rank  grass  and  the  wild 
shrub,  springing  up  amid  the  ruins. 
For  some  time  after  the  destruction 
of  the  abbey,  a  dark  shadow  might 
be  seen  by  night  gliding  beneath 
the  broken  arches  of  the  chapel, 
and  a  murmur  of  human  voices  was 
heard  to  mingle  with  the  voice  of 
waters  from  the  neighboring  Tweed. 
It  was  a  monk  stealing  back  to  cel- 
ebrate the  divine  mysteries  for  the 
few  who  were  yet  faithful  to  the  old 
religion.  These  visits  became  at 
length  so  hazardous  that  the  clergy 
were  forced  to  give  them  up;  but 

*  See  Dr.  Johnson's  Tour  in  the  Hebrides. 
The  Highlanders  of  Scothind  even  now  bury 
their  dead  in  the  old  Catholic  cemeteries.  One 
of  the  most  picturesque  islands  in  Loch  Lo- 
mond, called  Nun's  Island,  is  the  buritd-place  of 
several  clans  ;  the  tombs  of  the  MacGregor 
chiefs,  and  some  other  noble  families,  who 
claimed  kindred  with  the  ancient  kings  of  Scot- 
land, are  still  to  be  seen  around  the  ruins  of  the 
abbey-church,  destroyed  by  the  ferocious  follow- 
ers of  Calvin  and  Knox. 

t  This  policy  was  not  only  put  in  practice, 
but  openly  avowed  by  the  Anglicans  themselves. 


nothing  could  prevent  the  people 
from  burying  their  dead  in  the  lone- 
ly cemeteries  of  the  old  abbeys,  and 
through  a  sense  of  propriety  highly 
honorable  to  the  Scotch,  none  but 
women  were  interred,  for  a  long 
course  of  time,  within  the  precincts 
of  those  grounds  where  the  virgins 
of  the  Lord  reposed.* 

The  first  attempt  of  the  Calvin- 
ists  on  the  Scottish  Highlanders 
was  so  discouraging  in  its  result 
that  they  resolved  on  leaving  the 
clans  to  their  fate,  hoping  that  the 
want  of  instruction,  the  privation 
of  the  Sacraments,  and  the  total 
absence  of  all  religious  ceremonies, 
would  eventually  throw  them  into 
the  net  of  Protestantism;  which 
really  came  to  pass  in  the  course 
of  time.f 

Even  in  the  reign  of  James  VL, 

Swift  recommends  it  as  the  best  course  to  pur- 
sue, in  his  celebrated  pamphlets  on  Ireland  : 
"  Their  lands,"  he  says,  "  are  almost  entirely 
taken  from  them,  and  they  are  rendered  inca- 
pable of  j)urchasing  any  more  ;  and  for  the  little 
that  remains,  provision  is  made  by  the  late  act 
against  Popery,  that  it  will  daily  crumble  away  : 
to  prevent  which,  some  of  the  most  considera-ble 
among  them  are  already  turned  Protestants. 
Then  the  Popish  priests  are  all  registered,  and 
without  permission  they  can  have  no  successors : 
so  that  the  Protestant  clergy  will,  perhaps,  find 
^    it  no  difficult  matter  to  bring  great  numbers 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


425 


the  Highlanders  were  so  cool  to- 
wards the  doctrine  of  Geneva,  that 
it  was  on  their  warlike  clans  the 
king  chiefly  relied  in  his  numer- 
ous disputes  with  his  democratic 
Church.*  A  hundred  years  after, 
they  still  prayed  at  times  near  the 
fountains  that  gushed  out  before 
the  ruined  chapels  of  Mary  and  the 
Saints,  and  the  water  from  those 
springs  was  carried  far  and  near  to 
restore  health  to  the  sick.f 

The  associations  connected  with 
the  veneration  of  Mary  still  live  in 
the  valleys  and  glens  of  the  High- 
lands, and  are  found  in  the  histori- 

over  to  the  Church." — (Swift's  Works,  Letter  con- 
cerning the  Sacramental  Test. )  The  Scottish 
borders  were  Hkewise  subjected  to  this  negative 
system,  and  if  the  people  came  not  forth  victori- 
ous like  the  Irish,  they,  at  least,  did  not  yield 
without  a  struggle  ;  and  if  Protestantism  finally 
prevailed,  it  was  only  after  having  destroyed  the 
churches,  and  extinguishing,  one  by  one,  the 
lights  of  the  ancient  faith. 

*  "  Never,"  says  a  Scotch  writer,  "  could  the 
Calvinist  clergy  forget  that  they  owed  their  ele- 
vation to  the  fall,  or  at  least  to  the  depression 
of  royalty.  In  Scotland,  the  Eefoi-med  Church 
was,  for  nearly  two  centuries,  either  the  declared 
enemy  or  the  ambitious  rival  of  its  prince.  The 
disciples  of  Calvin  could  hardly  divest  them- 
selves of  a  tendency  to  democracy,  and  the  re- 
publican forms  of  their  ecclesiastical  administra- 
tion were  often  held  up  as  a  model  for  the  state 
to  follow.  The  theocracy,  haughtily  proclaimed, 
was  rigorously  exercised  ;  the  offences  commit- 


cal  ballads  sung  by  the  peasantry. 
At  one  time  it  is  a  knight  treacher- 
ously slain  on  some  lonely  moor, 
whose  wounds  are  washed  at  Our 
Lady's  fountain,  and  his  corpse 
waked  in  Our  Lady's  chapel ;  again 
it  is  a  noble  baron  who  is  buried 
at  the  foot  of  St.  Mary's  Cross, 
and  at  whose  tomb  Christians  shall 
come  to  pray,  whilst  Scotland  invokes 
Our  Lady^s  name.  The  bard  who 
thus  sang,  doubtless  meant  forever  ! 
At  another  time,  knights  are  de- 
scribed as  leaving  their  golden  ro- 
saries as  a  pledge  of  their  faith,  etc. 
In  every  danger,  God  and  Our  Lady 

ted  in  the  king's  household  fell  under  the  inso- 
lent jurisdiction  of  the  ministers.  The  prince 
was  formally  reprimanded  for  having  neglected 
to  say  grace  before  or  after  meals,  and  for  tol- 
erating the  amusements  of  the  queen.  A  solemn 
malediction  was  pronounced  against  man,  horse, 
or  lance,  that  should  assist  the  king  in  his  quar- 
rel with  the  Earl  of  Gowrie,  a  conspirator.  The 
monarch's  courtiers,  present  at  the  sermon,  were 
compared  to  Aman,  the  queen  to  Heiodias,  and 
the  prince  himself  to  Achab,  Herod,  and  Jero- 
boam. This  excessive  zeal  was  far  from  being 
agreeable  to  James  VL — (Sir  W.  Scott,  Hist,  of 
Scot,  and  Border  Minstrelsy.)  Charles  II.  often 
said  to  his  courtiers  in  confidence  that  Calvin- 
ism was  not  the  rehgion  of  a  gentleman. 

t  A  Calvinist  physician  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury bitterly  censured  the  people  along  the  bor- 
ders for  having  recourse,  even  in  his  time,  to  sev- 
eral consecrated  fountains,  to  procure  water  for 
^    the  sick. — {Account  of  the  Presbytery  of  Pentfoni. ) 


426 


mSTOHY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


are  invoked :  never  one  without  the  t 
othtM*. 

The  scattered  remains  of  Catho- 
licity took  refuge  in  the  north  of 
Scotland,  and  there,  protected  by 
interminable  heaths  and  ramparts 
of  wild  barren  mountains,  they 
maintained  themselves  in  some  soli- 
tary castles  along  the  shores  of  the 
North  Sea.  There  they  prayed  for 
many  a  long  year  for  the  restoration 
of  the  Stuarts,  invoking  that  Virgin 
whom  the  Stuarts  honored.  Cardi- 
nal York,  the  last  branch  of  that 
unfortimate  family,  had  followed  his 
brother  to  the  tomb,  and  yet  they 
l)rayed  on,  nay,  there  is  little  doubt 
but  some  of  the  simple  mountaineers 
are  praying  still,  unable  to  believe 
in  the  total  extinction  of  that  an- 
cient race.* 

Ireland,  thoroughly  Catholic,  re- 
mained faithful  in  its  devotion  to 
the  Blessed  Virgin  amid  persecu- 
tion the  longest  and  most  oppres- 
sive that  the  world  ever  saw.  Un- 
der pain  of  losing  house  and  home 
and  the  means  of  subsistence,  the 

*  It  is  related  by  a  famous  Scotch  writer,  that, 
long  after  the  death  of  Cardinal  York,  the  res- 
toration of  the  Stuarts  was  prayed  for  in  the 
Catholic  castles  of  Scotland.  Many  of  the  Scot- 
tish  Highlanders  cannot    yet  persuade   them- 


poor  Irish  were  forced  to  pay  the 
ministers  of  a  religion  which  they 
did  not  profess,  while  every  means 
w^ere  tried  to  induce  or  compel 
them  to  embrace  its  doctrines.  Yet 
still  they  remained  heart  and  soul 
attached  to  the  faith  of  their  fathers. 
Disinherited  of  their  churches,  they 
went  stealthily  to  assist  at  the  di- 
vine ofl&ce  in  the  secret  vaults  of 
their  old  castles,  amongst  the  ruins 
of  the  monasteries,  or  in  the  gloomy 
caverns  where  the  Druids  had,  of 
old,  celebrated  their  bloody  rites. 
They  planted  sentinels  on  the 
heights  to  protect  the  proscribed 
prayers  and  the  priced  head  of  the 
priest;  for  Protestant  bloodhounds, 
who  were  known  by  the  name  of 
priest-hunters,  attracted  by  the  bait 
of  the  twenty  pounds  sterling  given 
for  the  head  of  any  ecclesiastic  be- 
longing to  the  communion  of  the 
Church  of  Rome,  tracked  the  papists 
through  the  woods  and  mountains 
as  though  they  had  been  wild 
beasts.  Happily  those  fearful  times 
are  past,  and  the  faithful  Ii'ish  peo- 

selves  that  the  race  of  their  ancient  kings  ia 
extinct,  "It  is  not  that  the  Stuarts  are  dead," 
said  one  of  them  to  a  French  traveller,  "but 
that  loyalty  is  dead." 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


427 


pie  now  freely  invoke  Our  Blessed  * 
Lady   in    that    Green    Isle   of    the 
ocean,  so  well  deserving  of  its  glo- 
rious title :    The  Island  of  Samts. 

It  was  not  in  Britain  alone  that 
the  devotion  to  Mary,  swept  away 
by  the  tempest  of  Protestantism, 
left  numerous  traces  of  its  exist- 
ence. The  mournful  and  pictur- 
esque ruins  of  monasteries  dedicat- 
ed to  Mary  still  occupy  the  fairest 
sites  of  Germany;  many  cities  of 
the  North  still  bear  her  name ;  so 
too  with  some  of  the  gulfs  of  Den- 
mark; and  Styria,  Austria,  Illyria, 
Switzerland,  the  Tyrol  and  the 
Grand  Duchy  of  Baden  still  possess 
shrines  whither  the  Catholic  people 
from  beyond  the  Rhine  come  to 
invoke  Our  Lady.  By  these  ruins 
— still  so  majestic — of  a  devotion 
once  so  general,  we  may  judge  the 
extent  of  its  former  influence,  even 
as  we  estimate  the  greatness  of  the 
shipwreck  by  the  number  of  broken 
masts  and  tattered  sails  that  float 
on  the  water. 

The  devotion  to  Mary  regained  in 
the  New  World  what  it  had  lost  in 
the  Old.  Spanish  and  French  mis- 
sionaries, embarking  with  an  image 
of  Our  Lady,  whom  they  invoked 


during  their  perilous  voyage,  under- 
took, with  the  assistance  of  Mary — 
who  rendered  them  strong,  the} 
said,  as  an  army  in  battle  array — to 
civilize  and  convert  the  two  Amer- 
icas..  Landing  on  the  unexplored 
coasts  of  the  Western  continent,  they 
placed  their  Madonna  beneath  some 
arching  canopy  of  palm-branches. 

Warriors,  when  undertaking  the 
conquest  of  foreign  countries,  take 
with  them  all  that  is  necessary  for 
the  work  of  blood  and  destruction : 
arins,  soldiers,  parks  of  artillery; 
devastation  precedes,  and  mourning 
follows  them  on  their  way.  The 
Catholic  missionaries  marched  to 
the  conquest  of  the  New  World 
with  an  image  of  Mary,  a  rosary, 
and  a  cross.  Thanks  to  their  al- 
most superhuman  labors,  whole 
tribes  came  forth  from  the  caves 
of  the  mountains  and  the  shade  of 
the  great  woods,  and  formed  little 
colonies  wherein  Christianity  was 
once  more  seen  to  flourish  pure  and 
fresh  as  in  the  first  ages  of  the 
Church. 

These  religious,  who  enriched 
botany,  history  and  geography  with 
numberless  valuable  discoveries, 
became  artists,  and  even  mechan- 


i2S 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIIiOIN  MARY. 


ic8,  in  oixier  to  instruct  their  neo- 
pliytes,  and  led  them  on  in  the  way 
of  ai*t  and  science  as  well  as  in  that 
of  salvation.  Savages,  who  but  a 
short  time  before  feasted  on  human 
Mesh,  might  then  be  seen  t^^king 
hold  of  the  architect's  compass,  the 
sculptor's  chisel,  the  painter's  pal- 
let, and  raising  with  their  own 
hands  temples  to  God  and  chapels 
to  Mary.  The  saying  of  the  ro- 
sary was  the  most  suitable  practice 
of  piety  for  a  hunting  people ;  thus, 
at  evening,  when  the  shade  of  the 
tulip-tree  and  the  magnolia  length- 
ened over  the  glade  or  along  the 
savannah,  you  heard  the  Angelical 
Salutation,  repeated  in  every  sav- 
age tongue,  throughout  the  Amer- 
can  wilds.  Mary  was  the  mother 
of  the  Indian  as  well  as  of  the 
European,  and  she  was  not  more 
piously  invoked  in  the  temples,  glit- 
tering with  gold  which  the  first 
Spanish  conquerors  built  in  her 
honor  in  Mexico  and  Peru,  than  in 
the  rustic  chapels,  dedicated  to  her 
by  the  pious  missionaries  under  the 
title  of  Our  Lady  of  Loretto  and 
Om*  Lady  of  Sorrows,  on  the  banks 
of  the  great  Amazon  river  and  the 
river  of  the  Hurons. 


♦  But  the  conquests  of  these  faith- 
ful servants  of  God  and  of  Mary  did 
not  end  here :  they  explored .  the 
burning  regions  of  Africa  and  con- 
verted the  black  princes  of  Guinea 
and  Monomotapa.  At  the  same 
time  they  penetrated  to  Ceylon,  the 
Indian  peninsula,  Japan,  and  China; 
and  wherever  they  went,  Our  Lady's 
image  was  treated  with  respect  and 
veneration.  The  Mongolese  ladies, 
bowing  down  before  the  Mother  of 
Jesus,  called  her  the  holy,  the  glori- 
ous Mary ;  the  Prince  of  Cashmere 
sent  her  tapers  and  other  gifts, 
and  the  Grand  Lama  had  a  temple 
raised  to  her  under  the  title  of  the 
Annunciation.  The  ladies  of  China 
offered  her  flowers  and  perfumes, 
and  the  Japanese,  who,  alas!  paid 
dearly  for  their  energetic  devotion 
to  the  true  faith,  said  the  rosary  on 
their  long  crystal  beads,  while 
walking  through  the  streets  of  the 
idolatrous  cities  full  of  bonzes  and 
pagans.* 

These  triumphs  gained  in  far-off 
lands  were  not,  however,  the  only 
consolations  of  Mary's  faitliful  serv- 
ants for  the  outrages  of  Protestant- 

*  Leltres  Edijiantes. — Anncdes  de  la  Propagation 
^    de  la  Foi. 


J_ 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


429 


ism.  Scarcely  had  Calvin  gone 
down  to  the  grave  when  the  naval 
battle  of  Lepanto  was  gained  by 
the  Spaniards,  under  the  banner  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin.*  John  Sobieski 
likewise  did  homage  to  the  Mother 
of  God  for  his  famous  victory  over 
the  Turks  at  the  siege  of  Vienna, 
and  his  first  care,  on  entering  the 
delivered  city,  was  to  throw  himself, 
^'prostrate  on  the  ground,"  before 
the  altar  of  Our  Lady,  where  he 
chanted  aloud  a  Te  Deum  of  thanks- 
giving. The  magnificent  standard 
of  the  Mahometans  was  sent  to  Our 
Lady  of  Loretto,f  and  the  Polish 
hero  reserved  to  himself  a  trophy 
which  he  said  touched  him  more 
than  all  the  others :  it  was  an  old 
picture  —  apparently  very  old  — 
which  had  been  found  in  the  ruins 
of  the  village  of  Wishau.  It  repre- 
sented Our  Lady  with  two  angels 
supporting  her  crown,  and  in  their 
hands  were  scrolls  bearing  the 
Latin  inscriptions :  "  //i  hoc  imagine 

*  The  pope  sent  this  blessed  banner  to  Don 
Juan,  who  had  it  hoisted  on  his  own  ship. 

f  The  length  of  this  banner  was  twelve  feet  by 
eight  in  width.  The  border  was  green  and  the 
centre  red.  It  was  of  cloth,  the  ornaments  being 
embroidered  in  silver,  and  the  Arabic  inscription 
in  letters  of  gold.     In  the  middle  of  this  Mussul- 


¥ 


MaricBj  vinces,  Johannes. — In  hoc 
imagine  Marice,  vidoi^  ero.,  Johannes, 
By  this  image  of  Mary,  thou,  John, 
shalt  conquer. — By  this  image  of 
Mary,  I,  John,  shall  be  the  victor." 

This  image  was  regarded  as  mi- 
raculous ;  John  Sobieski  intended  it 
for  his  royal  chapel  at  Zolkiew,  and 
in  the  mean  time  it  followed  him 
through  all  his  campaigns. 

Li  the  year  1647,  the  Emperor 
Ferdinand  III.  solemnly  consecrated 
himself,  his  family,  and  his  empire, 
to  the  Queen  of  Heaven.  A  lofty 
column  was  erected  in  the  grand 
square  of  Vienna  in  honor  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception  of  the  Bless- 
ed Virgin  Mary,  and  her  statue  was 
placed  on  the  top,  with  the  moon 
under  her  feet,  and  her  heel  on  the 
serpent's  head. 

Calvinism  still  agitated  France, 
and  its  freezing  influence,  penetrat- 
ing the  masses,  slowly  but  fatally 
cooled  the  religious  sentiment ;  pro- 
fane  speech   and   impious    scoffing 

man  flag,  laid  by  the  Polish  hero  at  the  Virgin's 
feet,  vpas  seen  these  words,  strikingfly  contra- 
dicted by  the  Christian  banners  whereon  the 
Crescent  fell  before  the  Cross  :  "  There  is 
no  God  but  one,  and  Mahomet  is  his  prophet." 
— (See  History  of  Poland,  by  Leonard  Chadz^ 
ko.) 


130 


mSTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


have  at  all  times  a  bad  effect  on  the  t 
people,  who  cannot  reason  on  their 
faith,  and  therefore  lose  or  recover 
it  according  to  the  arguments  which 
captivate  their  attention.  The  bare 
altars  and  devastated  churches  had 
no  longer  that  holy  prestige  impart- 
ed by  splendor  and  long  traditions 
of  homage.  The  Madonnas,  stript 
and  cast  down  from  their  pedestals, 
arose  so  poor  and  naked,  that  the 
heart  and  the  feet  turned  away  from 
their  shrine.  The  clergy,  calumni- 
ated, ruined,  diparaged,  had  fallen 
into  disrepute  amongst  the  people, 
who,  at  heart  impressed  with  a  rev- 
erence for  high  birth,  never  respect 
their  own  equals.  Finally,  the  ab- 
beys having  passed  into  the  hands 
of  military  owners,  they  took  care 
to  give  them  superiors  who  would 
merely  act  in  the  capacity  of  stew- 
ards over  a  community  whose  sav- 
ings were  no  longer  applied  to  the 
use  of  the  poor,  but  to  that  of  the 
officer  or  courtier  who  was  the  legal 
proprietor.  This  vile  system,  which 
would,  of  itself,  have  been  sufficient, 
without  the  aid  of  revolutions,  to 
ruin  all  the  monasteries  of  France, 
continued  even  through  the  reign  of 
Henri  lY.,*  notwithstanding  the  just  ^ 


complaints  of  the  clergy,  and  was 
only  abolished  under  Louis  XIII. 
From  the  reign  of  Louis  XL  to  that 
time,  the  historian  must  glean  one 
by  one  the  facts  which  attest  the 
devotion  of  the  kings  towards  the 
Blessed  Virgin.  Louis  XIL,  never- 
theless, made  a  pilgrimage  to  Our 
Lady  of  Loretto,  and  Henri  HI 
sent  the  Duke  de  Joyeuse  there  in 
1585,  with  a  magnificent  equipage, 
to  offer  gifts  and  pay  homage  to  the 
holy  Madonna.  The  same  prince, 
having  founded  the  order  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  made  it  one  of  the 
statutes  that  every  knight  should 
recite  daily  a  decade  of  the  heads. 

The  beads  were  then  the  distinc- 
tive mark  of  Catholics.  One  of  the 
conditions  imposed  by  the  Holy  See 
on  Henri  lY.,  after  his  abjuration, 
was  to  say  the  rosary  every  Satm- 
day,  and  the  beads  every  Sunday. 

Even  in  the  end  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  people  fasted,  all  over 
Catholic  Europe,  on  the  eve  of  the 
feasts  of  the  Blessed  Yirgin,  and 
no  one  failed  to  observe  that  pious 
practice.  The  profligate  generals  of 
Charles  IX.  and  Henri  EL  took 
great  pains  to   excuse   themselves 

*  See  the  Memoirs  of  James  Sobieski. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


431 


for  having  broken  the  abstinence 
on  the  vigil  of  the  Assumption ; 
some  having  done  it,  by  mistake, 
going  through  Italy.  One  of  the 
boldest  and  least  scrupulous  histori- 
ans of  the  time  deems  it  necessary 
to  suppress  their  names,  in  order  to 
save  their  credit,  and  protests  that 
those  gentlemen  were  wholly  for- 
getful of  the  feast  of  the  morrow. 

The  devotion  to  Mary — -for  some 
time  on  the  decline — revived  in  all 
its  splendor  under  Louis  XIII.  That 
prince,  in  order  to  thank  the  Bless- 
ed Virgin  for  the  advantages  he  had 
gained  over  the  Protestants,  and 
hoping  to  obtain,  through  her  inter- 
cession, an  honorable  peace  with 
the  European  powers  who  then 
made  war  upon  him,  declares,  in  an 
edict  dated  from  St.  Germain-en- 
Laye  (February  10th,  1633),  that 
"  taking  the  most  holy  and  glorious 
Virgin  for  the  special  protectress  of 
his  kingdom,  he  consecrates  to  her 
his  person,  his  States,  his  crown, 
and  his  subjects,  beseeching  her  to 
defend  France  against  the  power  of 
her  enemies,  whether  in  war  or 
peace."  And,  as  a  memento  of  this 
consecration,  Louis  promised  to 
have  the  hi.2:h  altar  of  the  cathedral 


of  Paris  reconstructed,  and  to  place 
thereon  an  image  of  the  Virgin, 
holding  in  her  arms  her  precious  Son 
taken  down  from  the  Cross,  having 
himself  represented  kneeling  at  the 
feet  of  the  Mother  and  Son,  offering 
to  them  his  crown  and  sceptre. 

He  also  decreed,  that  every  year, 
on  the  day  of  the  Assumption,  there 
should  be  a  commemoration  of  his 
edict,  at  high  mass,  in  all  the 
churches  of  France ;  and,  after  ves- 
pers, a  solemn  procession,  in  which 
the  magistrates  and  other  function- 
aries of  the  different  cities  were  to 
join. 

Louis  XIV.  inherited  his  father's 
devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin.  It 
was  he  who  engaged  Custou  in 
1723  to  execute  the  group  known 
as  the  Vow  of  Louis  XIIL,  together 
with  the  two  figures  in  marble 
placed  on  either  side,  representing 
Louis  XIII.  and  Louis  XIV.  offering 
their  crown  to  the  Virgin.  That 
prince  presented  to  the  Church  of 
Boulogne  a  sum  of  12,000  livres,  in 
place  of  the  ex  voto  of  gold  which 
the  kings  of  France,  from  Louis  XL, 
offered  as  a  tribute  to  the  Blessed 
Virgin.  He  did  his  utmost  to  prop- 
agate the   doctrine  of  the   Immac- 


432 


mSTOIiV  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


ulate  Conception,  and  obtained,  in  * 
1657,  from  Pope  Alexander  VU.,  a 
bull,  which  was  conlirmed  by  Clem- 
ent XI.,  in  1668,  ordaining  the  cele- 
bration of  that  festival  throughout 
the  realm  of  France.  It  was  also 
at  his  solicitation  that,  in  1670,  the 
Pope  granted  indulgences  for  the 
recital  of  the  Angclus. 

It  was  his  wish  to  receive  confir- 
mation on  the  feast  of  the  Immac- 
ulate Conception.  This  fact  is  at- 
tested by  that  inscription  in  the 
chapel  of  the  Louvre : — 

Hac   Sacra   Die   Immaculat^e    Con- 
CEPTiONis,  LuDOVicus  XTV.,  Rex, 

SUSCEPIT    HIC    SANCTISS. 
CONFIRMATIONIS    SaCR AMENTUM. 

Beneath  is  the  following  : — 
Immaculata  Domina,  Salvum  fac 

REGEM. 

Louis  XIY.  inherited  from  his 
mother,  Anne  of  Austria,  a  great 
veneration  for  Our  Lady  of  Liesse  ; 
he  went  there  in  1652  and  1673, 
and  twice  with  the  queen  in  1680. 
The  pious  Spanish  princess,  Maria 
Theresa,  who  never  gave  her  royal 
husband  other  grief  than  that  of  Iwr 
death,  went  thither  also  in  1677  and 
1678.     After  the  death  of  Anne  of 


Austria,  her  son  vowed  fifty  thou- 
sand masses  for  the  repose  of  her 
soul  in  the  principal  places  of  de- 
votion specially  dedicated  to  the 
Blessed  Virgin. 

After  the  treaty  of  the  Pyrenees, 
he  sent  his  thanksgivings,  together 
with  rich  gifts,  to  Om'  Lady  of 
Chartres,  Our  Lady  of  Loretto,  and 
Our  Lady  of  Grace. 

Louis  the  Great  belonged,  like 
his  father,  Louis  XIIL,  to  the  con- 
fraternity of  the  Scapular,  and  ha- 
bitually said  his  beads.  Father  de 
la  Rue  being  one  day  admitted  to 
a  private  audience,  found  the  king 
piously  engaged  saying  his  rosary 
on  large  beads.  The  good  fatlier 
was  surprised,  and  could  not  help 
expressing  his  admiration :  "  Be  not 
surprised,  father,"  said  the  monarch, 
"  I  glory  in  telling  my  beads ;  1 
inherit  the  practice  from  the  queen, 
my  mother,  and  sorry  would  I  be 
to  let  one  day  pass  without  fulfill- 
ing that  duty." 

The  Spanish  ambassador  present- 
ed himself  at  the  brilliant  court  of 
the  great  monarch,  his  beads  in  his 
hand,  and  no  one  found  fault  with 
him  for  so  doing. 

It  was  then,  too,  and   had  long 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


433 


been,  customary  to  put  beads  and  ^ 
a  superb  copy  of  the  Offices  of  'the 
Virgin  in  the  marriage-casket.    This 
custom  was  continued  till  the  time 
of  Louis  XY. 

Louis  XIII.  had  taken  Rochelle, 
the  last  bulwark  of  Calvinism  in 
France ;  Louis  XIY.,  annihilated 
that  turbulent  heresy  by  his  revo- 
cation of  the  Edict  of  Nantes.  That 
measure,  which  secured  the  tran- 
quillity of  the  kingdom,  has  been  i 


most  severely  censured,  but  those 
who  do  so  must  lose  sight  of  the 
fact,  that  the  Calvinists  were  then 
incorrigible  insurgents,  who  were 
not  ashamed  to  call  in  the  English. 

Louis  XIY.,  the  greatest  mon- 
arch of  his  age,  expired  murmuring 
with  his  dying  lips,  the  Hail  Mary, 
which  he  had  repeated  several 
times,  in  a  firm  voice,  whilst  the 
prayers  for  the  dying  were  said 
near  him. 


CHAPTEE    XIIL 

MODERN    TIMES. 


ROM  the  bosom  * 
of  the  Mediter- 
ranean, whose 
blue  waters  are 
perfumed  ten 
leagues  from 
land  with  the  sweet  odor  of  the 
orange -tree,  there  rises  a  rocky 
island,  whose  snow-crowned  moun- 
tains, woods  of  pine,  and  groves  of 
enormous  chestnut-trees,  would  re- 
mind us  of  Switzerland,  were  it  not 


that  clumps  of  myrtle,  of  orange, 
and  of  citron-trees,  forests  of  gigan- 
tic olives,  pomegranate-trees,  with 
their  pretty  red  blossoms,  and  the 
ruins  of  Roman  towers,  all  proclaim 
an  Italian  land.  This  island  is  the 
birth-place  of  the  great  patriot, 
Paoli,  and  of  Napoleon,  the  great 
emperor :  it  is  Corsica,  an  Italian 
isle,  which  now  forms  one  of  the 
departments  of  France. 

This  island,  at  once  fertile   and 


484 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


uncultivated,  is  inliabited  by  a  * 
primitive  race,  poor,  warlike,  and 
hospitable,  like  the  Highlanders  of 
Scotland,  and  the  mountaineers  of 
Caucasus.  Attached  to  Catholicity, 
and  at  all  times  free  from  heresy, 
they  are  yet  extremely  jealous  in 
regard  to  honor ;  and,  forgetting  the 
divine  precept  which  prescribes  the 
forgiveness  of  injuries,  they  take 
justice  into  their  own  hands,  and 
keep  up  for  ages  the  memory  of  an 
offence  till  it  is  fully  and  fearfully 
revenged. 

Civilized  though  the  country  be, 
it  yet  retains  a  certain  air  of  wild- 
ness,  and  one  sees  at  a  glance  that 
its  people  are  essentially  devout 
towards  the  Blessed  Virgin.  Her 
image  stands  at  the  entrance  of 
every  village,  in  the  squares  and 
public  places,  on  the  margin  of 
fountains,  on  the  highest  point  of 
the  promontories,  and  amid  the 
orange-woods  that  clothe  the  hill- 
sides. The  environs  of  Bastia  are 
covered  with  charming  little  Italian 
chapels,  dedicated  to  the  Annunci- 
ation, or  Our  Lady  of  Good  Counsel. 
On  the  day  of  these  festivals,  which 
happens  in  spring  or  summer,  peo- 
ple desert  the  city  to  go  visit  these 


Madonnas,  which  are  reached  by 
flowery  and  odorous  pathways.  Af- 
ter saying  their  prayers  to  the 
Virgin,  each  family  sits  down  to  a 
rural  collation  in  the  cool  shade  of 
the  trees,  and  give  themselves  up 
for  a  time  to  innocent  amusement 
and  social  enjoyment. 

In  former  times,  Corsica  had  sev- 
eral cathedrals ;  most  of  them  were 
built  under  the  title  of  the  Assump- 
tion ;  now,  the  most  solemn  feast  of 
Mary  is  that  of  the  Immaculate  Con- 
ception. It  is  preceded  by  a  no- 
vena,  and  is  ushered  in  by  the  ring- 
ing of  bells ;  the  vessels  hoist  their 
flags,  and  the  streets  are  strewn 
with  myrtle.  A  solemn  procession 
is  formed,  wherein  the  Brothers  of 
the  Conception,  in  penitential  gar- 
ments, and  with  lighted  torches  in 
their  hands,  precede  the  statue  of 
the  Virgin,  adorned  with  a  crow^n  of 
silver,  necklaces,  and  bracelets  of 
jewels.  The  procession  makes  the 
circuit  of  the  city  to  the  sound  of 
martial  music,  while  Mary's  altars, 
profusely  adorned  with  flowers,  illu- 
mine the  holy  place  with  the  light  of 
their  thousand  tapers.  It  is  a  true 
Italian  festival,  radiant  with  light  and 
joy,  and  full  of  religious  enthusiasm. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


435 


In  the  country,  the  priest,  or,  per- 
haps, some  venerable  old  man,  re- 
cites the  rosary  every  evening,  just 
as  the  village  bell  "  tolls  the  knell 
of  parting  day."  *  Sometimes  there 
is  seen  in  the  haze  of  distance,  on 
the  point  of  a  steep  rock,  a  dark 
figure,  leaning  on  his  carabine ;  it 
is  an  outlaw,  who  risks  his  life  to 
join  in  the  common  prayer :  for  the 
Madonna  is  the  last  hope  of  these 
fierce  yet  believing  men,  who  wear 
her  image  round  their  necks,  and 
ask  the  shepherds  in  her  name  for 
a  little  milk  and  some  black  bread 
to  sustain  their  miserable  existence. 
Very  recently,  a  young  Corsican, 
a  companion  of  the  famous  brigand, 
Santa  Lucia,  defending  himself, 
though  wounded  and  alone,  against 
a  whole  regiment  of  the  line  and  a 
posse  of  police,  invoked  the  Virgin 
during  that  desperate  struggle,  whilst 
his  friends,  kneeling  at  the  foot  of 
the  rock  which  was  his  last  refuge, 
recited  for  him  the  prayers  for  the 
dying.  "  There  is  every  reason  to 
believe,"  says  the  record  of  this  af- 

* Squilla  di  Contano 

Che  paila  '1  giorno  pianger,  che  si  muore. 

(Dante,  Purgat,  1.  viii.) 
Gray's  "Elegy  in  a  Country  Churchyard." 


fecting  scene,  "  that  the  last  thoughts 
of  this  unhappy  young  man  were 
raised  to  God,  for  there  was  found 
on  his  body  a  small  medal  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  which  he  held  in  his 
hands  while  his  parents  and  friends 
prayed  for  him." 

On  the  30th  of  January,  1735, 
the  nation  assembled  in  general 
council  at  Corte  to  form  a  national 
government,  after  having  thrown  off 
the  yoke  of  the  republic  of  Genoa, 
elected  the  Blessed  Virgin  as  queen 
of  Corsica,  and  bore  her  banner 
during  the  last  struggles  of  their 
expiring  liberty.  The  two  Paoli, 
Pascal  and  Clement,  made  this  ban- 
ner respected,  being  both  devoted 
servants  of  Mary.f  Clement,  of 
whose  history  little  is  said,  except 
by  local  tradition,  made  his  soldiers 
recite  the  rosary  on  their  knees  be- 
fore every  engagement.  Some  En- 
glishmen, amazed  at  this  custom, 
reminded  him  on  several  occasions, 
that  the  enemy  was  before  them, 
and  that  his  kneeling  soldiers  could 
not  defend  themselves.     "  Let  them 


f  Pascal  Paoli  heard  mass  every  day  when  in 
Corsica,  and  subsequently  in  England,  in  a 
chapel  built  by  him  in  honor  of  the  Holy 
Virgin. 


436 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


pray,  gentlemen,"  responded  Paoli 
in  his  deep,  martial  voice.  The 
p layer  being  ended,  the  Corsieans 
lose  like  lions,  and  not  one  moved 
an  inch  from  his  post,  for  soldiers 
who  pray  know  not  how  to  fly.  The 
Vend^ans  taught  the  French  repub- 
lic that  lesson. 

Pascal  Paoli  had  two  chapels 
built  in  honor  of  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin: one  at  Pastoreccia,  near  Ponte- 
Nuovo,  the  theatre  of  that  bloody 
battle  which  destroyed  the  nation- 
ality of  Corsica,  and  where  many 
of  his  friends  lost  their  lives;  the 
other  at  Morosaglia,  near  his  own 
family  mansion.  During  his  exile, 
he  built  a  third  in  England. 

In  the  time  of  King  Theodore, 
the  national  council  had  the  words 
Monstra  te  esse  Matrem  stamped  on 
their  issue  of  gold  and  copper  coins. 

Napoleon  took  pleasure  in  saying 
that  the  Holy  Yirgin  was  queen  of 
his  native  country.  Whilst  he  was 
yet  but  a  simple  officer,  he  testified 
much  devotion  for  a  French  Ma- 
donna in  the  chapel  of  the  Ursuline 
Convent  at  Auxonne,  and  went 
often  to  pray  before  it.  This  statue 
was  since  removed  to  the  parish 
church,  where  it  is  still  seen. 


The   saturnalia   of  the   Regency, 
and  the  corrupt  reign  of  Louis  XV. 
bring  us  to  the  last  years  of  the 
eighteenth   century,   when    religion 
was    blighted    by    the    pestiferous 
breath   of   false    philosophy.      The 
revolution  of  1793  drove  the  Virgin 
from  her  altars  and  God  from  his 
temples.     The  order  was  given  to 
close   the   churches    and    demolish 
every  thing  that  resembled  a  Chris- 
tian shrine.     Alas  I  it  was  mournful 
to  see  the  Calvaries  thrown  down, 
and  the  poor  little  Madonnas  shat- 
tered to  pieces  where  they  modestly 
took  shelter  beneath  the  green  fo- 
liage of  the  woods.    It  was  especial- 
ly in  Lower  Brittany  that  devasta- 
tion reached  its  height.     "  We  may 
say,  without  exaggeration,"  says  M. 
Emile  Souvestre   in   his  interesting 
work  on  the  Bretons,  "that,  in  cer- 
tain places,  our  highways  are  paved 
with  saints — regularly  macadamized 
with  heads,   bodies,   and   limbs   of 
Christian  statues."     Those  unhappy 
days  saw  grievous  profanations,  but 
they  likewise  witnessed  instances  of 
self-devotion  that  w^oiild  have  done 
honor  to  ancient  times.     Bretagne, 
in  particular,   offered   a   resistance, 
passive  indeed,  yet  firm  and  perse- 


HISTORY  OF   THE   DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


437 


vering,  so  as  to  tire  out  persecution 
itself.  It  gave  way  neither  to  fear 
nor  anger.  The  Breton  peasant,  as 
he  passed  the  empty  niches  where 
the  Madonnas  were  wont  to  stand, 
took  off  his  broad  felt  hat  piously 
and  reverently,  and  went  his  way 
sadly,  murmuring  a  Hail  Mary.  On 
Sunday,  he  sat  down  with  his  fami- 
ly at  the  door  of  their  dwelling,  and 
remained  in  profound  silence,  with 
his  eyes  fixed  on  the  village  church* 
where  he  had  so  often  invoked  Je- 
sus and  Mary.  "I  will  pull  down 
your  steeples,"  said  Jean-Bon  St. 
Andre  to  the  mayor  of  a  village, 
"  so  that  you  may  have  nothing  to 
remind  you  of  your  former  supersti- 
tions." "You  must  leave  us  the 
stars,  though,"  rejoined  the  peasant, 
"  and  they  are  seen  farther  off  than 
our  steeple."  Their  devotion,  sur- 
viving their  altars,  acquired  some- 
thing lofty  and  melancholy,  connect- 
ed by  sympathy  with  the  religious 
ruins  which  covered  the  land.  The 
Virgin,  who  had  disappeared  from 
their  country  churches,  took  refuge 
under  their  cottage  roofs;  and  be- 

*  Voyage  dans  le  Finistere. 
f  "  A  chapel,  dedicated  to  Our  Lady  of  Ha- 
tred, still  exists  near  Trdguier,  and  the  people 


*  neath  the  little  earthenware  statues, 
an  hundred  times  more  respected 
than  the  lares  of  the  ancients,  was 
seen  the  inscription — "  Holy  Mother 
of  God,  vouchsafe  to  protect  this 
dwelling."  And  I  know  not  wheth- 
er a  blue  would  have  dared  to  break 
that  image  thus  sheltered  in  the 
household  sanctuary  ;  for  there  was 
often  an  old  carabine  under  the 
green  serge  curtains  of  the  Breton 
farmer  ;  and  if  Bretagne  is  the  land 
of  religious  sentiments,  it  is  also 
that  of  strong  and  lasting  hatred. 
The  sterling  virtues  of  these  people 
are  still  somewhat  tarnished  by  the 
Celtic  rust :  for  instance,  the  Bretons 
are  the  only  people  in  Christendom 
who  have  conceived  the  idea  of  as- 
sociating the  name  of  the  merciful 
Virgin  with  the  thought  of  venge- 
ance, and  of  raising  chapels  to 
her  under  the  strange  and  rather 
Druidical  title  of  Our  Lady  of  Ha- 
ir ed.\ 

The  pilgrimages  to  the  Blessed 
Virgin  were  not  discontinued  in 
Bretagne  during  the  reign  of  terror 
— they  merely  assumed  old  Gaulic 

still  continue  to  believe  in  the  efficacy  of  the 
prayers  there  offered  up."  {Les  Derniers  Bre- 
tons, by  M.  Souvestre,  t.  ii.) 


488 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


forms.  They  took  place  by  night, 
through  dreary  wastes,  where  the 
menhirs  and  dolmens  of  the  name- 
less God  rose  gray  and  mossy  and 
spectral -looking.  Every  pilgrim 
held  in  the  right  hand  a  rosary — in 
the  left,  a  torch ;  and  all  these  pale 
figures,  half  seen  through  their  long 
hair,  or  the  hanging  lappets  of  their 
white  caps,  passed  slowly  along 
through  the  mists  of  night,  singing 
a  hymn  to  the  Virgin.  Sometimes 
it  happened  that  a  party  of  repub- 
licans, concealed  in  the  skirt  of  a 
wood,  or  behind  a  hedge,  would  fire 
upon  the  little  rustic  procession. 
Yet  this  did  not  deter  the  Breton 
peasant  from  renewing  his  perilous 
devotions  some  days  after.  In  a 
neighboring  province,  the  villagers 
who  went  by  night  to  pray  to  God 
and  Our  Lady  in  the  depth  of  some 
lonely  ravine,  passed  through  the 
hamlets  occupied  by  the  revolution- 
ary soldiers  singing  hymns  to  the 
Virgin  set  to  republican  airs. 

During  all  this  time,  the  churches 
in  the  cities  were  everywhere  pil- 
jaged.  Gold,  silver,  iron,  marble, 
gratings,  and  wood-work,  were  all 
carried  ofif.  The  works  of  art  were 
torn  from   the   walls,   the   pictm-es 


*  destroyed,  and  workmen  were  paid 
high  wages  to  deface  the  sculptures 
from  the  walls  and  arches.  Even 
the  clocks  were  pulled  down  and 
converted  into  coin,  and  this  jxitriot- 
ic  work  cost  the  State  (by  its  own 
admission)  full  twenty  millions.* 

"Fools!"  said  La  Harpe,  ad- 
dressing the  perpetrators  of  these 
sacrilegious  crimes ;  "  Fools !  is 
faith  engraved  on  walls?  is  reli- 
gion painted  on  canvas?  No,  it 
is  in  the  heart,  which  you  cannot 
reach ;  in  the  conscience,  which 
condemns  you;  in  the  sight  of  the 
whole  world,  speaking  to  all  men; 
in  heaven,  where  it  shall  be  your 
judge.  Poor  imbecile  destroyers, 
you  have  cried  'victory!' — where 
is  now  your  victory  ?  Day  by  day 
you  are  convulsed  with  rage,  see- 
ing the  multitudes  who  throng  our 
temples:  they  are  no  longer  rich, 
but  they  are  still  sacred ;  they  are 
bare  and  naked,  but  they  are  fall. 
Pomp  has  disappeared,  but  worship 
remains ;  men  ti-ead  there  no  longer 
on  marble,  and  costly  carpets,  but 
they  kneel  on  the  cold  pavement 
and  weep  over  the  ruins."  f 

*  La  Hai-pe,  du   Fanaticisme  dans  la  langue 
X    revolutionn,  p.  49.  "flbid,  p.  41. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIROm  MARY. 


439 


That  beautiful  hymn  to  Mary,  be-  * 
ginning  with 

"Je   mets  ma   conflance,   Vierge,  en  votre   se- 
cours,"  * 

was  the  lay  of  the  scaffold.  In 
1793,  two  carts  full  of  poor  Royalist 
women,  for  whom  the  guillotine  was 
preparing,  passed  through  a  civic 
banquet  served  up  in  the  street 
by  the  elect  of  the  Revolution. 
Madame  de  Montmorency  -  Laval, 
venerable  from  her  virtue,  and  re- 
spectable because  of  her  illustrious 
name,  was  in  one  of  these  carts,  her 
hands  tied  behind  her  back,  and 
with  her  sixteen  of  her  nuns — for 
she  was  abbess  of  the  Carmelites 
of  Montmartre,  a  religious  order 
founded  in  the  East  under  the 
patronage  of  Mary,  as  we  have 
elsewhere  mentioned.  These  holy 
daughters  of  the  Virgin,  whom  the 
revolutionary  tempest  had  cast  on 
the  stormy  sea  of  the  world,  to 
perish  there,  were  singing  the  pray- 
er of  the  Venddans,  the  hymn  of 
their  patroness,  as  calmly  as  though 
they  were  still  hidden  beneath  their 
snowy  veils  in  the  choir  of  their 
beautiful  church.  Could  they  not 
be  permitted  to  sing  it  in  peace — 
and  they  about  to  die  ?     The  hide-  ^ 


ous  fiuy  of  the  wretches  who  dis- 
graced the  republic  is  aroused  by 
the  hearing  of  that  pious  chant ;  an 
hundred  ruffians  in  red  caps  rush 
towards  the  carts,  brandishing  their 
sticks,  and  crying,  "Silence  the 
nuns  !  Let  them  sing  the  Marseil- 
laise !  Let  them  obey  the  peo- 
ple !  Come !  the  Marseillaise,  in- 
stantly ! "  The  daughters  of  Mary 
continued  their  sweet  canticle  as 
though  they  heard  not  these  fierce 
vociferations.  Exasperated  by  this 
passive  resistance,  which  they  did 
not  at  all  expect,  these  ferocious 
bandits  stopped  the  horses,  with 
the  most  fearful  oaths  and  impre- 
cations, and  would  have  struck 
down  these  poor  defenceless  females 
who  were  so  soon  to  die ;  but  there 
is  still  so  much  honor  and  chivalry 
in  the  French  people,  even  when 
going  astray,  that  others  of  the 
republicans  pressed  forward,  cry- 
ing, "No  murder!  Would  you  kill 
women  ?  "  Then  a  terrible  struggle 
took  place  around  the  carts.  A 
young  patriot  in  a  Phrygian  bonnet 
snatched  a  sabre  from  one  of  the 
archers,  and  planting  himself  close 
to   the   cart   wherein   the    terrified 

*  "  Vii'gin  !  in  thee  I  place  my  trust !  " 


L.. 


440 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


Carmelites  pressed  around  their 
venemble  abbess,  he  succeeded  in 
parrying  the  blows  destined  for 
them,  defending  himself  and  them 
with  as  much  courage  as  coolness. 
Yet,  notwithstanding  all  his  efforts, 
one  of  the  nuns  received  a  sabre- 
wound  in  the  breast.  Her  life  was 
ebbing  fast  away,  the  blood  flowed 
profusely  over  her  black  robe,  and 
the  paleness  of  death  soon  over- 
spread her  mild,  sweet  features. 
"  Bless  me,  oh  holy  saint,  who  will 
soon  be  in  heaven ! "  cried  a  woman 
from  the  crowd,  throwing  herself  on 
her  knees  before  the  expiring  nun. 
'•  May  you  be  blessed !  "  replied  the 
daughter  of  Carmel  in  a  failing 
voice.  "  And  you,  w^ho  have  de- 
fended us  on  our  way  to  death," 
she  continued,  presenting  her  val- 
uable rosary  to  the  softened  repub- 
lican, "  accei)t  this  token  of  grati- 
tude." 

The  carts  moved  forward  once 
more,  and  the  pious  chant  was  re- 
sumed ;  when  it  ceased,  the  hearts 
of  the  martyrs  had  ceased  to  beat, 
and  Mary  had  taken  her  faithful 
servants  to  her  bosom. 

The  revolutionary  vortex  swallow- 
ed  up   the   religious  orders  conse- 


f  crated  to  Mary,  as  the  stormy  wind 
sweeps  away  many  useful  plants 
But  that  of  the  Carmelites  left  De- 
hind  something  like  the  perfume 
of  the  withered  rose,  a  fragi-ant  and 
balsamic  water  which  bears  its 
name. 

Of  seventeen  hundred  thousand 
sacred  buildings  which  covered 
the  soil  of  France,  each  of  which 
had  an  altar  to  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
there  remained  barely  two  thousand 
churches  worthy  the  attention  of 
the  artist  or  the  antiquary;  the 
others — sold,  bought,  pillaged,  de- 
stroyed, cast  into  the  oven  to  make 
quick-lime — left  only  some  mourn- 
ful ruins,  sad  subjects  for  contem- 
plation !  "  Behold,  then,"  exclaims 
M.  Jules  Janin,  with  generous  in- 
dignation, "  behold,  then,  the  result 
of  so  much  money,  so  much  pa- 
tience, so  much  genius,  heaps  of 
mouldering  ruins !  They  have  dis- 
graced the  cities.  Deprived  of 
these  master-pieces  of  art,  what 
does  a  community  of  men  resemble  ? 
it  is  no  longer  a  city — it  is  an  ant- 
hill. They  have  disfigured  the 
landscape  which  was  so  adorned  by 
those  turrets,  and  spires,  and  lofty 

I  walls.     What  they   could    not    de- 


stroy,  they  have  marred  and  defaced.  * 
Of  the  noblest  Gothic  towers  they 
have  made  shops,  and  stables  of 
the  pm-est  ogival  churches.  That 
fabulous  period  was  so  perverse, 
and  so  infinite  in  its  genius  of 
universal  destruction,  that  one  can 
hardly  realize  it."  * 

The  devotion  to  Mary,  which  had 
slumbered  for  a  while  in  France, 
soon  began  to  awake,  and  insensi- 
bly resumed  its  soothing  influence 
on  the  souls  of  men.  Napoleon, 
faithful  to  his  early  impressions, 
chose  the  day  of  the  Assumption 
for  his  own  patronal  feast,  and 
made  it  the  greatest  festival  of 
the  empire.  The  processions,  the 
crosses,  the  white  banners,  and  the 
sacred  songs,  soon  reappeared  in 
those  fair  Gothic  churches  whose 
bare  walls  and  poor  altars  recalled 
the  days  of  the  primitive  Church; 
whilst  their  dazzling  lights  and 
slender  pillars  and  cloud  -  piercing 
spires  spoke  of  the  chivalrous  pe- 
riod of  the  ages  of  faith.  All  who 
had  suffered,  all  who  had  groaned 
or  trembled,  under  the  fearful  Reign 
of  Terror,  came  to  kneel  at  Mary's 
feet :   the  religious  reaction  was  en- 

*  M.  Jules  Janin,  la  Normandie. 


ergetic,  immense,  and  was  felt  alike 
in  the  city  and  the  hamlet.  The 
Virgin  had  again  her  rustic  altars 
in  the  depth  of  the  woods.  Her 
shrines,  where  for  long  years  nought 
had  been  heard  save  the  singing  of 
birds  or  the  humming  of  bees,  again 
resounded  with  the  pilgrim's  hymn. 
The  Restoration,  by  reestablishing 
the  processions  of  the'Yow  of  Louis 
Xni.,  placed  France  once  more  un- 
der the  dominion  of  Mary.  A  gi- 
gantic stride  was  made  in  the  devo- 
tion to  the  Immaculate  Conception, 
and  all  France  consecrated  to  the 
Yirgin  the  month  of  flowers,  now 
piously  and  poetically  named  the 
Month  of  Mary.  The  higher  classes 
gave  the  example  of  devotion  to  the 
Yii'gin  ;  the  descendants  of  the  val- 
orous knights  and  stately  nobles, 
who  of  old  built  so  many  chapels 
and  monasteries  for  her,  delight  to 
honor  her  now  as  she  was  honored 
in  the  good  old  times.  First  in  this 
pious  work  is  the  virtuous  queen, 
Marie-Amelie. 

In  France,  the  devotion  to  Mary 
is  tender  but  respectful ;  the  French 
always  behold  the  Yirgin  as  she  is 
in  heaven,  and  honor  her  according- 
ly.     In  Italy,  the  devotion  to  the 


442 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


Miidonna  has  something  more  ar-  * 
(lent,  and  at  the  same  time  more 
familiar.  From  his  cradle,  the  Ital- 
ian has  before  his  eyes  those  grace- 
ful images  which  remind  him  only 
of  Mary's  goodness  and  mercy ;  she 
is  the  protectress  of  childhood,  the 
dream  of  youth,  the  last  refuge  of 
the  sinner ;  the  thought  of  her  is 
uppermost  in  all  the  religious  fes- 
tivals, like  aquatic  flowers  over 
the  deep  waters ;  the  ardent  Italian 
sees  her  everywhere,  blesses  her  for 
eveiy  good,  and  when  his  prayer  is 
not  granted,  far  from  blaming  Mary, 
he  says,  striking  his  breast,  "  It  is 
my  fault!  The  Madonna  will  not 
hear  me  because  I  am  so  great  a 
sinner ! "  What  admirable  faith  is 
that !  what  truly  Christian  faith ! 
for  in  such  a  case  the  heathens 
would  drag  their  gods  through  the 
mire. 

The  devotion  to  the  Virgin  is  still 
as  fervent  in  modem  Italy  as  when 
it  brought  forth  the  Duomo  of  Pisa, 
that  beautiful  cathedral  of  Mary, 
the  bronze  gates  of  which,  executed 
on  the  design  of  John  of  Bologna, 
represent  the  principal  scenes  of 
the  life  of  Our  Lord  and  the  Blessed 
Virgin;  Our  Lady  of  Flowers    the 


* 


sumptuous  metropolitan  church  of 
Florence,  resembling  a  mountain  of 
marble  of  various  colors,  cut  in  the 
form  of  a  Latin  cross ;  and  many 
other  master-pieces  of  Christian  art 
— a  period  the  most  illustrious  in 
Italian  history  I 

Landing  at  Genoa,  so  justly  called 
the  Superb,  "seeming,"  says  Ma- 
dame de  Stael,  "  as  though  it  were 
built  for  a  congress  of  kings,"  the 
first  thing  that  strikes  the  eye  is 
the  devotion  of  the  Genoese  to  the 
Holy  Virgin.  At  every  angle  of 
those  "streets  of  palaces,"  filled 
with  men  in  their  picturesque  cos- 
tume, and  women  in  long  white 
veils,  there  stands  a  graceful  Ma- 
donna painted  or  sculptured,  pro- 
tecting all  the  neighborhood.  All 
day  it  is  perfumed  with  the  sweet 
scent  of  myrtle  or  jessamine ;  in 
the  evening  it  is  illumined  by  a 
lamp,  and  numerous  groups  kneel 
before  it  reciting  the  Litany.  It  i« 
still  as  in  the  days  when  Andrea 
Doria  said  his  Office  on  board  his 
galleys,  and  on  the  gates  of  the 
stately  city  may  still  be  read,  Citta 
di  Maria.  There  are  even  now  no 
less  than  fifty  chapels  in  Genoa 
consecrated  to  the  Blessed  Virgin. 


HISTORY  OF   THE  DEVOTION  TO    THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


443 


Venice,  the  now  crownless  queen 
of  the  Adriatic,  never  sent  a  bark 
out  to  sea  without  decorating  it 
with  the  sacred  image  of  Mar}^ 
During  the  cholera  she  took  refuge 
in  the  merciful  bosom  of  Our  Lady 
of  Safety,  whom  she  invokes,  in 
great  calamities,  even  in  preference 
to  her  patron  St.  Mark,  and  offered 
to  her,  on  that  occasion,  a  superb 
silver  lamp  weighing  one  hundred 
and  sixteen  pounds,  richly  chased 
and  ornamented.  The  beautiful 
church  of  Mary,  where  this  offer- 
ing was  hung  up,  owes  its  origin  to 
a  favor  of  a  similar  kind.  It  was 
erected  in  1531,  on  the  site  of  a 
house  wherein  the  plague  had  first 
broken  out,  the  city  being  then  de- 
livered from  that  terrible  scourge 
by  the  all-powerful  intercession  of 
Mary.  In  the  centre  of  the  cupola 
was  the  noble  inscription — noble 
in  its  simplicity :  Unde  origo,  inde 
salus. 

The  Tuscans  have  a  most  tender 
veneration  for  the  Madonna.  On 
the  roads  and  bridges,  in  the  streets 
and  in  the  houses,  her  sweet  image 
is  everywhere  found  smiling  on  the 
passer-by  as  he  bows  his  head  be- 
fore her,  and  seeming  to  participate 


*  in  every  joyful  domestic  event.  The 
contadini  around  the  charming  city 
of  Florence  come  down  from  the 
woody  heights  which  surround  it 
in  a  semi-circle,  on  every  feast  of 
the  Virgin,  leading  a  mule  elegantly 
harnessed,  and  carrying  a  basket 
full  of  the  finest  grapes,  some  small 
sheaves  of  wheat,  and  some  branches 
of  the  orange-tree  and  pomegranate 
laden  with  fruit  or  flowers.  Dressed 
in  their  holiday  garb,  they  traverse 
the  city  in  procession,  and  come  to 
deposit  their  fruits  and  flowers  at 
the  foot  of  the  Virgin's  altar. 

When  the  Grand  Duke  of  Tus- 
cany, a  model  sovereign,  returned 
to  his  states,  on  the  fall  of  Napo- 
leon, his  first  care  was  to  repair  to 
the  church  Santa  Maria  della  Nun- 
ziata^  where  numbers  of  people  go 
every  day  to  visit  an  image  of  the 
Virgin,  said  to  have  been  finished 
by  an  angel.  In  gratitude  for  his 
unhoped-for  restoration,  the  excel- 
lent prince  suspended  a  lamp  of 
the  rarest  workmanship  in  Mary's 
chapel. 

Kome  is  no  less  devout  to  the  Ma- 
donna than  Florence.  Pass  when 
you  will  through  the  city,  you  will 
find    groups   of   Romans    kneeling 


444 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


before  the  Madonna,  praying  with  * 
a  fervor  and  an  earnestness  truly 
remarkable.  In  the  streets,  in  the 
scj^uares,  and  in  the  houses,  her  im- 
age is  seen  with  a  lamp  of  the 
purest  oil  burning  before  it ;  the 
poor,  as  well  as  the  rich,  go  to  this 
expense,  and  would  deprive  them- 
selves of  bread  to  provide  the  oil. 
It  is  both  edifying  and  picturesque 
to  see  a  street  in  Rome  lit  up  by 
thousands  of  luminous  points  like 
the  lucioli  of  Italy,  and  resounding 
with  the  simple  music  of  the  Cala- 
brian  or  Abruzzian  pifferari.  These 
mountain-minstrels  attract  a  great 
concourse  of  the  faithful  around  the 
Madonnas  at  all  times,  but  espe- 
cially in  Advent;  for  it  seems  as 
though  they  wished  to  introduce,  by 
their  pastoral  strains,  the  feast  of 
the  shepherds,  the  holy  night  of 
Christmas. 

It  is  especially  on  the  day  of  the 
Assumption  that  the  ardent  devo- 
tion of  the  Romans  for  Mary  is 
manifested.  On  that  day  all  the 
chm-ches  are  deserted  for  that  of 
St.  Mary  Major,  the  royal  church, 
with  walls  of  Parian  marble.  The 
villa  of  the  noble  is  abandoned, 
with  its  healthful  air  and  refreshing  ^ 


shades  ;  Varia  cattiva  prevails  in 
Rome,  and  with  it  fever ;  but  what 
of  that?  They  would  go  even 
though  the  plague  were  there.  Is 
not  the  Madonna  more  powerful  to 
save  than  either  fever  or  plague  is 
to,  destroy?  What  pious  confidence, 
and  how  truly  wonderful  is  such 
faith  in  these  days  of  ours!  The 
Roman  people  are  assembled  en 
masse  on  the  streets  and  squares 
around  the  superb  church,  which  is 
adorned  with  all  possible  splendor 
for  this  festival.  The  men  are 
clothed  in  their  picturesque  cos- 
tume of  blue  velvet;  the  women  are 
bedecked  with  their  coral  neck- 
laces, and  their  jet  black  hair  is 
fastened  up  with  a  gold  or  silver 
pin  under  a  graceful  white  drapery. 
Every  one  carries  a  large  bunch  of 
the  most  beautiful  flowers  as  an 
offering  to  the  Madonna.  That  im- 
mense crowd  of  believers  kneels  in 
the  hot  dust,  parched  by  the  fervid 
sun  of  Italy,  or  stand  in  the  shade 
of  the  adjacent  houses.  The  Ital- 
ians, naturally  noisy,  and  given  to 
gesticulation,  forget  on  those  occa- 
sions their  wonted  habits  :  one 
thought  engrosses  their  mind,  and 
that  is  prayer ;   and  how  well  they 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


445 


do  understand  prayer!  They  pray 
with  look,  gesture,  heart,  and  do 
indeed  pour  out  their  soul  at  Mary's 
feet. 

When  the  Pope  has  finished  the 
holy  sacrifice,  and  solemnly  blessed 
the  kneeling  multitude,  the  immense 
doors  of  the  church  are  thrown  open 
to  admit  the  crowd,  who  fill  it  with 
sweet  music  and  fragrant  flowers. 
When  evening  comes,  the  whole  city 
is  illuminated,  and  all  Rome  prays 
in  the  street.  All  the  people  crowd, 
without  distinction,  without  privi- 
lege, with  a  fraternity  worthy  of  the 
golden  age,  around  their  own  Ma- 
donna— the  Madonna  of  the  district. 
For  this  purpose,  the  prince  leaves 
his  marble  palace,  the  artisan  his 
workshop,  and  the  maiden  her  fa- 
ther's roof,  all  to  join  in  prayer  with 
touching  fervor.  The  women  say 
the  rosary,  the  men  chant  the  lita- 
ny; sometimes  one  of  those  fine 
Italian  voices,  of  heavenly  sweet- 
ness, sings  a  hymn  to  Mary,  and  all 
are  silent  to  hear ;  but  that  silence 
is  itself  a  mental  prayer  to  the 
\^irgin. 

"  I  shall  remember  all  my  life," 
says  a  modern  traveller,  "  the  beau- 
teous festival  of  the  Nativity  of  the 


Virgin,  and  the  evening  of  the  8th 
of  September  on  the  Place  de  Na- 
vona,  where  from  ten  to  twenty 
thousand  persons  were  congregated. 
The  image  of  the  Madonna,  splen- 
didly illuminated,  presided  over  the 
popular  festivities,  as  was  manifest 
from  the  decency,  the  reserve,  and 
the  half-seriousness  everywhere  seen; 
the  dwelling  of  a  numerous  family, 
submissive  all  to  the  paternal  con- 
trol, can  alone  give  the  idea  of  such 
serenity  amid  the  excitement  of 
public  rejoicing ;  this  was  apparent 
even  at  the  moment  when  the  crowd 
dispersed  after  the  fire -works.  I 
thought  it  afforded  a  fair  proof  of 
the  wisdom  and  mildness  of  the 
pontifical  government." 

In  Naples,  the  devotion  to  the 
Virgin  blooms  ever  with  the  fresh- 
ness and  the  beauty  of  a  full-blown 
lily.  The  feasts  of  the  Madonna 
are  popular  festivals,  full  of  joyful 
enthusiasm ;  her  churches,  of  which 
there  are  no  less  than  fourteen  in 
the  city  of  Naples  alone,  unite 
within  themselves  all  that  is  grand- 
est and  most  luxurious  in  painting, 
sculpture,  and  architecture ;  the 
chapels  of  Mary,  all  rich  and  beau- 
tiful, are  adorned  with  lapis-lazuli, 


topazes,  jasper,  and  other  precious 
stones.  In  the  church  of  SaiUa 
Maria  Ntuyva,  the  miraculous  im- 
age of  the  Madonna  delle  Gimzie 
is  placed  under  a  canopy  of  silver 
all  covered  with  jewels.  On  Mount 
Pausilippo  the  church  of  Santa 
Maria  Fortunata  replaces  an  an- 
cient temple  of  Fortune,  where  the 
heathens  were  wont  to  hang  theii* 
offerings.  Mount  Rulignano  is 
crowned  by  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful of  Mary's  churches.  Five  of 
the  suburbs  of  Naples  bear  the 
name  of  the  Blessed  Virgin.  To 
her  the  Neapolitans  have  also  con- 
secrated Vesuvius,  whose  base  re- 
sembles the  gardens  of  Armida, 
and  its  summit  one  of  hell's  gates, 
opening  on  a  dreary  chaos.  When 
the  crater  vomits  forth  its  torrents 
of  burning  lava,  and  the  whole  bay 
is  illuminated  in  the  middle  of  a 
dark  night,  as  though  the  last  fire 
foretold  by  the  sibyls  were  about  to 
destroy  our  little  planet,  the  terri- 
fied Neapolitan  prays  to  Mary  and 
forgets  his  alarm,  and  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  neighboring  hamlets  run 
to  meet  the  fiery  stream  of  lava 
with  images  of  the  Madonna,  which 
they  hold  out  to  bar  its  progress. 


Sicily  is  still,  as  well  as  Sardinia, 
a  land  essentially  Catholic.  The 
devotion  to  Mary  is  particularly 
popular  in  Palermo  and  Messina, 
in  the  latter  city,  the  noble  cathe- 
dral dedicated  to  the  Virgin  by  the 
Norman  kings,  is  still  in  existence ; 
only  that  the  campanile  and  the 
spire  of  the  principal  tower  were 
destroyed  by  the  great  earthquake 
of  1753,  and  the  Sicilians  have 
never  set  about  rebuilding  them. 

In  Piedmont  and  Savoy,  Our 
Lady  is  still  religiously  honored. 
In  1669  King  Charles  Emmanuel 
declared  the  Mother  of  God  prin- 
cipal patroness  of  his  house  and 
of  his  states,  and  this  declaration 
has  been  frequently  renewed  by  the 
pious  successors  of  that  prince. 

Even  at  the  close  of  the  eight- 
eenth century,  the  veneration  of 
Mary  was  universal  in  Spain.  In 
the  cathedral  of  Toledo,  placed  un- 
der the  invocation  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  the  chapel  of  Our  Lady  of 
the  Sanctuary  [del  Sagrario)  was  of 
wonderful  richness  and  beauty.  It 
was  of  octagonal  form;  its  pillars 
and  pavements  were  of  marble;  in 
the  niches  were  seen  golden  vases 
enriched  with  diamonds,  and  other 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


447 


gems  of  great  value.  The  statue 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin  was  of  solid 
silver,  and  she  was  seated  on  a 
throne  of  tke  same  metal,  with  an 
Infant  Jesus  in  her  arms  twelve 
inches  high,  formed  of  massive  gold, 
incrusted  with  diamonds.  The  ca- 
thedral of  Seville  had  its  famous 
chapel,  Our  Lady  of  Kings,  built 
by  St.  Ferdinand,  the  splendor  of 
which  was  so  great  that  it  was  reck- 
oned the  most  magnificent  chapel  in 
the  world.  The  chapel  of  the  Pres- 
entation, in  Burgos,  was  almost  as 
celebrated.  In  Madrid,  the  church 
of  Our  Lady  of  Almemada  is  one 
of  the  most  splendid  in  the  city ; 
to  this  Madonna  is  ascribed  the 
discovery  of  a  quantity  of  corn  found 
by  a  providential  chance  in  the 
vaults  of  a  tower,  just  as  the  city, 
besieged  by  the  Moors,  was  about 
to  surrender  for  want  of  provisions. 
The  miraculous  fact  is  still  painted 
in  fresco  on  the  walls  of  Our  Lady's 
chapel,  but  we  doubt  whether  the 
altar,  and  the  balustrade  of  solid 
silver,  are  still  there. 

Abotit  a  quarter  of  a  league  from 
Madrid,  in  a  vast  Dominican  con- 
vent (now  doubtless  deserted,  like 
many  others),  was  the  miraculous 


*  image  of  Our  Lady  of  the  Bush 
[d'Atorha),  a  black  Madonna,  usual- 
ly dressed  in  weeds ;  this  is  a  cus- 
tom peculiar  to  the  place,  as  far  as 
we  know,  but  on  solemn  feasts  the 
statue  was  arrayed  in  queenly  gar- 
ments, studded  with  large  jewels. 
Her  chapel,  gloomy  in  its  structure, 
was  lit  by  an  hundred  lamps  of 
massive  gold  and  silver.  The  Cath- 
olic kings  had  their  gallery  in  this 
chapel,  with  a  screen  in  front.  It 
was  there,  too,  that  the  Te  Deum 
of  victory  was  sung. 

Charles  III.,  king  of  Spain,  found- 
ed an  order  of  knighthood  in  honor 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  whom  he 
declared  universal  patrona  de  Es- 
paria  e  Indias  (universal  patroness 
of  Spain  and  the  Indies) . 

At  present,  the  fair  moon  of  Chris- 
tianity is  somewhat  obscured  in 
Spain,  but  the  cloud  will  pass  away, 
and  the  Blessed  Virgin  shall  speed- 
ily recover  her  rights  of  supremacy 
over  that  most  Catholic  and  most 
chivalrous  nation.  We  hope,  with 
the  Spanish  doctor  who  has  done  us 
the  honor  of  translating  this  work, 
that  posterity  will  add  many  a  lum- 
inous page  to  the  Spanish  portion 

i  of  this  history. 


448 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


In  Poi*tugal,  where  Mary  has 
reigned  as  queen  from  the  time  of 
Alphonso  the  First,  the  devotion  to 
her  is  still  national  and  flourishing  ; 
she  is  the  first  godmother  of  all 
female  children,  and  her  images  are 
venerated  in  rich  and  beautiful 
chapels. 

England,  that  land  of  hydra- 
headed  heresy,  begins  at  last  to 
turn  her  head  towards  Rome;  nu- 
merous Catholic  churches  are  being 
erected  in  every  county,  under  the 
title  of  chapels.  In  Ireland,  bon- 
fires have  been  recently  kindled  on 
every  hill  to  celebrate,  in  the  an- 
cient manner,  a  miracle  obtained 
after  a  novena  to  the  Virgin — the 
marvellous  liberation  of  O'Connell. 

The  Belgians  are  still,  as  they 
have  ever  been,  preeminently  de- 
vout to  Mary;  they  make  pilgrim- 
ages to  her  shrines,  and  consecrate 
to  her  the  most  beautiful  chapels  of 
their  noble  Gothic  cathedrals. 

The  Tyrolese  adorn  the  walls  of 
their  houses  with  scenes  taken  fiom 
the  life  of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 

Bohemia,  rich  and  tranquil,  mul- 
tiplies images  of  the  Mother  of  God 
on  its  highways  and  in  its  towns. 
Here  and  there  through  the  coun- 


'^  try,  a  modest  chapel,  dedicated  to 
Mary  (and  serving  at  once  as  a 
house  of  prayer  and  a  place  of 
rest),  rears  its  pointed  roof,  sur- 
mounted by  a  cross,  as  if  to  notify 
the  traveller  that  he  will  there  find 
shelter  from  sun  or  rain,  and  the 
call  is  always  religiously  heard. 

Austria,  with  its  pure  and  simple 
morals,  its  religious  and  poetical 
tendencies,  remains  ever  faithful  to 
Mary,  and  nowhere  have  the  sacred 
ceremonies  of  her  devotion  a  more 
serious  or  touching  character. 

Poland  is  still  and  always  the 
kingdom  of  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
whom  the  Poles,  since  1655,  invoke 
in  their  litanies  as  Regina  Coeli  et 
Polonice.  Her  image  is  hung  around 
the  necks  of  their  children,  and  Po- 
lish warriors  formerly  wore  it  as  a 
precious  preservative  against  dan- 
ger. Ladies  of  rank  have,  in  their 
apartments  an  oratory  adorned  with 
the  portrait  of  the  Virgin,  and  the 
proud  Polish  nobles,  the  proudest 
in  all  Europe,  fail  not  at  Christmas 
times,  to  hang  in  a  conspicuous  part 
of  the  sumptuous  banquet-hall  a 
sheaf  of  straw,  in  memory  of  the 
utter  destitution  of  Jesus  and  Mary 
in  the  stable  of  Bethlehem. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


449 


The  Lithuanians  are  the  youngest 
nation  of  Mary's  children  in  Europe, 
according  to  the  order  of  time,  as 
they  were  only  converted  in  the 
fifteenth  century;  but  they,  too, 
have  remained  faithful  to  her,  not- 
withstanding all  the  efforts  of  Prot- 
estantism, which  fell  to  the  ground 
amongst  them  as  soon  as  it  spoke 
of  suppressing  the  popular  devotion 
to  Mary.  Faithful  to  the  ancient 
customs  of  their  country,  the  Lithu- 
anian women  still  celebrate  the  re- 
turn of  spring  and  the  close  of 
autumn  under  the  auspices  of  Mary; 
it  is  on  her  altars  that  they  deposit 
the  violets  which  they  go  far  and 
near  to  gather  the  first  morning  of 
spring,  before  sunrise ;  and  it  is 
also  her  whom  they  invoke,  seated 
around  the  last  sheaf,  while  their 
dextrous  fingers  weave  floral  hiero- 
glyphics, giving,  as  in  the  East,  a 
thought  to  every  leaf  and  a  symbol 
to  every  plant.  These  simple  Lith- 
uanians are  passionately  fond  of 
their  woods  and  fields,  and  especi- 
ally of  the  fair  flowers  which  the 
poorest  of  them  cultivate,  but  they 
love  the  Blessed  Virgin  better  than 
ail  these. 

The    Russians,    who    follow    the 


rites  of  the  Greek  Church,  profess 
the  greatest  veneration  for  the  Vir- 
gin ;  as  far  off  as  they  can  see  her 
image  they  prostrate  themselves 
several  times,  crossing  themselves 
with  extreme  rapidity.  In  Moscow, 
one  of  the  gates  of  the  Kremlin  is 
decorated  with  a  statue  of  the  Vir- 
gin, to  which  miracles  are  ascribed ; 
it  is  guarded  by  two  sentinels  night 
and  day,  and  the  people  never  fail 
to  uncover  their  heads  in  passing 
this  sacred  image. 

The  Czars  were  formerly  crowned 
in  the  splendid  Muscovite  cathedral 
of  the  Assumption,  where  the  bodies 
of  the  Russian  patriarchs  are  laid. 
The  wall  around  the  sanctuary  was 
sheeted  with  gold  and  silver.  The 
sacred  vessels  and  the  episcopal 
vestments  of  this  cathedral  are  still 
wonderfully  rich ;  the  image  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  placed  in  a  heavy 
gilt  frame  at  the  end  of  this  church, 
figures  in  the  processions,  mounted 
on  a  superb  coach  all  covered  with 
mirrors,  like  the  carriages  formerly 
seen  in  France  at  the  consecration 
of  the  kings.  This  modern  car  of 
triumph  is  drawn  slowly  along  by 
four  horses  richly  caparisoned. 

The  Greeks,  although  schisma,tic, 


460 


HISTORY  OF  TEE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


have  still  the  same  respect  for  the 
Panagia ;  in  the  Morea  there  are 
several  convents  dedicated  to  Mary; 
the  most  famous  is  that  of  the  As- 
sumption, on  Moimt  Cylene,  a  few 
houi-s'  jom-ney  fi'om  the  famous  cas- 
cade of  the  Styx,  nov^  called  Mav- 
ronero.  This  convent  has  a  mirac- 
ulous image  of  Mary,  which  was 
given  it  in  the  eighth  century  by 
an  imperial  princess  of  Constanti- 
nople, named  Euphrosyne;  it  is 
nearly  all  built  within  a  large  cav- 
ern one  hundred  and  twenty  feet 
high,  and  as  many  wide.  The  en- 
trance is  reached  by  a  steep  and 
nan'ow  path  winding  along  the  side 
of  the  mountain,  and,  like  a  fortress 
of  the  Middle  Ages,  it  is  defended 
by  a  gate  and  an  iron  portcullis, 
together  with  a  lateral  wall  pierced 
with  numerous  loop-holes  and  fur- 
nished with  four  pieces  of  cannon. 
This  narrow  path,  in  which  the 
winter  torrents  make  large  breaches 
every,  year,  is  yet  the  only  way  of 
reaching  the  convent;  hence  this 
sacred  asylum,  where  the  Panagia 
has  been  invoked  for  ages  by  the 
Hellenes,  is  considered  impregnable. 
In  the  last  war  of  independence,  the 
famous  Ibrahim  tried  to  take  it,  but 


t  in  vain.  The  three  hundred  monk« 
who  dwell  in  it,  becoming  soldiers 
from  necessity,  were  well  able  to 
defend  the  altar  of  their  patroness. 

The  life  of  these  cahyers,  as  they 
are  called  by  the  Mussulmans,  is 
simple  and  pure  as  in  the  time  of 
their  ancient  foundation.  They  en- 
joy a  complete  independence ;  they 
are  laborious  and  robust,  and,  as 
worthy  servants  of  the  compassion- 
ate Virgin,  they  have  ever  extended 
a  helping  hand  to  the  suffering  or 
the  oppressed.  In  the  fourteenth 
century  the  monks  of  Thessalia  and 
Phocida  found  an  asylum  in  the 
convent  of  the  Assumption,  when, 
pursued  by  the  Turks,  they  fled 
from  their  beloved  country  without 
a  hope  of  seeing  it  again.  Again, 
in  the  seventeenth  centmy,  the 
poor  monks  who  escaped  the  mas- 
sacre of  Constantinople,  took  refuge 
in  this  convent.  Finally,  in  the 
eighteenth  century,  when  the  ruin- 
ous war  which  followed  the  insur- 
rection of  the  Morea  had  destroyed 
all  around  them,  it  was  the  Chris- 
tian conduct  of  these  religious  to- 
wards the  Tm'ks  of  Calavrita,  their 
prayers  and  the  sacrifice  which 
they  made  of   a  portion  of  their 


mSTOBY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


451 


wealth,  that  enabled  them  to  save 
from  apostacy  or  death  a  great 
mimber  of  the  Greeks  of  Achaia. 

The  Klephts,  those  bold  moun- 
taineers who  have  so  long  kept  the 
Turks  at  bay,  are  no  less  devout  to 
the  Panagia  than  the  people  of  the 
Morea.  For  ages  long  they  have 
had  no  other  places  of  prayer  than 
some  ruined  chapels  which  they  be- 
lieve haunted  by  vampires,  or  some 
rock-hewn  oratory  under  the  patron- 
age of  the  Virgin.  They  are  some- 
times seen,  at  the  dawn  of  day, 
climbing  the  loftiest  crest  of  their 
steep  mountains,  with  their  crooked 
poignard  in  their  belt,  and  their 
long  gun  slung  over  their  shoidder, 
going  to  hear  mass,  or  perhaps  sim- 
ply to  pray  in  some  lonely  chapel 
overhanging  frightful  precipices,  the 
very  sight  of  which  would  make  a 
Turkish  soldier  shudder.  There  it 
was  that  they  went  to  hang  the 
offerings  promised  to  the  Panagia 
in  the  hour  of  danger,  and  always 
faithfully  given.  These  gifts  were 
often  articles  of  value  wrested  from 
the  Tm-k  with  sword  and  steel,  and 
were  regarded  wi^h  the  most  re- 
ligious reverence ;  public  devotion 
was  their  safeguard,  and  no  matter 


*  how  great  might  be  his  distress, 
no  Klepht  would  ever  think  of  pur- 
loining the  least  of  these  things, 
which  became  sacred  in  his  eyes. 
M.  de  Pouqueville,  in  his  Travels 
in  Greece^  relates  an  incident  of  a 
brigand  chief  who,  having  taken 
some  of  these  ex  voto  from  a  chapel 
dedicated  to  the  Virgin,  near  Vonit- 
za,  was  given  up  by  his  own  band 
to  Ali  Pacha,  by  whose  order  he 
was  hung.  The  practice  of  making 
distant  pilgrimages,  difficult  as  it 
was  for  men  placed  in  the  position 
of  the  Klephts,  was  still  far  from 
being  unknown  to  them.  The  fa- 
mous partisan,  Blachavas,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-six,  set  out  on  foot 
for  Jerusalem,  his  musket  on  his 
shoulder,  followed  by  his  lieutenant, 
and  died,  as  he  seems  to  have 
wished,  in  the  Holy  Land.* 

Mount  Athos,  named  by  the  mod- 
ern Greeks  Hagion  Oros  (the  holy 
mountain),  still  belongs  to  Mary,  as 
it  did  in  the  time  of  the  first  Caesars 
of  Byzantium. 

The  islands  of  the  Bosphorus  and 
the  Archipelago  contain  numerous, 
though  poor,  convents  of  Mary ;  the 
bells    of  these    Greek   monasteries 

*  Fauriel,  Popular  Songs  of  Greece. 


«62 


mSTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


are  suspended  from  the  trunk  of 
some  huge  cypress,  which  stands  in 
spectral  gloom  near  a  church  or 
cemeteiy.  In  Scio,  the  fairest  of 
those  islands,  nearly  all  the  inhabit- 
ants were  Catholic.  Being  mildly 
governed,  thanks  to  the  powerful 
protection  of  the  Sultana  Yalida, 
that  charming  island  kept  its  re- 
ligion, its  gaiety,  and  its  refreshing 
shades.  The  stranger  was  wel- 
comed there  with  branches  laden 
with  fruits,  and  when  he  departed 
they  offered  him  flowers  in  re- 
membrance of  hospitality.  Nothing 
could  equal  the  pomp  of  its  festi- 
vals :  it  had  its  Catholic  archons, 
like  Athens  of  old ;  its  maidens 
were  pure  and  fair  as  the  smile 
of  Mary,  their  beloved  Panagia.  .  .  . 
The  revolution  broke  out  ...  all 
this  peace,  all  this  joy,  ended  in  a 
massacre  .  .  .  three  hundred  young 
girls,  the  fairest  in  the  island,  were 
mercilessly  slaughtered  on  the  sea- 
shore by  the  fierce  Osman  sol- 
diers. They  fell,  one  after  the 
other,  their  hands  joined  and  their 
eyes  raised  to  heaven,  invoking  that 
Vii'gin- mother  who  failed  not  to 
avenge  them.  Ali  Pacha,  the  tiger 
who  ordered  this  brutal  massacre, 


"f  was  burned  soon  after  by  the  in- 
trepid Canaris,  he  and  his  vessels, 
and  died  soon  after  on  that  very 
strand  which  he  had  crimsoned 
with  blood,  while  the  conqueror  did 
public  homage  to  the  Virgin  for 
his  victory. 

In  Anatolia  and  the  adjacent 
isles,  in  Cyprus  and  in  Tenedos, 
the  Greek  race  have  maintained  in 
all  its  fervor  their  devotion  to  the 
Virgin.  Mahomet  prevailed  in  the 
cities ;  but  high  on  the  mountain- 
tops,  in  the  region  of  clouds,  the 
sacred  banner  of  the  Panagia  waves 
over  many  a  convent.  Some  of  the 
Hellenes  have  forgotten  the  lan- 
guage of  Demosthenes  and  Iso- 
crates,  but  not  the  Gospel,  nor  their 
devotion  to  Mary,  and  they  repeat 
in  the  Turkish  language  the  Apos- 
tles' Creed  and  the  Angelical  Salu- 
tation.* There  the  illuminations  of 
the  Courban-Ba'iram  are  opposed 
by  the  bonfires  known  by  the  name 
of  St.  John's,  and  the  feast  of  Ma- 
homet by  that  of  Our  Lady  of  Mount 
Olympus. 

The  Georgians,  who  bear  on  their 
standard  the  image  of  St.  George, 
won  for  themselves  in  the  MidfUe 

*  Occident  et  Orient,  par  M.  Barrault. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


453 


Ages  the  privilege  of  entering  Jeru- 
salem with  banners  flying,  to  per- 
form their  devotions,  without  pay- 
ing the  tribute  imposed  on  other 
Christians  ;*  they  are  still  the  faith- 
ful subjects  of  the  Holy  Virgin,  the 
heavenly  Queen  of  their  mountain- 
land.  The  highest  peaks  of  their 
mountains  are  everywhere  crowned 
with  a  church  or  chapel  dedicated 
to  Mary,  placed  so  high  that  they 
cannot  reach  it  themselves,  and  are 
forced  to  content  themselves,  says 
Chardin,  with  profoundly  saluting  it 
from  the  depth  of  their  valleys, 
which  they  never  fail  to  do. 

The  Mingrelian,  who  sleeps  with 
his  head  on  his  carbine  and  his 
cimetar  by  his  side,  venerates  in  his 
churches  certain  relics  of  the  Bless- 
ed Yirgin,f  kept  therein  with  pro- 
found respect  since  the  first  ages  of 
Christianity. 

Armenia,  shut  in  amongst  Mussul- 
man nations,  has  no  more  yielded 
to  the  Koran  than  to  Zend-Avesta, 
and  remains  nearly  as  it  was  in  the 
fifth  century,  after  the  Holy  Wars, 
were  it  not  that  it  is  divided   into 

*  De  Belief orest,  1.  ii.,  ch.  5,  of  his  Hist.  Univers. 
— Chalcondyle,  Hist,  des  Tiircs. 
fBy    relics  of   the  Blessed  Virgin,   we,  of 


two  camps,  one  professing  Christi- 
anity with  Rome,  and  the  other  with 
Nestorius.  The  Virgin  is  devoutly 
honored  by  both.  Every  Armenian 
fasts  fifteen  days  before  the  Feast 
of  the  Assumption,  which  was  in- 
troduced very  early  into  the  Cauca- 
sian regions,  and  as  that  people  has 
kept  from  the  Jews  the  immolation 
of  animals,  there  is  no  good  Arme- 
nian family  that  does  not  sacrifice  a 
lamb  in  honor  of  Mary. 

Lebanon,  that  beautiful  mountain 
an  hundred  leagues  in  circumfer- 
ence, is  entirely  peopled  with  Cath- 
olics. On  one  of  its  highest  table- 
lands is  the  village  of  Eden,  full  of 
limpid  streams  and  cool  shades, 
it  is  topped  by  an  archiepiscopal 
church,  in  which  there  is  an  altar 
to  Mary,  and  at  the  right  of  that 
altar  rises  (in  a  truly  marvellous 
manner)  the  Nakar-Rossena  (chief 
river),  which  descends  from  an  im- 
mense rock  clothed  with  cypress. 
The  Nakar-Kadislia  (holy  river),  the 
offspring  of  eternal  snows,  on  whose 
banks  so  many  solitaries  were  once 
engaged  in  carving  images  of  Mary, 

course,  understand  certain  articles  which  were 
used  by  her  during  her  mortal  Hfe. — Tran8« 


454 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


Btill  retains  the  name  which  it 
owed,  in  the  fii-st  ages  of  the  Chui'ch, 
to  the  piety  of  the  hermits  who 
dwelt  amid  its  rocks.  An  hom-'s 
journey  from  the  spot  where  the 
Holy  River  collects  its  rapid  and 
noisy  waters,  Tyre,  the  ancient  ruler 
of  the  seas,  displays  the  mournful 
wreck  of  greatness  past;  her  famous 
cathedral  of  Our  Lady,  destroyed  in 
the  last  crusades,  a  short  time  after 
its  reconstruction,  is  now  but  a  mag- 
nificent ruin,  whose  stately  vaults 
and  arches  are  still  traced  on  the 
blue  sky  of  Syria,  but  there  is 
another  church,  less  conspicuous, 
wherein  the  four  or  five  hundred 
Catholic  families  who  people  Tyre 
still  fervently  invoke  Mary.  The 
pretty  town  of  Nazareth,  approach- 
ed by  an  avenue  of  olive-trees,  is 
inhabited  solely  by  Catholics;  its 
church,  built  on  the  site  of  St.  Hel- 
ena's, has  three  naves,  and  is  al- 
ways full  of  pilgrims,  and  others  of 
the  faithful,  in  prayer.  The  sweet 
name  of  Mary  is  everywhere  read 
on  the  walls,  and  everywhere  one 
sees  her  image,  profusely  adorned 
with  the  fairest  flowers  by  the  piety 
of  the  Eastern  Christians. 

Modern  Jerusalem,  whose  popula- 


t  tion  seems  formed  of  the  wreck  of 
nations,  presents  within  its  bosom 
the  strange  sight  of  the  Jewish  syn- 
agogue side  by  side  with  the  Mus- 
sulman mosque  and  the  Christian 
church,  yet,  thank  Heaven  I  it  is  not 
without  its  altars  to  Mary.  The 
descendant  of  the  kings  of  Juda  is 
still  prayerfully  invoked  in  the  cap- 
ital of  the  holy  King  David,  and  all 
religious  differences  disappear  at 
her  tomb,  where  the  Armenian,  the 
Georgian,  the  Arab,  the  Tyrian,  and 
the  Western  Christian  meet  togeth- 
er, and  where  even  Turkish  women 
are  seen  kneeling  in  prayer,  wrap- 
ped up  in  their  veils.  A  Greek 
caloyer  sprinkles  some  drops  of 
otto  of  roses  on  the  head  of  ^ach 
one  who  comes  to  honor  Mary. 

In  the  Levant,  the  veneration  of 
the  Virgin  has  reached  even  the  in- 
fidels. The  Turks  and  Persians, 
who  speak  of  her  with  all  rever- 
ence, consider  her  as  the  purest  and 
most  perfect  of  women.  Hence, 
they  are  often  known  to  hang  vo- 
tive lamps  before  her  images,  to 
conduct  their  sick  children  to  her 
churches,  to  pray  devoutly  at  her 
tomb,  and  what  is  still  more  ex- 
traordinary  amongst   the   worship- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


455 


ers  of  Allah,  to  build  temples  in  her 
honor.* 

In  Abyssinia,  the  devotion  to  the 
Virgin  is  still  as  popular  as  it  ever 
was:  churches  bearing  her  Eastern 
name  of  Mariam  are  met  in  great 
numbers  in  the  cities,  on  the  moun- 
tains, and  on  the  banks  of  the  riv- 
ers ;  they  are  covered  with  straw, 
surrounded  by  an  exterior  gallery, 
and  surmounted  by  an  iron  cross, 
whose  numerous  branches  are  term- 
inated with  ostrich-eggs;  they  stand 
in  the  midst  of  a  cemetery,  which 
is  an  inviolable  sanctuary,  and 
are  magnificently  shaded  by  dark 
sabines  and  gigantic  olive-trees. 
Within,  the  walls  are  adorned  with 
garish  frescoes  representing  the  Vir- 
gin, St.  Michael,  or  St.  George,  who 
is  very  popular  amongst  the  East- 
ern nations ;  the  floor  is  sometimes 
covered  with  Persian  carpet,  which 
the  Mussulmans  bring  from  Massa- 
ouah  and  sell  at  an  exorbitant  price 
to  the  Christians.  A  gallery  runs 
all  around  these  churches,  and  in 


*  the  centre  there  is  a  square  sanc- 
tuary which  none  but  the  priests 
may  enter ;  there  is  kept  the  sacred 
ark  containing  the  bread  and  wine 
intended  for  communion.  The  Abys- 
sinians  hold  the  Virgin  in  so  great 
veneration  that,  according  to  them, 
the  world  was  created  for  her  and 
by  her ;  they  precede  the  feast  of 
the  Assumption  by  a  fast  of  fifteen 
days,  like  the  Copts  and  Syrians ; 
their  kings  style  themselves  sons  of 
Mariam^ s  hand^  and  many  of  them 
assume  her  name.  Finally,  we 
learn  from  travellers  who  visited 
Abyssinia  in  1837,  that,  when  the 
Abyssinians  ask  a  favor  or  give  an 
invitation,  it  is  always  in  the  name 
of  Mary;  they  swear  only  by  Mary 
{be  Mariam)^  and  her  name  is  ever 
in  their  mouth.f 

This  ardent  devotion  of  the  Abys- 
sinians to  the  Mother  of  God  has 
sometimes  broken  out  into  real  acts 
of  fanaticism.  In  1714,  when  Ger- 
man missionaries  of  the  order  of 
St.  Francis,  sent  by  Pope  Clement 


*  A  pacha  of  Mossoul,  besieged  by  the  famous 
Thamas-Kouli-Khan,  made  a  vow  to  build  two 
churches  to  the  Blessed  Virgin,  in  case 'he  pre- 
served his  city.  Thamas  raised  the  siege,  and 
the  Pacha,  faithful  to  his  promise,  caused  two 
churches  to  be  erected  ;  their  magnificence,  un-    »- 


exampled  in  those  regions,  bespeaks  at  once  the 
peril,  the  alarm,  and  the  gratitude  of  the  Mus- 
sulman.— (See  the  Bishop  of  Babylon's  letter  in 
the  Annals  of  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith.) 

f  Voyage  en  Abyssinie,  par  MM.  Combes  et 
Tamisier,  1835-37. 


iS6 


BISTORT  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


XL,  ti'ied  to  bring  them  back  to 
the  unity  of  faith,  the  schismatic 
monks  defeated  their  efforts  by  cir- 
ciihiting  the  report  that  these  Euro- 
pean monks  were  avowedly  hostile 
to  the  Blessed  Virgin.  This  false- 
hood of  theirs  had  frightful  conse- 
quences; the  people  revolted;  the 
emperor,  who  protected  the  mis- 
sionaries, was  poisoned,  and  Fathers 
Liberat,  Veis,  Pi^  de  Zerbe,  and 
Samuel  Bienno  were  stoned  to  death 
by  an  infuriate  mob.  An  Ethiopian 
monk  cast  the  ftrst  stone,  exclaim- 
ing: "Accursed  and  excommuni- 
cated by  the  Virgin  be  he  who 
will  not  cast  five  stones  at  her  ene- 
mies!"* Alas!  these  poor  Fran- 
ciscans were  the  most  faithful  and 
devoted  servants  of  Mary! 

The  devotion  to  the  Virgin  is  now 
spreading  gradually  over  all  the  In- 
dies. The  chaplet  is  recited  among 
the  Hindoos  of  the  Malabar  coast, 
among  the  Chinese,  the  Siamese, 
the  Thibetians,  the  tribes  of  Ton- 
quin  and  of  Cochin-China ;  it  is  the 
only  prayer-book  possessed  by  the 
Catholics  of  those  remote  countries, 
and  it  is  the  first  thing  they  ask  on 
seeing  a  priest  from  Europe.f    The 

*  Annals  of  the  Fropagation  of  the  Faith. 


churches  of  India  often  bear  the 
name  of  Mary ;  that  of  the  Nativity 
of  the  Virgin,  at  PondicheiTy,  is  one 
of  the  most  remarkable.  A  novena 
has  been  founded  in  this  Malabar 
church  which  procures  a  number 
of  conversions,  though  conversions 
are  there  so  difficult ;  it  opens  with 
a  procession  which  takes  place  by 
night,  and  is  conducted  with  much 
pomp.  The  sacred  image  of  Mary 
is  borne  on  a  triumphal  car,  and  is 
placed,  from  time  to  time,  on  altars 
which  the  pious  Christians  of  that 
country  adorn  with  flowers  and  gold 
muslin;  these  altars  are  lit  up  by 
overhanging  globes  of  fire.  The 
procession  moves  slowly,  to  the 
sound  of  crashing  music,  between 
two  lines  of  torches.  At  each  rest- 
ing-place, the  noise  ceases  while  a 
childish  voice  sings  the  praises  of 
the  holy  mother  of  Our  Lord  ;  after 
which  the  image  of  the  Virgin  is 
solemnly  brought  back  to  the 
church,  and  replaced  over  her  altar, 
magnificently  illuminated. J 

South  America  is  ever  remark- 
able for  its  devotion  to  the  Blessed 
Viigin.  Brazil  has  built  many 
churches  in  her  honor  in  modern 


f/Wd. 


Xlbid. 


times,  and  adorned  them  to  the  * 
utmost  of  her  power.  Peru  dedi- 
cated to  her,  from  the  first,  its 
splendid  cathedral  of  Lima,  under 
the  title  of  the  Assumption,  and 
paved  it  with  silver  instead  of  mar- 
ble. Cusco,  the  city  of  the  Incas, 
consecrated  to  Mary  its  Temple  of 
the  Sun,  the  walls  of  which  were 
coated  with  thick  plates  of  gold. 
The  Dominicans,  to  whom  this 
church  now  belongs,  raised  a  chap- 
el in  it  for  Our  Lady,  and  adorned 
it  with  true  Peruvian  splendor: 
flags  of  silver,  an  altar  of  the  same 
metal,  a  statue  radiant  with  gold 
and  pearl,  golden  lamps,  and  mag- 
nificent ex  voto,  notHing  was  want- 
ing to  complete  its  grandeur.  Mary 
has  altars  no  less  rich  in  the  an- 
cient temple  of  Zuilla  [the  moon), 
also  a  very  splendid  building,  in 
that  of  Tllaper  {the  thunder),  and  of 
Chasca  [the  evening-star).  In  Mex- 
ico, the  cathedrals  and  altars  dedi- 
cated to  the  Virgin  are  of  rare  mag- 
nificence. The  cathedral  of  the  As- 
sumption, in  the  city  of  Mexico, 
commenced  in  the  sixteenth  century 
and  finished  in  the  seventeenth,  has 
two  statues  of  Mary  which  exceed 
all  European  ideas  of  splendor ;   the  i 


first  is  an  Assumption  of  massive 
gold  incrusted  with  precious  stones 
of  considerable  weight ;  the  second, 
a  Conception  in  solid  silver.  The 
cathedral  of  Pueblo  d' Angeles,  bear- 
ing the  title  of  the  Conception,  has  a 
high  altar  dedicated  to  Mary  which 
is  itself  worth  a  whole  basilica ;  the 
altar  is  of  massive  silver,  and  the 
balustrading  around  it  has  plinths 
and  capitals  of  burnished  gold. 

In  San  Domingo,  in  the  time  of 
the  French  domination,  the  proces- 
sion of  the  Vow  of  Louis  XIII.  was 
every  year  made  with  all  possible 
pomp.  Since  Hayti  declared  itself 
a  republic,  this  custom  is  dis- 
continued, but  not  the  devotion 
to  Mary,  whom  the  blacks  of  that 
island  still  invoke  with  boundless 
confidence.  The  Haytians  have  two 
pilgrimages  to  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
one  in  the  part  that  formerly  be- 
longed to  Spain,  and  the  other  in 
the  old  French  district.  They  often 
make  these  pilgrimages  by  proxy: 
a  black  pilgrim  who  sets  out  on 
this  pious  jom-ney,  visits  all  his  ac- 
quaintances and  collects  the  offer- 
ings which  they  wish  to  send  to 
the  Virgin.  The  negresses  of  dis- 
tinction   imported    from    Africa    a 


458 


mSTOBT  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIBGIN  MARY. 


heathen  custom  which  they  made 
a  Christian  one  in  the  Antilles. 
When  they  wish  to  ascertain  wheth- 
ci-  they  possess  the  affection  of  their 
husbands,  they  take  to  the  sea- 
shore a  thin  plank  of  native  wood 
pierced  with  holes,  wherein  they 
place  lighted  tapers  of  white  wax ; 
after  invoking  Mary,  they  carefully 
and  timidly  commit  their  little  il- 
luminated raft  to  the  waves  of  their 
sunny  gulf,  and  if  it  floats  a  little 
time  on  the  water  without  sinking, 
they  bless  the  Virgin,  persuaded 
that  they  may  rest  content. 

Numismatics,  which  has  pre- 
served to  us  the  effigy  of  sover- 
eigns lost  to  history,  has  also  helped 
to  perpetuate  the  remembrance  of 
the  devotion  to  Mary.  Nearly  all 
Christian  nations  have  struck  med- 
als in  honor  of  the  Virgin,  and 
stamped  her  image  on  coins. 

The  Empress  Theophania,  who 
married  Romanus  the  Younger  in 
959,  is  the  first  whose  coin  bears 
the  image  of  Mary.  She  is  placed 
on  the  reverse ;  her  head,  surround- 
ed by  the  aureola,  is  covered  with  a 
veil,  and  her  two  hands  are  raised 
to  the  height  of  the  chest :  around, 
is  the  Greek  inscription  signifying 


t  Mother  of  God.  The  second  hus- 
band of  that  princess,  John  Zimis- 
ces,  who  ascended  the  imperial 
throne  in  969,  also  had  a  medal 
struck,  bearing  on  one  side  the 
figure  of  Christ  Emmanyha  {Em- 
mamiel),  and  on  the  other,  the  Vir- 
gin seated  on  a  throne  with  the 
Infant  Jesus  on  her  knee.  Before 
her  are  the  three  magi  offering  their 
gifts ;  above  her  head  is  a  star,  and 
beneath  her  two  doves.  The  first 
emperor  who  placed  the  effigy  of 
Mary  on  the  front  side  of  his  coins, 
was  Romanus  IV.,  styled  Diogenes, 
who  ascended  the  imperial  throne 
A.  D.  1068.  On  his  medals  is  seen 
the  Blessed  Vifgin  with  the  head 
of  the  divine  Infant  reclining  on 
her  bosom,  according  to  the  decree 
of  the  Council  of  Ephesus.  The 
Virgin  is  there  attired  as  an  em- 
press. Several  strings  of  pearls  are 
seen  around  her  head  and  twined 
amid  her  hair,  and  her  brow  is 
encircled  by  the  imperial  diadem. 
She  also  retains  the  glory  or  au- 
reola, but  has  no  veil.  On  the  re- 
verse of  the  medal  is  the  Greek  in- 
scription meaning,  "May  the  Mother 
of  God  be  propitious  to  the  Emperor 

^  Romanus  Diogenes."     Many  of  the 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


459 


succeeding  emperors  also  stamped 
the  image  of  the  Virgin  on  their 
coins;  but  from  the  time  of  John 
Zimisces  till  the  taking  of  Constan- 
tinople, the  letter  M  is  no  longer 
found  on  the  coins  of  the  Lower 
Empire. 

The  Greeks  were  not  the  only 
nation  who  gave  Mary  this  mark 
of  respect;  many  modern  states 
still  bear  on  their  coins  the  effigy 
of  the  holy  Virgin. 

In  the  States  of  the  Church,  the 
new  silver  crown  has  on  it  the  Vir- 
gin borne  on  clouds,  holding  the 
keys  in  one  hand,  and  in  the  other 
an  ark,  with  this  inscription,  "  Supra 
firmam  petram."  The  city  of  Genoa 
also  presents,  on  some  of  its  gold 
coins,  the  Virgin  borne  on  clouds, 
and  holding  the  Infant  Jesus  on 
one  arm.  The  inscription  is,  "Efc 
rege  eos."     Austria  has  gold  ducats 


*  whereon  is  seen  the  Virgin,  in  like 
manner,  borne  on  clouds,  holding 
the  Infant  Jesus  on  one  arm,  with 
the  globe  in  his  hand.  The  inscrip- 
tion is,  "Maria  Mater  Dei."  The 
same  state  has  also  gold  maxi- 
milians,  on  the  reverse  of  which  is 
seen  the  Virgin  and  Child,  the  latter 
holding  the  globe  in  his  hand.  The 
legend  is,  "  Salus  in  te  sperantibus." 
The  three-florin  gold  pieces  of  the 
same  empire  have  also  on  the  re- 
verse the  Virgin  and  Child,  with  the 
same  legend  as  the  maximilians. 
Bavaria,  too,  strikes  gold  maxi- 
milians and  caroluses  with  the  same 
effigy  and  inscription.  Portugal 
stamps  on  her  gold  cruzades  the 
name  of  Mary:  Maria^  surmounted 
by  a  crown,  and  encircled  by  two 
branches  of  laurel ;  on  the  other 
side  is  seen  a  cross  with  this  in- 

^  scription,  "In  hoc  signo  vinces." 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

ADDED     BY    THE    TRANSLATOR. 

[We  have,  in  the  preceding  chapters,  a  most  interesting  chronicle  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  the 
devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin.  The  learned  author  has  collected  much  valuable  information  on  this 
subject  He  has  glanced  over  many  lands,  giving  a  brief  space  to  each,  and,  as  far  as  he  has  gone, 
his  work  leaves  nothing  unnoticed  that  could  throw  light  on  the  fair  picture  of  filial  love  and 
reverence.  But  we  could  wish  that  he  had  devoted  more  space  to  this  New  World,  where  he  had 
assuredly  an  ample  field  before  him — where  the  devotion  to  Mary  is,  and  has  been,  for  ages, 
steadily  on  the  increase,  till,  like  the  grain  of  mustard-seed  mentioned  in  the  Gospel,  it  has  become 
a  stately  tree,  overshadowing  with  its  branches  all  the  land.  It  is  with  some  hesitation  that  I  attempt 
to  "  take  up  the  wondrous  tale,"  but,  as  I  have  endeavored  to  give  it  an  English  form,  and  make  it 
accessible  to  those  who  know  not  the  French  language,  I  should  be  sorry  to  present  it  to  them 
without  adding  a  few  pages  on  the  history  of  the  devotion  to  Mary  in  these  countries.] 


HE  countries  of 
the  New  Worid 
were  neariy  all 
settled  by  Cath- 
olics, and  by 
Catholics  who 
loved  and  hon- 
ored Mary,  as  we  see  by  the  names 
of  many  of  the  older  settlements. 
Columbus  was  a  faithful  servant  of 
Mary,  and  Jacques  Cartier,  the  dis- 
coverer of  Canada,  or  New  France, 
was  equally  devoted  to  her  service. 
The  latter  brought  with  him  from 
old  Catholic  France  that  zeal  for 
religion  which  then    characterized 

*  "  The  salvation  ov  a  sotji.  is  worth  mobk 

THAN  THE  CONQUEST  OF  AN  EMPIBE."      Such  WaS  the 

golden  maxim  of  Champlain,  the  founder  of  New 


*  all  the  navigators  of  that  great 
country.  The  beads  and  crucifix 
were  his  most  trusty  weapons,  and 
when  he  succeeded  in  effecting  a 
landing,  or  making  a  treaty  with 
the  Indians,  it  was  to  God  and  the 
Virgin  that  he  returned  thanks. 
The  first  tree  felled  by  Europeans 
was  hailed  as  a  triumph  for  religion 
— as  the  first  step  towards  the  foun- 
dation of  a  new  empire  for  Jesus 
and  Mary.*  Those  sacred  names 
were  the  watchword  of  all  the 
French  and  Spanish  Christians  who 
led  the  van  in  civilizing  America, 
and  strong  in  the  strength  of  those 


France  (Canada)  ;  a  maxim  which  was  adopted 
and  acted  on  by  aU  the  Catholic  pioneers  of  the 
New  World.— (Life  of  Bishop  Flaget,  p.  179.) 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


461 


mighty  names  they  triumphed  over 
every  obstacle  which  the  powers 
of  earth  and  hell  raised  up  to  bar 
their  progress.  These  northern  re- 
gions of  America  were  especially 
placed  under  the  protection  of  Mary 
from  their  first  settlement  by  Euro- 
peans. Jacques  Cartier's  grim  old 
followers,  with  hand  of  iron  and 
heart  of  faith,  had  passed  away; 
several  voyages  had  been  made  by 
successive  companies  from  France, 
but  none  of  them  succeeded  in 
effecting  a  permanent  settlement; 
all  designs  that  were  of  a  purely 
worldly  nature  failed,  and  it  was 
only  the  faithful  sons  of  Loyola  who 
braved  and  at  length  surmounted 
every  difficulty.  They  it  was  who 
explored  the  interminable  woods  of 
Canada,  seeking,  through  incredible 
toils  and  hardships,  to  gather  in  the 
harvest,  already  ripe  for  the  sickle  ; 
martyrdom  itself  had  no  terrors  for 
these  valiant  soldiers  of  Christ,  and, 
armed  only  with  the  cross  and 
beads,  they  boldly  advanced,  re- 
gardless of  the  tomahawk  and 
scalping -knife,  intent  on  conquer- 
ing the  land  for  Him  who  sent 
them,  and  making  his  name  known 
to   the   heathen.      Well  and   aptly 


have  they  been  called  the  pioneers 
of  civilization,  for  where  the  foot  of 
European  never  trod,  never  dared 
to  tread,  they  planted  the  standard 
of  the  Cross.  God  and  the  Virgin 
were  with  them  wherever  they  went. 
It  may  well  be  may  said  that  Mary 
presided  over  the  opening  of  Amer- 
ican civilization,  since  they  who 
laid  its  earliest  foundations  were 
her  own  faithful  servants,  her  de- 
voted clients.  Thus,  in  the  cruel 
torments  inflicted  on  them  by  their 
savage  captors,  we  find  them  con- 
soled by  the  thought  of  Mary's  ma- 
ternal care  and  protection.  "  It  was 
my  consolation,"  wrote  one  of  these 
fervent  missionaries,  addressing  the 
Superior -General  of  his  order:  "It 
was  my  consolation  to  know  that  I 
was  doing  the  will  of  God,  since  I 
undertook  this  journey  only  through 
obedience.  I  was  full  of  confidence 
in  the  intercession  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  and  in  the  assistance  of  the 
many  souls  who  were  praying  for 
me."*  And  again,  describing  an- 
other of  his  grievous  trials :  "  I  de- 
sired and  expected  death,  but  was 
not  without  a  certain  dread  of  the 

*  Bressani's  Relation   de  la  Nouvelle-France, 
abridged  by  the  Eev.  Pere  Martin,  S.  J.,  p.  118. 


462 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


fire.  I,  nevertheless,  prepared  for  * 
it  as  well  as  I  could,  commending 
myself  to  the  Mother  of  Mercy^  who 
is  truly  the  Amiable  Mother^  the  Ad- 
mirable Mother^  the  Powerful  and 
Clement  Virgin^  the  Comfort  of  the 
Afflicted.  She  was,  after  God,  the 
only  refuge  of  a  poor  sinner,  forsa- 
ken by  all  creatures  on  a  foreign 
soil,  in  that  place  of  horror  and  of 
waste  wilderness,*  without  a  tongue 
to  make  himself  understood,  or 
friends  to  console,  or  sacraments  to 
strengthen  him,  or  any  human  rem- 
edy to  alleviate  his  sufferings."! 

Father  de  None,  one  of  the  first 
missionaries,  was  frozen  to  death 
while  wandering  alone  in  the  track- 
less forest,  and  was  found  in  a 
kneeling  posture,  his  head  uncov- 
ered, his  eyes  wide  open  and  raised 
to  heaven,  and  his  arms  crossed  on 
his  bosom.  He  was  quite  dead. 
"Father  de  None  died,  it  is  thought, 
on  the  day  of  the  Purification  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  for  whom  he  had  a 
great  devotion.  Every  Saturday  he 
fasted  in  her  honor,  and,  every  day, 
he  recited  the  office  of  the  Immac- 

*  Dent  xxxii,  10. 

f  Bressani's  Relation  de    la   Nouvelle- France, 
abridged  by  the  Rev.  Pere  Martin,  S.  J.,  p.  126.    ^ 


ulate  Conception.  When  he  spoke 
of  her,  every  word  was  from  his 
heart."  J 

Father  Jogues,  the  illustrious 
champion  of  the  faith,  who  lived 
through  torments  that  would  have 
killed  an  hundred  ordinary  men, 
giving  an  account  of  his  capture  by 
the  Iroquois,  says  :  "  At  length  we 
reached  the  first  Iroquois  village; 
it  was  on  the  eve  of  the  Assump- 
tion of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  I 
thanked  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  for 
that  he  was  pleased  to  call  us  to 
share  his  cross  and  sufferings,  on 
the  day  whereon  the  Christian  world 
celebrates  the  triumph  of  his  divine 
mother  ascending  to  heaven."  §  On 
another  occasion,  when  he  and  his 
companion  had  retired  from  this 
Iroquois  village,  during  a  tumult, 
to  pray  on  a  little  neighboring  hill : 
"Returning  to  the  village,  we  were 
reciting  the  chaplet  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  and  had  already  said  four 
decades,  when  we  met  two  young 
men  who  ordered  us  to  return  to  the 
village.  'Brother,'  said  I  to  Rend, 
*  we  know  not  what  these  men  in- 

X  Relation  Abreg'ee,  pp.  178,  179. 
§  Md.,  p.  198. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


463 


tend  to  do  with  us,  now  that  they 
are  all  so  much  excited.  Let  us  rec- 
ommend ourselves  with  the  greater 
fervor  to  God  and  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin, our  good  mother."* 

Of  Father  Charles  Garnier,  an- 
other of  the  martyrs  of  Canada,  it 
is  related  that  from  his  childhood 
he  had  a  great  inclination  for  vir- 
tue, and  especially  a  great  devo- 
tion to  the  Blessed  Yirgin,  whom 
he  always  trailed  his  mother.  He 
had  bound  himself  by  a  solemn 
vow,  to  defend,  till  death,  the  doc- 
trine of  her  Immaculate  Conception, 
and  he  loved  to  honor  her  under 
that  title.  His  death  took  place 
on  the  eve  of  that  festival,  which 
he  went  to  celebrate  with  greater 
solemnity  in  heaven.f 

Such  were  the  first  missionaries 
— the  first  civilizers  of  the  Cana- 
dian savages, — and  such  their  de- 
votion to  the  Blessed  Mother  of 
God,  a  devotion  which  must  neces- 
sarily have  communicated  to  their 
neophytes  at  least  a  portion  of  its 
fervor,  and  made  the  name  of  Mary 
a  household  word  amongst  the  sim- 
ple denizens  of  the  forest.  But 
whilst  the  Jesuit  fathers  were  toil- 

*  Relation  Abregee,  p.  212.         f  Ibid.,  p.  266. 


*  ing  and  bleeding,  preaching  and 
baptizing,  amongst  the  savage 
tribes  of  Canada,  far  away  in  the 
sunny  realm  of  France  the  Al- 
mighty was  carrying  out  his  mer- 
ciful designs  for  the  permanent  set- 
tlement of  these  remote  countries, 
and  the  foundation  of  a  new  empire 
for  the  Queen  of  heaven :  his  omnis- 
cient wisdom  was  preparing  an 
asylum  for  the  Catholic  Church  of 
North  America,  and  raising  up  a 
barrier  against  heresy  in  the  noble 
provinces  of  JS'ew  France.J 

The  Island  of  Montreal  was  still 
covered  with  primeval  woods :  its 
existence  scarcely  known  to  Euro- 
peans, when  God  made  known,  by 
a  special  revelation,  to  some  pious 
persons  in  France,  that  such  a  place 
was  to  be  colonized,  and  that  they 
were  the  instruments  chosen  to 
carry  out  the  design.  Neither  of 
these  individuals  was  eitlier  rich 
or  powerful,  yet  never  doubting — 
never  pausing  to  inquire  "  how  this 
could  be  done,"  they  at  once  set 
about  forming  a  society  for  the  pur- 
pose, assured  that  God  was  with 
them.  Their  object  was  to  build  a 
city  in  Canada  in  honor  of  Mary, 

I  Life  of  Sister  Bourgeoys,  Introduction. 


464 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


and  under  her  especial  patronage,  * 
to  serve  as  the  stronghold  and 
nucleus  of  religion  in  those  (then) 
remote  regions.  The  city  was  to  be 
called  Villemarie  (the  City  of  Mary). 
The  principal  movers  in  this  proj- 
ect were  the  inspired  persons  above 
mentioned:  M.  de  Maisonneuve,  a 
virtuous  and  pious  layman,  M. 
Olier,  afterwards  founder  of  the 
illustrious  Order  of  St.  Sulpice,  and 
sister  Marguerite  Bourgeoys,  an 
humble  maiden  of  Troyes.  Each 
of  these,  but  especially  the  two 
latter,  were  favored,  all  through, 
with  the  most  singular  graces,  and 
guided  by  light  and  knowledge  from 
above,  clearly  showing  that  they 
were  chosen  instruments  of  the 
divine  will.  When  all  things  were 
prepared  for  the  voyage,  the  good 
sister  Bourgeoys  began  to  shrink 
from  the  prospect  of  embarking 
alone  on  such  an  undertaking,  as 
she  was  to  have  no  female  com- 
panion. She  had  taken  all  possible 
pains  to  ascertain  whether  she  was 
really  called  to  this  perilous  enter- 
prise; she  had  consulted  the  most 
pious  and  the  most  enlightened  ec- 
clesiastics of  the  time,  and  was, 
through  them,  assm-ed  of  her  voca- 


tion, yet  still  she  feared  to  go  alone 
to  Canada.  Her  historian  tells  up 
"  that  the  project  of  such  a  voyage 
for  a  woman  of  thirty -three,  the 
prospect  of  being  unaccompanied 
by  any  of  her  own  sex,  amidst  a 
company  of  soldiers;  the  idea  of 
having  no  female  to  assist  her  at 
Villemarie  in  the  education  of  chil- 
dren, and  of  being  constantly  ex- 
posed to  the  danger  of  being  taken 
and  burned  by  the  Iit)quois;  all 
these  considerations  were  very  lit 
to  inspire  her  with  fear,  and  pru- 
dence seemed  to  render  it  necessary 
that  she  should  have  some  more 
convincing  proof  of  the  divine  will. 
Even  this  was  granted  to  her, 
though  she  asked  it  not.  The 
Blessed  Virgin,  for  whose  honor 
and  glory  she  was  resolved  to  sac- 
rifice her  life,  by  going  to  Canada 
to  procm-e  faithful  servants  for  her, 
vouchsafed  to  assure  her  with  her 
own  lips,  that  the  design  was  well- 
pleasing  to  her,  and  that  she  would 
herself  protect  her  amidst  so  many 
dangers.  The  good  nun  being  in 
her  own  chamber,  thinking  at  the 
moment  of  anything  but  her  voy- 
age: *I  saw  before  me,'  says  she, 
'a  tall  lady,  clad  in  a  robe,  as  it 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


465 


were  of  white  serge,  who  said  to 
me :  Go  ;  I  will  not  desert  thee.  And 
I  knew  it  was  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
though  I  saw  not  her  face.  This 
reassured  me,  and  gave  me  courage 
to  undertake  the  voyage.'  After 
this  vision,  Sister  Margaret  no  longer 
hesitated  to  set  out.  Yet  still  her 
great  prudence  made  her  fear  that 
it  might  be  an  illusion;  knowing 
that  God  conducts  his  children  by 
the  common  rules  of  faith,  and  not 
by  extraordinary  means.  '  After 
this  apparition,'  says  she,  '  being 
fearful  of  illusions,  I  considered  that 
if  this  one  were  from  God,  I  had 
nothing  to  provide  for  my  voyage. 
I  said  to  myself,  K  it  be  the  will 
of  God  that  I  should  go  to  Yille- 
mario,  I  have  no  need  of  anything ; 
whereupon  I  set  out  without  a 
penny  or  a  box  of  any  kind,  having 
with  me  only  a  small  bundle  which 
I  could  carry  under  my  arm.' 

"  We  cannot  suflQ,ciently  admire 
the  heroism  of  such  perfect  confi- 
dence in  God,  unexampled,  per- 
haps, except  by  that  of  the  holy 
Apostles  whose  spirit  was  still  man- 
ifested in  this  admirable  woman. 
Instead   of   laying    in   money   and 

*  Life  of  Sister  Bourgeoys,  pp.  41-43. 


clothes,  so  necessary  in  a  new  coun- 
try which  as  yet  produced  nothing 
of  itself  for  the  sustenance  of  life, 
but  had  to  import  all  from  Europe, 
she  strips  herself,  on  the  contrary, 
of  all  she  has,  and  distributes 
amongst  the  poor  even  the  little 
money  she  possesses,  placing  her 
trust  in  God  alone."* 

While  journeying  to  and  fro,  pre- 
paring for  her  embarkation.  Sister 
Bourgeoys  took  her  passage  in  a 
boat  from  Orleans  to  Nantes.  There 
were  twelve  or  thirteen  passengers 
on  board  besides  the  crew,  and 
amongst  these  there  was  only  one 
woman;  yet  Sister  Bourgeoys  con- 
trived to  make  all  those  men  sanc- 
tify the  voyage  by  many  pious 
practices.  Every  day  they  said  the 
beads,  recited  the  of&ce  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  and  read  a  portion 
of  some  pious  book.f 

All  this  time  M.  de  Maisonneuve 
was  hurrying  on  his  preparations 
under  the  direction  of  M.  Olier: 
they  had  secured  the  assistance  of 
another  pious  lady.  Mademoiselle 
Manse,  who  was  to  take  charge  of 
the  sick  in  the  new  colony.  It  was 
the  intention  of  M.  Olier  to  conse- 

f  Vie  de  la  Soeur  Bourgeoys,  tome  i.,  p.  52. 


466  HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


crate  the  island  of  Montreal  to  the 
Holy  Family,  and  for  that  purpose  he 
proposed  to  establish  three  different 
institutes :  that  of  his  own  order  of 
St  Sulpice,  for  the  forming  and  main- 
tenance of  the  priesthood,  in  honor 
of  Our  Lord  and  Saviour,  Jesus 
Christ ;  that  of  the  Congregation  of 
Om*  Lady,  for  the  education  of 
females,  in  honor  of  Our  Blessed 
Lady;  and  that  of  the  Hospital 
Nuns,  lor  the  care  of  the  sick  and 
diseased,  in  honor  of  her  illustri- 
ous spouse,  St.  Joseph.  Come  we 
now  to  the  actual  foundation  of 
the  city,  which  I  will  give  in  the 
simple,  graphic  words  of  M.  Olier's 
biographer. 

"  In  the  month  of  February,  1642, 
he  assembled  in  the  chm^ch  of  Notre 
Dame  all  the  members  of  the  com- 
pany of  Montreal,  celebrated  the 
Holy  Mass  at  the  Virgin's  altar, 
where  he  gave  communion  to  those 
who  were  not  priests,  whilst  the 
latter  celebrated  at  the  neighbor- 
ing altars;  and  all  consecrated  the 
island  to  the  Holy  Family,  under 
the  special  protection  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  and  consecrated  themselves 
to  that  pious  intention.  On  leaving 
the  church,   they   repaired    to   the 


f  Hotel  de  Loson,  to  concert  the 
means  of  consolidating  the  good 
work.  It  was  resolved  that  they 
should  freight  at  least  three  vessels, 
to  convey  to  Montreal  as  many  de- 
cent families  of  different  states  as 
they  could  find  willing  to  emigrate ; 
that  they  should  take  possession  of 
the  island  in  the  name  of  the  Bless- 
ed Virgin,  who  was  always  to  be 
regarded  as  its  first  and  true  mis- 
tress, and  that,  with  the  king's  per- 
mission, they  would  build  a  city  on 
it,  to  be  called  Villemarie. 

"  On  the  17th  of  May  following, 
the  little  troop  (having  passed  the 
winter  in  Quebec)  at  length  arrived 
at  Montreal.  Immediately  on  land- 
ing, they  prostrated  themselves  on 
the  shore,  and,  in  the  transports  of 
their  holy  enthusiasm,  they  sang 
.  several  psalms,  to  testify  their  grati- 
tude to  God.  In  the  place  destined 
for  the  new  city,  they  erected  tents 
for  their  own  accommodation,  and 
then  proceeded  to  raise  an  altar, 
where,  next  day,  Father  Vimont, 
after  the  Veni  Q-eator,  first  cele- 
brated the  holy  sacrifice,  and  ex- 
posed the  Blessed  Sacrament,  to 
obtain  from  heaven  an  auspicious 
commencement  to  that  pious  work. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


467 


It  was  in  a  chapel  constructed  of 
bark  that  the  Ble&sed  Sacrament 
was  first  placed,  and  it  has  ever 
since  been  preserved  in  Yille-Marie. 
As  the  country  furnished  neither  oil 
nor  wax,  they  placed  before  the 
tabernacle  which  they  brought  from 
France,  instead  of  a  lamp,  a  glass 
vial  containing  a  number  of  fireflies, 
insects  which,  when  there  are  sev- 
eral of  them  put  together,  produce 
a  li2;ht  like  that  of  numerous  wax 
tapers.* 

"Such  was  the  beginning  of 
Yille-Marie,"  adds  the  biographer, 
and  it  will  at  once  be  seen  from  his 
description,  that  the  foundation  of 
the  city  of  Montreal  was  essentially 
a  religious  one,  resembling  that  of 
a  monastery  rather  than  a  city.  We 
are  inclined  to  think  that  no  other 
city  was  ever  founded  under  cir- 
cumstances so  interesting  or  so  edi- 
fying. The  motives  of  its  founders 
were  of  a  purely  religious  nature ; 
they  had  no  thoughts  of  aggrandiz- 
ing themselves  or  even  their  nation ; 
they  desired  not  to  enrich  them- 
selves by  drawing  forth  the  natural 
resources  of  the  country;  its  wealth 
of  woods,  and  waters,  and  minerals, 

*  Vie  de  M.  Olier,  abregee. 


gave  them  no  concern;  their  sole 
ambition  was  to  promote  the  glory 
of  God  and  the  salvation  of  men, 
and  to  do  honor  to  their  sovereign 
lady  and  mistress,  the  Blessed  Mo-- 
ther  of  God.  Assured  of  her  pro- 
tection, they  calmly  prosecuted  their 
work  of  building  habitations  for 
themselves,  fearing  neither  the  sav- 
age Iroquois  of  the  surrounding 
woods,  nor  the  severity  of  the  cli- 
mate, nor  the  privations  of  every 
kind  yet  to  be  endured.  They  were 
doing  the  will  of  God,  and  working 
for  Mary,  their  beloved  queen,  and 
all  considerations  of  a  purely  per- 
sonal or  selfish  nature  were  forgot- 
ten. 

During  the  first  days  of  the  col- 
ony's existence,  the  river  St.  Law- 
rence rose  in  fury  one  Christmas 
eve,  threatening  to  sweep  away  the 
little  inclosure  of  stakes  which  then 
contained  the  whole  of  Montreal. 
M.  de  Maisonneuve,  the  pious  gov- 
ernor of  the  island,  made  a  vow 
that  if  the  fort  were  preserved,  he 
would  plant  a  wooden  cross  on  the 
summit  of  the  mountain  which  over- 
hung the  infant  city.  The  waters 
retired  after  some  time,  without  do- 
ing any  injury,  and  the  grateful  gov- 


ids 


History  of  the  devotion  to  the  blessed  virgin  mart. 


ernor  planted  the  cross  as  he  had  * 
promised.  This  cross  was  desti-oyed 
soon  after  by  the  Iroquois,  but  when 
Sister  Bourgeoys  amved  in  the  col- 
ony, she  prevailed  upon  M.  de  Mai- 
sonneuve  to  have  it  put  up  again, 
and  it  continued  to  be  a  place  of 
pilgrimage  for  several  years,  not- 
withstanding that  the  woods  around 
it  were  infested  by  the  ferocious 
Iroquois,  who  took  every  opportu- 
nity of  attacking  those  who  went  to 
pray  there.  Yet  many  did  go  for 
some  time  after  the  replanting  of 
the  cro^s,  to  perform  novenas  and 
other  devotions  for  the  conversion 
of  the  savages.  In  the  lapse  of 
time  there  was  a  mission  estab- 
lished on  the  mountain,  and  the 
savages  began  to  gather  to  the 
place:  hitherto  they  could  never 
be  induced  to  settle  on  the  island. 
A  school-house  and  a  small  chapel 
were  built ;  the  latter  dedicated  to 
Our  Lady  of  Snow — Notre  Bame  des 
NeigeSj  around  which  a  pretty  vil- 
lage has  since  sprung  up. 

The  good  Sister  Bourgeoys  suc- 
ceeded, after  some  years,  in  forming 
her  admirable  institute  under  the 
title  of  the  Congregation  of  Our 
Lady,  but  not  without  having  her 


full  share  of  the  sufferings  and  pri- 
vations of  the  infant  colony.  At 
first,  she  went  from  house  to  house 
teaching,  but  her  strength  soon  be- 
gan to  fail  under  this  excessive 
fatigue ;  she  was  then  presented  by 
the  governor  (in  the  name  of  the 
company)  with  a  stone  building 
which  had  been  used  as  a  stable ;  * 
here  she  commenced  her  school,  her- 
self and  her  four  assistants  sleeping 
in  a  sort  of  loft  to  which  they  as- 
cended by  a  ladder.  This  humble 
building,  cleaned  and  ornamented 
by  the  pious  sister  as  well  as  her 
poverty  would  permit,  was  convert- 
ed into  a  school-house,  and  formed 
the  foundation  of  the  stately  con- 
vent now  known  as  the  Congrega- 
tion Nunnery.  After  considerable 
delay  and  many  disappointments. 
Sister  Bourgeoys  was  so  happy  as 
to  see  a  chapel  erected  near  her 
school-house,  in  honor  of  Our  Lady 
of  Good  Aid — Notre  Dame  de  Bon 
Secours. 

"Nothing  could  be  more  touch- 
ing," says  the  reverend  biographer 
of  Sister  Bourgeoys,  "  than  ^he  dis- 
interested and  courageous  charity 
of  these  fervent  colonists  for  each 

*  Vie  de  la  Soeur  Bourgeoys,  t.  i.,  p.  93. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


469 


other.  M.  de  Maisonneuve  had  f 
formed  amongst  them  a  company  of 
soldiers  styled  the  Blessed  Ykgin's 
Company,  who  were  to  be  ready  at 
any  time  to  sacrifice  their  lives  to 
preserve  those  of  the  other  colo- 
nists, and  kept  guard  night  and  day 
around  the  houses  and  fields,  where 
the  savages  were  accustomed  to  con- 
ceal themselves  in  order  to  surprise 
the  colony.  'M.  de  Maisonneuve,' 
says  Sister  Bourgeoys,  '  had  enrolled 
sixty-three  of  these  soldiers,  in  hon- 
or of  the  number  of  years  which 
the  Blessed  Virgin  is  thought  to 
have  passed  on  earth.  Every  Sun- 
day he  appointed  certain  of  their 
number  to  receive  daily  during  the 
ensuing  week,  and  gave  them  a 
pious  exhortation.  When  these  sol- 
diers mounted  guard,  it  was  always 
with  prayer;  and  when  they  had 
any  religious  duty  to  fulfill,  they 
were  taken  to  the  church,  where 
they  said  their  prayers  and  per- 
formed their  other  devotions  in 
common,  with  every  appearance  of 
satisfaction.' "  * 

Meanwhile,  Mademoiselle  Manse 
had  her  hospital  already  in  opera- 
tion, under   the   title   of  the   Hotel 

*  Vie  de  la  Soeur  Bourgeoys,  t.  i.,  p.  77,  78.         ^ 


BieiL  M.  Olier  being  unable  to 
come  himself  to  Montreal  as  he  had 
desired,  the  governor  prevailed  upon 
him  to  send  four  of  his  ecclesiastics 
to  establish  a  seminary  there  for  the 
education  of  priests  and  to  minister 
to  the  spiritual  wants  6f  the  rising 
colony,  the  Jesuit  Fathers  having 
no  permanent  settlement  there,  and 
being  desirous  of  devoting  them- 
selves in  a  particular  manner  to 
their  missions  amongst  the  Indians. 
From  this  time  the  colony  pro- 
gressed rapidly  under  the  pastoral 
and  paternal  care  of  the  pious  Sul- 
picians,  who,  in  the  course  of  some 
years,  became  seigneurs  or  proprie- 
tors of  the  island  of  Montreal,  which 
was  transferred  to  them  by  the  com- 
pany. 

During  the  whole  period  of  her 
long  life,  Sister  Bourgeoys  continued 
to  labor,  under  the  patronage  of 
Mary,  for  the  spiritual  and  tempo- 
ral welfare  of  the  colony.  Not  con- 
tent with  training  up  her  pupils  in 
the  way  of  godliness  and  virtue, 
she  instituted  an  External  Congre- 
gation, consisting  of  those  young 
women  who  had  been  brought  up 
in  her  schools.  This  excellent  con- 
fraternity is  still  kept  up  in  Mont- 


A70 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


real  under  the  title  of  the  Confra- 
ternity of  Our  Lady  of  Victory. 

About  the  same  time  was  formed 
the  pious  confraternity  of  the  Holy 
Family,  which  grew  out  of  the  three 
religious  comnumities  already  in 
existence.  The  object  of  this  asso- 
ciation was  to  place  before  Chris- 
tian families  the  example  of  Jesus, 
Mary,  and  Joseph ;  the  men  to  form 
their  conduct  on  that  of  St.  Joseph, 
the  women  on  that  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  and  the  children  on  that  of 
the  child  Jesus.*  This  confrater- 
nity is  also  in  existence  at  the 
present  time. 

In  1673,  the  wooden  chapel  of 
Our  Lady  of  Good  Aid  was  replaced 
by  one  of  stone  on  the  following 
occasion.  Amongst  the  members 
of  the  company  of  Montreal,  before 
it  made  over  the  island  to  the  Sul- 
picians,  there  were  two  brothers 
named  Le  Pretre,  lords  of  Fleury, 
in  France.  They  were  both  very 
pious,  and  having  a  peculiar  devo- 
tion to  the  Blessed  Virgin,  they 
were  exceedingly  anxious  to  pro- 
mote the  prosperity  of  her  new  city. 
For  this  purpose  they  made  a  sac- 
rifice   highly   honorable    to    them- 

*  Vie  de  la  Sceur  Bourgeoys,  t.  i.,  p.  170. 


^  selves,  and  well  calculated  to  prove 
their  generous  devotion.  They  had, 
in  the  chapel  of  their  castle,  a  small 
statue  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  which 
had  been  an  object  of  particular 
veneration  for  more  than  a  century. 
The  desire  of  promoting  the  devo- 
tion to  Mary  in  a  colony  specially 
consecrated  to  her,  induced  them  to 
send  this  precious  treasure  to  Mont- 
real, with  a  request  that  it  might 
be  placed  in  a  chapel  dedicated 
to  the  Mother  of  God.  Sister  Bour- 
geoys happened  just  then  to  be  in 
France  on  some  important  business 
for  the  colony,  and  to  her  care  the 
statue  was  confided.  It  was  but 
six  or  eight  inches  in  height,  skill- 
fully carved  in  brown  wood.  The 
niche  wherein  it  stood  was  of  gilt 
wood,  adorned  with  sculpture  and 
with  precious  stones.  This  statue 
was  at  first  deposited  in  the  little 
wooden  chapel,  but  the  piety  of  the 
colonists  did  not  permit  it  to  re- 
main long  in  that  humble  abode. 
They  resolved  to  erect  a  stone  build- 
ing; and  on  the  30th  of  January, 
1673,  the  first  stone  was  solemnly 
blessed  by  the  Superior  of  the  sem- 
inary, amidst  a  general  assembly  of 
aU  the  inhabitants   of  the   island. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


471 


This  church  was  consecrated  on  the 
25th  of  August,  1675,  and  was  the 
first  stone  church  erected  on  the 
island  of  Montreal.*  Every  day  a 
priest  went  there  to  say  mass ;  and 
when  Mary's  festivals  came  round, 
they  were  celebrated  with  so  much 
pomp  and  solemnity,  that  the  peo- 
ple gathered  from  all  parts,  and  the 
place  became  a  famous  pilgrimage. 
It  became  the  term  of  public  pro- 
cessions, and  in  times  of  danger 
or  calamity,  the  faithful  hastened 
thither  to  offer  up  their  supplica- 
tions. 

In  1754,  the  church  of  Bon  Se- 
cours  was  burned  in  a  conflagra- 
tion which  destroyed  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  city ;  but  "  great  was 
the  astonishment  of  all  the  world, 
and  great  the  consolation  of  vir- 
tuous souls,  when,  on  searching 
amongst  the  ruins,  the  venerated 
image  of  Our  Lady  of  Good  Aid 
was  found  in  a  state  of  perfect 
preservation."  f 

War  and  famine  visited  the  land, 
so  as  to  keep  the  public  mind  in  an 
unsettled  and  anxious  state,  and  it 

*  Manuel  du  Pelerin  de  Notre  Dame  de  Bon 
Secours  a  Montreal,  pp.  14,  15. 
t  Ibid.,  p.  21. 


*  was  many  years  before  the  project 
of  rebuilding  the  church  could  be 
carried  into  execution.  On  the  30th 
of  June,  1771,  the  first  stone  of  the 
new  building  was  laid.  This  stone 
bore  the  inscription : 

ET 

Beat^  Mari^  Auxiliatrici 
sub  titulo  assumptionis. 

High  up  in  the  wall  of  the  church, 
overlooking  the  St.  Lawrence,  there 
was  a  figure  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 
placed  in  a  niche,  inviting  all  those 
who  sailed  up  or  down  the  river  to 
invoke  the  Star  of  the  Sea.  Time, 
and  the  action  of  the  elements,  have 
long  since  destroyed  this  venerable 
image. 

There  was  in  Montreal  another 
interesting  monument  of  past  times, 
also  dedicated  to  Our  Lady ;  a  church 
which  formerly  belonged  to  the 
R^collet  Fathers,  and  from  them 
popularly  named  the  Church  of  the 
R^collets.  It  subsequently  belong- 
ed to  a  congregation  of  men  piously 
associated  together  under  the  pat- 
ronage of  Our  Blessed  Lady.  It 
bore  on  its  fi-ont  the  date,  1725. 
This  venerable  structure  is  now  no 
longer  in  existence. 


47S 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO  THE  BLESSED  VIHOIN  MART. 


But  we  have  yet  to  speak  of  the 
noblest  monument  of  piety  ever 
erected  in  these  northern  regions — 
the  parish  church  of  Montreal,  dedi- 
cated to  Almighty  God,  under  the 
invocation  of  Our  Lady.  This  mag- 
nificent structure  is  built  in  that 
stately  style  of  architecture  which 
characterized  the  old  French  and 
Flemish  cathedrals  of  the  Middle 
Ages,  and  though,  perhaps,  not 
quite  so  florid  as  most  of  them,  its 
exterior  is  of  rare  beauty.  Two 
lofty  towei-s  rise  on  either  side  of 
the  portal ;  *  in  one  of  these  there 
is  a  bell  which  weighs  29,400  lbs., 
and  in  the  other  a  very  good  chime 
of  bells ;  the  bourdon^  or  great  bell, 
is  only  rung  on  solemn  occasions, 
and  when  it  is,  its  deep,  booming 
sound,  is  heard  reverberating  for 
miles  along  the  river.  The  interior 
is  divided  by  two  rows  of  lofty 
pillars  into  a  nave,  and  two  lateral 
aisles,  with  a  spacious  choir,  sur- 
rounded by  the  stalls  of  the  rever- 
end Sulpicians  to  whom  the  church 
belongs.  The  roof  is  groined  and 
arched.     There   are  two  ranges  of 

*  The  height  of  the  principal  towers  is  220 
feet,  and  of  the  others  115  feet  each  ;  the  great 
window  behind  the  high  altar  is  64  feet  in  height, 


f  galleries  running  around  three  sides 
of  the  walls,  and  opposite  the  choir, 
just  over  the  principal  entrance,  is 
the  organ-loft.  Over  the  high  altar 
is  a  niche  containing  a  statue  of 
Our  Lady,  nearly  of  life-size.  In 
the  side  aisles  there  are  several 
chapels,  with  altars  and  balustrad- 
ing  of  dark  wood,  handsomely  orna- 
mented. One  of  these  is  dedicated 
to  the  Infant  Jesus,  another  to  St. 
Amable.  These  two  are  on  either 
side  of  the  high  altar.  There  is 
also  one  bearing  the  name  of  St. 
Joseph,  and  another  that  of  St. 
Anne.  Each  of  these  has  a  hand- 
some altar-piece.  The  nave  is  lit 
by  chandeliers  of  the  most  costly 
kind,  and  the  aisles  by  oil-lamps. 
Before  each  of  the  altars  where  the 
Blessed  Sacrament  is  kept,  there 
hangs  a  heavy  silver  lamp  of  an- 
tique style  and  workmanship.  Take 
it  for  all  in  all,  it  is  a  superb  me- 
mento of  Catholic  piety  and  devo- 
tion to  the  Blessed  Virgin. 

Quebec  is  scarcely  behind  Mont- 
real in  devotion  to  the  Mother  of 
God.      One   of   the    first   churches 


by  32  in  width.  The  total  number  of  pews  is 
1,244,  capable  of  seating  between  six  and  seven 
thousand  persons.  ( Guide  to  the  Cities  of  Canada. ) 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


473 


founded  in  the  city  was  that  of  Our  ' 
Lady  of  Victory,  where  the  faithful 
still  go  to  invoke  the  aid  of  her  who 
is  truly  the  Help  of  Christians.  The 
Sisters  of  the  Congregation  have  an 
establishment  in  Quebec,  as  they 
have  in  various  parts  of  the  coun- 
try, and  wherever  they  have  charge 
of  the  rising  generation  of  women, 
Mary  is  sure  to  be  loved  and  hon- 
ored. 

Space  will  not  permit  me  to  par- 
ticularize all  the  churches  and 
chapels  dedicated  to  Our  Blessed 
Lady  in  Canada ;  suffice  it  to  say, 
that  many  of  the  parish  churches 
bear  her  name,  and  that,  in  all  the 
cities  and  toAvns,  there  is  one  altar 
dedicated  to  her  wherever  there  is  a 
second  one  in  the  church.  Through- 
out the  rural  districts  Mary  reigns 
supreme :  her  festivals  are  cele- 
brated with  all  possible  solenmity, 
and  her  altars  adorned  as  richly  as 
the  means  of  the  people  will  allow. 
There  is  scarcely  a  family  all  the 
country  over  without  a  Mary,  and  it 
is  no  unfrequent  thing,  amongst  the 
French  Canadians,  to  find  several 

*  There  are  also  wooden  crosses  erected,  at 
short  intervals,  to  remind  the  people  of  Christ's 
passion  and  death  ;  they  are  generally  accom- 


^  daughters  of  the  same  family  bear- 
ing the  name  of  Mary  in  addition  to 
their  distinctive  appellations.  La 
Sainte  Vierge  is  still  the  chosen 
patroness  of  all  Lower  Canada,  and 
it  may  with  truth  be  said  that  the 
wives  and  mothers  of  that  province 
are  entirely  devoted  to  that  great 
Queen,  and  live,  for  the  most  part, 
as  becomes  her  servants.  Lower 
Canada  is  essentially  Catholic — a 
fact  which  stares  the  traveller  in 
the  face  as  he  journeys  along  the 
peaceful  highways.  At  every  few 
miles  he  will  perceive  a  pretty 
parish  church  raising  its  cross- 
crowned  steeple,  and  over  its  por- 
tal, perhaps,  a  small  statue  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  set  in  a  niche.  The 
exterior  of  these  churches  is  simple 
enough,  but  within  they  are,  in 
general,  well  finished  and  tastefully 
decorated.* 

And  the  sweet  Mother  of  Chris- 
tians is  not  insensible  to  all  this 
homage :  many  and  many  a  time 
has  she  manifested  her  gratitude 
and  her  protecting  care  on  behalf 
of  these  good  Canadians.     Passing 

panied  by  some  of  the  instruments  of  Our  Sa- 
viour's torture — the  ladder,  the  spear,  the  crown 
of  thorns,  etc.,  and  inclosed  by  a  wooden  railing. 


474 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


over  the  numerous  instances  on  rec- 
ord, we  will  only  mention  two  which 
occurred  within  the  last  few  years 
in  view  of  the  whole  province. 

In  1847,  when  the  terrible  typhus 
fever  raged  in  Monti*eal  and  in  all 
the  ports  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  many 
of  the  priests  had  already  fallen  vic- 
tims to  the  dreadful  pestilence ;  the 
devoted  daughters  of  St.  Vincent  de 
Paul,  the  heroic  Sisters  of  Charity, 
had  suffered  severely,  no  less  than 
thirteen  of  their  number  having 
died  within  a  few  weeks ;  the  wor- 
thy bishop  of  Montreal  was  at 
length  attacked  by  the  fever  and 
the  whole  city  was  thrown  into  con- 
sternation. Then  it  was,  when  all 
human  succor  was  vain,  that  the 
faithful  had  recourse  to  the  Mother 
of  Mercy.  A  novena  was  made  in 
the  chm'ch  of  Bon  Secours  for  the 
recovery  of  the  bishop  ;  the  good 
prelate  himself  made  a  vow  that  if 
the  Blessed  Virgin  would  be  pleased 
to  arrest  the  progress  of  the  pesti- 
lence by  her  powerful  intercession, 
and  relieve  his  suffering  people,  he 
would  have  the  event  recorded  on 
canvas.  The  prayers  were  heard; 
the  vow  was  accepted;  the  fever 
stopped  its  ravages  almost  immedi- 


ately; the  bishop  recovered,  con- 
trary to  all  expectation,  and  a  hand- 
some painting  was  executed  by  his 
orders,  representing  the  Emigrant 
Sheds,  the  chief  scene  of  the  pesti- 
lence, the  Sisters  of  Charity,  and 
some  ecclesiastics  in  attendance  on 
the  sick,  with  the  Blessed  Virgin 
seated  on  a  cloud,  looking  down  on 
the  sufferings  and  the  charitable  la- 
bors of  her  faithful  servants.  The 
picture  was  placed  over  one  of  the 
side  altars  in  the  church  of  Bon 
Secours. 

The  other  instance  referred  to  oc- 
curred during  the  visitation  of  the 
cholera  to  Montreal  in  1849.  The 
disease  was  making  fearful  ravages 
amongst  the  people,  and  was  daily 
on  the  increase,  when  the  same 
pious  prelate*  had  again  recourse 
to  the  maternal  heart  of  Mary.  The 
statue  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  was 
borne  in  triumph  around  the  city, 
followed  by  a  vast  concourse  of  peo- 
ple, amounting,  it  was  thought,  to 
twenty  thousand,  walking  in  pro- 
cession with  banners  flying;  some 
of  the  pious  confraternities  reciting 
the  rosary   and   litany,  and  others 

*  The  Eight  Rev.  Ignatius  Bourget,  titular 
^    bishop  of  Montreal. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


475 


singing  hymns.  After  visiting  some 
others  of  the  churches,  the  proces- 
sion returned  to  that  of  Our  Lady 
of  Secour,  and  the  scene  at  that  mo- 
ment was  one  which  the  mind  can- 
not easily  forget.  It  was  a  lovely 
evening,  and  a  lovely  sight,  when 
the  gray,  soft,  summer  twilight  faded 
into  night,  and  the  vast  multitude 
knelt  in  front  of  the  quaint  old 
church,  lighted  up  and  wreathed 
with  flowers  as  for  a  joyous  festival. 
Above  was  the  cloudless  sky,  where 
Mary  sits  enthroned  beside  her  di- 
vine Son,  and  below,  at  the  end  of 
a  long  vista  of  glittering  lights  and 
over-arching  boughs,  was  seen  the 
statue  of  that  amiable  Virgin,  re- 
minding the  thousand,  thousand 
supplicants,  of  her  many  claims  on 
their  confidence  and  affection.  Dur- 
ing the  solemn  Benediction  of  the 
Blessed  Sacrament,  the  multitude 
without  and  within  the  church 
joined  in  fervent  prayer.  Our  Lady 
of  Bon  Secours  again  extended  her 
protecting  arm  over  her  own  city, 
and  in  a  few  days  the  cholera  dis- 
appeared from  Montreal. 

In  gratitude  for  this  last  favor, 
the  good  bishop  replaced  the  statue 
of  Our  Lady  by  one  larger  and  more 


richly  adorned,  which  was  borne  in 
solemn  procession  to  the  favorite 
shrine,  and  there  placed  over  the 
high  altar  in  regal  state.  A  crown- 
ed queen,  with  her  maternal  arms 
extended  to  embrace  her  humble 
clients.  Our  Lady  stands,  as  we  see 
her  in  the  pictures  of  the  Immacu- 
late Conception. 

In  the  cities  of  Lower  Canada, 
the  devotion  to  Mary  is  carried  on 
with  pious  fervor.  The  different 
confraternities  belonging  to  her  are 
all  in  a  flourishing  condition.  That 
of  the  Holy  Scapular  is  diffused  all 
over  the  country,  and  the  society 
of  the  Living  Rosary  is  daily  gain- 
ing ground.  The  arch-confraternity 
of  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Mary  for  the 
Conversion  of  Sinners  was  estab- 
lished several  years  ago  in  Mont- 
real, and  it  has  borne  good  fruit  in 
the  numerous  souls  reclaimed  from 
a  life  of  sin  through  the  prayers 
of  its  members  and  the  compas- 
sionate goodness  of  the  ever-Blessed 
Virgin. 

Upper,  or  Western  Canada,  is  still 
far  behind  the  sister  province  in  re- 
ligion, owing  to  the  comparatively 
small  number  of  Catholics  settled 
there.     Indeed,  the  interior   of  the 


476 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY, 


country  is  even  yet  but  thinly  peo- 
pled, but  its  population  is  rapidly 
on  the  increase,  and  the  zealous 
missionaries  of  the  Cross  are  lo- 
cated here  and  there  at  regular  in- 
tervals, like  sentinels  at  their  post. 
The  Chui'ch  of  Upper  Canada  is 
growing  fast  under  the  watchful 
care  of  the  bishops.  These  eminent 
prelates  are  all  fervently  devoted 
to  Mary,  and  are  using  their  best 
endeavors,  in  concert  with  their 
respective  clergy,  to  promote  her 
honor  and  glory ;  to  enrol  the  faith- 
ful in  her  confraternities,  and  to 
place  churches  under  her  invoca- 
tion. Convents  are  already  estab- 
lished in  each  of  the  cities,  and 
both  Kingston  and  Toronto  have 
magnificent  cathedrals ;  Ottawa,  too, 
has  a  large  and  handsome  cathe- 
dral, erected  within  the  last  few 
years. 

In  the  lower  provinces  of  British 
America  religion  begins  to  raise  her 
head.  Nova  Scotia,  New  Bruns- 
wick, Prince  Edward  Island,  and  the 
island  of  Newfoundland,  have  now 
their  titular  bishops,  sufiragans  of 
the  archiepiscopal  see  of  Halifax. 
A  good  bishop  of  St.  John's,  N.  F.,* 
undertook  to  prosecute  the  building 


f  of  a  spacious  cathedral,  commenced 
many  years  before  by  his  predeces- 
sor,! and  nothing  could  equal  the 
enthusiasm  with  which  the  honest 
fishermen  of  Newfoundland  second- 
ed his  pious  undertaking.  The  peo- 
ple not  only  furnished  great  part 
of  the  building  materials,  but  drew 
them  to  the  spot,  and  the  church 
being  placed  on  a  steep  hill,  it  was 
no  easy  matter  to  draw  heavy  loads 
to  the  top.  But  this  was  no  obsta- 
cle, or  at  least  it  was  one  which 
the  piety  of  the  people  easily  over- 
came; it  was  no  uncommon  thing 
to  see  several  fishermen  drawing  a 
cart  up  the  hill  loaded  with  w^ood 
or  stone,  and  all  seemed  vieing  with 
each  other  who  should  do  most  to 
forward  the  work.  Every  one  gave 
what  he  could:  those  who  had  noth- 
ing else,  freely  gave  their  manual 
labor.  It  has  been  justly  observed 
that  never,  in  modern  times,  was 
the  faith  of  Catholics,  and  its  all- 
powerful  efficacy,  so  strikingly  dis- 
played as  in  the  building  of  a  su- 
perb cathedral  by  the  poor  fisher- 
men of  Newfoundland. 

*  The  late  lamented  Bishop  Mullock,  an  Irish 
Franciscan. 

t  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Fleming. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


477 


In  August,  1852,  there  was  a  pro- 
vincial synod  held  in  Quebec,  on 
which  occasion  nearly  all  the  pre- 
lates of  British  America  were  pres- 
ent either  in  person  or  by  proxy. 
The  bishops  of  Upper  Canada  were 
met  in  Montreal  by  some  of  the 
prelates  of  the  lower  provinces, 
and,  after  vespers  on  a  Sunday 
evening,  a  procession  was  formed 
consisting  of  the  greater  part  of  the 
Catholic  population  of  the  city,  to 
visit  Our  Blessed  Lady  in  her  shrine 
of  Bon  Secours,  and  to  implore  her 
blessing  on  the  council  about  to 
open  dm'ing  the  following  week ;  at 
the  head  of  the  procession  walked 
six  bishops  with  the  reverend  Su- 
perior of  the  seminary,  followed 
by  the  countless  multitude  of  the 
faithful.  A  solemn  benediction  was 
given  at  the  altar  of  Bon  Secours, 
and  one  of  the  prelates*  addressed 
die  people  from  the  steps  of  the 
church,  announcing  the  object  of 
the  approaching  assembly  in  Que- 
bec, and  soliciting  the  prayers  of 
the  people  on  behalf  of  their  pas- 

*  The   Right  Rev.  Armand  de   Charbonnel, 
then  bishop  of  Toronto. 

f  The  Chapel  of  Loretto  was  founded  by  the    i^ 


*  tors  during  the  sitting  of  the  coun- 
cil, that  the  Holy  Ghost  might  pre- 
side over  their  deliberations,  and 
that  Mary  might  be  with  them  as 
she  was  of  old  with  the  Apostles 
when  they  met  together.  This  scene 
is  one  of  tlje  proudest  and  most 
cherished  reminiscences  in  the  an- 
nals of  Montreal,  and  will,  we  doubt 
not,  be  related  with  pride  and  pleas- 
ure by  generations  yet  unborn. 

It  may  be  well  to  mention  here 
that  the  Indian  tribes  of  Canada 
are  for  the  most  part  firmly  at- 
tached to  the  Catholic  faith.  They 
have  a  large  settlement  near  Que- 
bec, named  Loretto ;  f  one  near  the 
southern  shore  of  the  St.  Lawrence, 
named  Caughnawaga,  some  miles 
above  Montreal,  and  another  on  the 
Lake  of  the  Two  Mountains,  an  ex- 
pansion of  the  river  Ottawa.  These 
people  are  extremely  simple  and 
well-disposed,  and  are  remarkable 
for  their  piety  and  reverence  for 
religion. 

When  Bishop  Flaget  visited  Can- 
ada, a  few  years  before  his  death. 


Jesuit  Father  Chaumonot,  in  fulfillment  of  a 
vow  made  by  him  in  France  ;  it  was  opened  for 
service  in  1674,  and  is  an  exact  counterpart  of 
the  famous  Santa  Gasa. 


478 


mSTORT  OF  "'HE  DEVOTION  TO  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


ho  was  taken  by  the  Sulpicians  of 
Montreal  to  visit  the  Indian  village 
on  the  Lake  of  the  Two  Mountains, 
where  an  old  schoolmate  of  his  was 
their  pastor.  Here  a  large  band  of 
Algonquins  came  to  visit  him  and 
to  receive  his  blessing.  They  bore 
before  them  a  crimson  banner,  in- 
scribed with  the  Ave  Maria  of  the 
Sulpicians;  and  falling  upon  their 
knees,  appeared  full  of  humility  and 
faith.  They  conducted  him  to  their 
village,  and  on  his  arrival,  he  was 
saluted  with  firing  of  cannon,  while 
all  the  inhabitants  were  on  their 
knees  to  receive  his  benediction. 
At  this  mass  the  Indians  chanted 
canticles  in  two  responding  choirs, 
and  the  bishop  was  moved  even  to 


*  tears.  He  next  visited  their  superb 
Calvary  carved  in  wood.*  This 
representation  of  Calvary  is  a  work 
of  great  ingenuity :  it  is  situated  on 
a  sand-hill  behind  the  village,  and 
is  used  by  the  Indians  as  a  sort  of 
pilgrimage.  "What  a  beautiful  proof 
is  here  of  the  maternal  tenderness 
of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  her 
wonderful  power  as  a  conservator 
of  the  human  race.  Had  not  these 
Algonquins  and  Ottawas  been  con- 
verted to  Catholicity,  and  remained 
faithful  to  its  precepts,  they  would 
in  all  probability  have  disappear- 
ed long  ago  from  the  face  of  the 
earth,  like  many  of  their  kindred 
tribes. 

*  lAfe  of  Bishop  Flaget,  p.  19L 


CHAPTER    XV. 

DEVOTION   TO    THE   BLESSED    VIRGIN   IN    THE    UNITED    STATES. 


Canada  and  the  f 
other  British 
provinces  were 
discovered  and 
settled  under 
the  auspices  of 
Mary,  the  same 
may  be  truly  said  of  the  Great 
West.  Father  Marquette,  the  illus- 
trious Jesuit  missionary,  who,  in 
pursuit  of  "  the  lost  sheep  "  through 
the  pathless  forests  of  the  West,  dis- 
covered the  great  river  since  known 
as  the  Mississippi,  tells  us  himself 
that  he  had  "  always  invoked  Mary 
since  he  had  been  in  the  Ottawa 
country,  to  obtain  of  God  the  grace 
to  be  able  to  visit  the  nations  on 
the  river  Mississippi."*  His  biog- 
rapher tells  us  that  "  from  his  pious 
mother  the  youthful  Marquette  im- 
bibed that  warm,  generous,  and  un- 
wavering devotion  to  the  Mother  of 
God,  which  m.akes  him  so  conspic- 
uous among  her  servants."  f  Mar- 
quette was,  in  relation  to  the  Mis- 

*  Life  of  Father  Marquette,  by  J.  G.  Shea, 


sissippi,  what  Jacques  C artier  was 
to  the  St.  Lawrence :  each  disclosed 
to  the  civilized  world  a  vast  region 
before  unknown,  and  both  were  ser- 
vants of  Mary.  No  other  discoverer, 
in  ancient  or  modern  times,  occupies 
so  grand  a  position  in  history  as  the 
Jesuit  Marquette.  Others  labored 
and  explored  at  the  bidding  of 
earthly  princes,  for  the  advance- 
ment of  human  science,  or,  perhaps, 
even  for  self-aggrandizement,  but 
Marquette  did  all,  undertook  all,  for 
the  greater  glory  of  God,  according  to 
the  well-known  motto  of  his  order : 
no  earthly  prince  or  princess  gave 
him  his  commission — Jesus  Christ 
was  his  sovereign,  and  Mary  "the 
patroness  of  his  mission."  Thus  we 
find  him  having  recourse  to  her  in 
all  his  doubts  and  dangers.  "De- 
spairing now  of  being  able  to  reach 
his  destined  goal  without  the  inter- 
position of  Heaven,  the  missionary 
turned  to  the  patroness  of  his  mis- 
sion, the  Blessed  Virgin  Immaculate, 

f  Narrative  of  Father  Marquette,  p.  6. 


480 


BISTORT  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


and  with  his  two  companions  began  f 
a  novena  in  her  honor.  Nor  was  his 
trust  betrayed,"  adds  the  biogra- 
pher; "God  heard  his  prayer,  and 
his  illness  ceased.  During  this 
painful  wintering,  which,  for  all  his 
expressions  of  comfort,  was  one  of 
great  hardship  and  suffering,  his 
hoiu*s  were  chiefly  spent  in  prayer. 
Convinced  that  the  term  of  his  ex- 
istence was  drawing  rapidly  to  a 
close,  he  consecrated  this  period  of 
quiet  to  the  exercises  of  a  spiritual 
retreat,  in  which  his  soul  overflowed 

*  lAfe  of  Father  Marquette,  p.  69. 

^  Ihid. 

X  The  account  of  the  death  of  this  famous 
missionary  is  so  very  beautiful  that  we  cannot 
forbear  giving  it  here.  "  Calmly  and  cheerfully 
he  saw  the  approach  of  death,  for  which  he  pre- 
pared by  assiduous  prayer;  his  oflSlce  he  regu- 
larly recited  to  the  last  day  of  his  life;  a  medita- 
tion on  death,  which  he  had  long  since  prepared 
for  this  hour,  he  now  made  the  subject  of  his 
thoughts;  and  as  his  kind  but  simple  compan- 
ions seemed  overwhelmed  at  the  prospect  of 
their  approaching  loss,  he  blessed  some  water 
with  the  usual  ceremonies,  gave  his  companions 
directions  how  to  act  in  his  last  moments,  how 
to  arrange  his  body  when  dead,  and  to  commit 
it  to  the  earth  with  the  ceremonies  he  pre- 
scribed. He  now  seemed  but  to  seek  a  grave. 
At  last  perceiving  the  mouth  of  a  river  which 
still  bears  his  name,  he  pointed  to  an  eminence 
as  the  place  of  his  buriaL  .  .  .  His  companions 
then  erected  a  Uttle  bark  cabin,  and  stretched 
the  dying  missionary  beneath  it  as  comfortably 
as  their  want  permitted  them.     Still  a  priest, 


with  heavenly  consolation,  as  rising 
above  its  frail  and  now  totterins; 
tenement,  it  soared  towards  that 
glorious  home  it  was  so  soon  to 
enter."  *  Wlien  opening  a  new  mis- 
sion amongst  the  savages,  we  find 
him  adorning  the  rustic  altar  which 
he  had  raised  with  pictures  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  under  whose  invo- 
cation he  had  placed  his  new  mis- 
sion ;  f  and  when  he  felt  his  end 
approaching,  the  names  of  Jesus 
and  Mary  were  ever  on  his  lips.J 
He  died  as  he  had  lived,  devoted  to 

rather  than  a  man,  he  thousjht  of  his  ministry, 
and,  for  the  last  time,  heard  the  confessions  of 
his  companions,  and  encouraged  them  to  rely 
with  confidence  on  the  protection  of  God,  then 
sent  them  to  take  the  repose  they  so  much 
needed.  When  he  felt  his  agony  approaching, 
he  called  them,  and  taking  his  crucifix  from 
around  his  neck,"  he  placed  it  in  their  hands, 
and  thanked  the  Almighty  for  the  favor  of  per- 
mitting him  to  die  a  Jesuit,  a  missionary,  and 
alone.  Ilien  he  relapsed  into  silence,  inter- 
rupted only  by  his  pious  aspirations,  till  at  last, 
with  the  names  of  Jesus  and  Mary  on  his  lips, 
with  his  eyes  raised  as  if  in  ecstasy  above  his 
crucifix,  with  his  face  all  radiant  with  joy,  he 
passed  from  the  scene  of  his  labors  to  the  God 
who  was  to  be  his  rev/ard.  Obedient  to  his 
directions,  his  companions,  when  the  first  out- 
bursts of  grief  were  over,  laid  out  the  body  for 
burial,  and  to  the  sound  of  his  little  chapel-bell, 
bore  it  slowly  to  the  spot  which  he  had  pointed 
out.  Here  they  committed  his  body  to  the 
earth,  and  raising  a  cross  above  it,  returned  to 
their  now  desolate  cabin.     Such  was  the  edify- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


481 


the  Mother  of  God,  who  had  ever 
been  the  especial  object  of  his  love 
and  veneration.  "  The  privilege," 
says  his  biographer,  "  which  the 
Church  honors  under  the  title  of 
the  Immaculate  Conception,  was  the 
constant  object  of  his  thoughts; 
from  his  earliest  youth,  he  daily  re- 
cited the  little  office  of  the  Immac- 
ulate Conception,  and  fasted  every 
Saturday  in  Our  Lady's  honor.  As 
a  missionary,  a  variety  of  devotions 
directed  to  the  same  end,  still  show 
his  love  for  her,  and  to  her  he 
turned  in  all  his  trials.  When  he 
discovered  the  great  river,  when  he 
founded  his  new  mission,  he  gave  it 
the  name  of  the  Conception,  and  no 
letter,  it  is  said,  ever  came  from  his 
hand  that  did  not  contain  the  words, 
''  Blessed  Yirgin  Immaculate."  The 
smile  that  lighted  up  his  dying  face, 
induced  his  companions  to  believe 
that  she  had  appeared  before  the 
eyes  of  her  devoted  client.* 

That  the  Blessed  Virgin  took  an 
active  part  in  the  discovery  of  the 
Mississippi,  no  candid  mind  can 
doubt.     Marquette  himself  tells  us 

ing  and  holy  death  of  the  illustrious  explorer  of 
the  Mississippi,  on  Saturday,  18th  May,  1675." 
r-Lif^  of  Father  Marquette,  p.  Ixxi. 


*  in  his  narrative  that  "he  put  his 
voyage  under  her  protection,  prom- 
ising her,  that  if  she  did  them  the 
favor  to  discover  the  great  river,  he 
would  give  it  the  name  of  Concep- 
tion, and  that  he  would  also  give 
that  name  to  the  first  mission  which 
he  should  establish  among  those 
new  nations,  as  he  actually  did 
among  the  Illinois."!  .  .  .  The  name 
which  the  pious  missionary  gave  to 
the  Mississippi  is  found  only  in  his 
own  narrative,  and  on  the  map 
which  accompanies  it.  The  name 
of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  which 
he  gave  to  the  mission  among  the 
Kaskaskias,  was  retained  as  long  as 
that  mission  lasted,  and  is  now  the 
title  of  the  church  in  the  present 
town  of  Kaskaskia.  Although  his 
wish  was  not  realized  in  the  name 
of  the  great  river,  it  has  been  ful- 
filled in  the  fact  that  the  Blessed 
Yirgin,  under  the  title  of  the  Im- 
maculate Conception,  has  been  cho- 
sen by  the  prelates  of  the  United 
States  assembled  in  a  national  coun- 
cil, as  the  patroness  of  the  whole 
country,  so  that  not  only  in  the  vast 

*  Life  of  Father  Marquette,  p.  Ixxii 
•f  Narrative,  see.  L  p.  8. 


482 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


valley  of  the  Mississippi,  but  from  * 
the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  the 
Blessed  Virgin  Immaculate  is  as 
deal*  to  every  American  Catholic  as 
IS  Our  Lady  of  Guadaloupe  to  our 
Mexican  neighbors."  * 

The  immediate  successors  of  Mar- 
quette in  the  evangelization  of  the 
western  regions  were  scarcely  less 
devoted  to  Mary  than  he  was  him- 
self. Thus  we  find  Father  Henne- 
pin, a  R^collet  friar,  during  his 
missions  on  the  Upper  Mississippi, 
chanting  the  Litany  of  the  Blessed 
Vii-gin  as  he  journeyed  with  his 
Indians  in  a  canoe  on  the  great 
river.  The  name  of  Mary,  and  the 
glorious  titles  wherewith  the  Church 
delights  to  honor  her,  were  among 
the  first  sounds  that  awoke  the 
slumbering  echoes  of  the  Father  of 
Waters  after  its  discovery  by  Euro- 
peans. 

When  the  great  valley  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi became  partially  peopled 
by  settlers  from  the  different  nations 
of  Europe,  religion  continued  to 
progress  until  the  fatal  breaking  up 
of  the  Jesuit  missions,  when  those 
zealous  champions  of  the  Cross  were 

*  NarrcUive  of  Father  Marquette,  sec.  i.,  p.  8, 
note. 


forced  to  leave  the  rich  harvest  of 
their  toil  to  be  gathered  in  by 
others;  then  the  scattered  flock, 
being  deprived  of  pastoral  care, 
and  surrounded  by  a  half-heathen 
population,  began  to  lose  the  fervor 
and  simplicity  of  that  faith  which 
they  had  received  in  happier  days. 
Coldness  and  indifference  prevailed 
among  them ;  and  how  could  it  be 
otherwise,  when  they  had  neither 
bishop,  nor  priest,  nor  sacrament? 
The  Catholic  regions  of  the  West 
and  South,  the  conquests  of  the 
Jesuits  and  Recollets,  were  fast  fall- 
ing away  from  their  high  vocation. 
The  Eastern  and  Middle  States  were 
meanwhile  peopled  with  an  active, 
bustling  population,  professing  ei- 
ther some  Protestant  fam^y,  which 
they  called  religion,  or  otherwise  no 
religion  save  that  of  expediency  and 
worldly  prosperity.  The  immense 
countries  now  constituting  the  Unit- 
ed States  were  on  the  point  of  being 
lost  to  the  Universal  Church,  but 
God  in  his  own  good  time  raised  up 
the  means  of  defence.  A  branch  of 
the  order  of  St.  Sulpice  was  founded 
at  Baltimore,  in  the  Catholic  State 
of  Maryland,  about  the  year  1791, 
and  their  establishment  was  a  tower 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


483 


of  strength  for  Catholicity.  The 
priests  whom  they  trained  for  the 
mission  were  men  of  rare  prudence 
and  of  fervent  zeal,  devoted  to  the 
Blessed  Mother  of  God,  and  ready  to 
sacrifice  all  for  the  honor  and  glory 
of  God.  Baltimore  had  already  a 
bishop,  the  only  one  south  of  the  St. 
Lawrence,  east  or  west  of  the  Alle- 
ghanies.  The  venerable  Bishop  Car- 
roll bore  on  his  own  shoulders  the 
whole  episcopal  burden  of  all  those 
infant  churches  founded  by  the  early 
missionaries,  and  none  but  a  man 
endowed  with  the  rarest  qualities, 
and  the  most  vigorous  intellect, 
could  have  borne  as  he  did,  for 
many  years,  this  heavy  weight  of 
care  and  responsibility,  or  fulfilled 
the  arduous  duties  of  his  sacred 
office. 

In  1792  pious  missionaries  ar- 
rived from  France,  and  among  them 
was  M.  Flaget,  afterwards  bishop  of 
Louisville.  "  Having  unreservedly 
offered  his  services  to  Bishop  Car- 
roll, he  cheerfully  accepted  from  the 
latter  the  distant  mission  of  Yin- 
cennes,  where  there  was  a  consider- 
able number  of  French  settlers,  who 
had  been  long  deprived  of  the  ser- 
vices of  a  clergyman.  .  .  .  M.  Flaget 


*  arrived  at  Yincennes  a  few  days 
before  Christmas,  1792.  He  found 
the  church  in  a  sadly  dilapidated 
state.  It  was  a  very  poor  log  build- 
ing, open  to  the  weather,  neglect- 
ed, and  almost  tottering.  The  altar 
was  a  temporary  structure  of  boards 
badly  put  together.  .  .  .  The  congre- 
gation was,  if  possible,  in  a  still 
more  miserable  condition  than  the 
church.  Out  of  nearly  seven  hun- 
dred souls  of  whom  it  was  com- 
posed, the  missionary  was  able,  with 
all  his  zealous  efforts,  to  induce  only 
twelve  to  approach  the  Holy  Com- 
munion during  the  Christmas  fes- 
tivities. His  heart  was  filled  with 
anguish  at  the  spiritual  desolation 
which  brooded  over  the  place."* 
But  things  were  soon  changed:  the 
zealous  efforts  of  the  pious  mission- 
ary, through  the  grace  of  God,  soon 
fructified,  and  a  manifest  change 
took  place  in  the  congregation,  so 
that,  at  his  departure  from  Yin- 
cennes, he  might  say  with  truth, 
says  his  biographer,  "  that  if  but 
twelve  adults  could  be  found,  on  his 
first  arrival,  to  approach  the  Holy 
Communion,  there  was  then  prob- 
ably  not  more   than   that  number 

^5        *  Life  of  Bishop  Flaget,  ch.  i.,  pp.  30,  33,  35. 


48-4 


HISTOu^i    ox     ^ilE  DEVOTIO:,    j.u   TEE  BLESSED  VIBGIN  MART. 


of  persons  who  were  not  pious  com- 
municants." 

In  1811  the  excellent  pastor  of 
Yincennes  was  made  bishop  of 
Bardstown,  in  Kentucky,  the  first 
bishopric  erected  in  the  West.  It 
was  much  against  his  will  that  he 
accepted  the  appointment,  but  he 
could  not  disobey  the  positive  in- 
junction of  the  Holy  See,  and  cheer- 
fully gave  up  his  own  will  for  the 
good  of  religion  and  the  salvation 
of  souls.  He  tells  us  himself,  in  a 
letter  to  the  directors  of  the  Asso- 
ciation for  the  Propagation  of  the 
Faith,  that  it  was  six  months  after- 
wards before  he  was  enabled  to 
reach  Bardstown,  his  episcopal  see, 
and  that  through  a  subscription 
made  by  his  friends  in  Baltimore.* 

There  was,  as  yet,  no  church  in 
Bardstown — a  poor  prospect  for  a 
bishop ;  but  M.  Flaget  was  not  the 
man  to  be  easily  discouraged  where 
there  was  question  of  doing  good, 
or  advancing  the  interests  of  re- 
ligion. The  ceremony  of  his  in- 
stallation must,  we  think,  be  inter- 
esting to  our  readers.  "  The  bishop 
there  found  the  faithful  kneeling  on 
the  grass,  and  singing  canticles  in 

*  Annais  of  the  Propagation,  voL  iii,  p.  189. 


f  English:  the  counti-y  women  were 
nearly  all  dressed  in  white,  and 
many  of  them  were  still  fasting, 
though  it  was  then  four  o'clock 
in  the  evening;  they  ha^^ng  enter- 
tained a  hope  to  be  able  on  that 
day  to  assist  at  his  mass,  and  to 
receive  the  Holy  Communion  from 
his  hands.  An  altar  had  been  pre- 
pared at  the  entrance  of  the  fii-st 
court,  under  a  bower  composed  of 
four  small  trees  which  overshadow- 
ed it  with  their  foliage.  Here  the 
bishop  put  on  his  pontifical  robes. 
After  the  aspersion  of  the  holy  wa- 
ter, he  was  conducted  to  the  chapel 
in  procession,  with  tlie  singing  of  the 
Litany  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  the 
whole  closed  with  the  prayers  and 
ceremonies  prescribed  for  the  occa- 
sion in  the  Roman  Pontifical."! 

Here  again  we  see  Mary  presid- 
ing over  the  installation  of  the  first 
bishop  of  the  West;  and  that  the 
new  prelate  considered  her  protec- 
tion as  of  the  last  importance  to 
religion  is  clearly  proved  by  the 
interesting  memoir  from  which  we 
have  already  quoted.  In  passing 
thi'ough  Lancaster,  a  village  on  his 
way,  he  found  some  Catholic  fam- 

f  Life  of  Bishop  Flaget,  ch.  iv.,  p.  72. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION^  TO  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


485 


ilies  of  good  standing  in  society, 
and  baptized  their  children.  He 
had  hopes  that  a  good  congregation 
would,  in  time,  be  formed  there ; 
but  he  remarked  with  regret  that 
"the  devotion  to  the  Holy  Virgin 
see-med  unknown  in  those  parts."* 
At  another  station  where  the 
good  Bishop  remained  some  days, 
he  found  the  church  in  such  a  mis- 
erable condition  that  he  could  not 
say  mass.  Not  much  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century  has  since  pass- 
ed away,  yet  these  poor  villages, 
so  utterly  destitute  of  religious  ac- 
commodation, have  many  of  them 
become  large  cities  and  episcopal 
sees,  so  rapidly  do  things  progress 
in  the  West.  The  biographer  of 
Bishop  Flaget  quotes  in  this  con- 
nection an  interesting  passage  from 
the  Annals  of  the  Propagation: 
"Following  the  traces  of  this  jour- 
ney of  seven  hundred  leagues,  one 
would  say,  that  wherever  Bishop 
Flaget  pitched  his  tent,  he  there 
laid  the  foundations  of  a  new 
church,  and  that  each  one  of  his 
principal  halts  was  destined  to  be- 
I  come  a  bishopric.  There  is  Yin- 
I     cennes,  in  Indiana ;  there  is  Detroit, 

*  Ldfe  of  Bishop  Flaget,  p.  109.      ^ 


*  in  Michigan ;  there  is  Cincinnati, 
the  principal  city  of  Ohio ;  there  is 
Buffalo,  on  the  borders  of  the  lakes ; 
there  is  Pittsburgh,  which  he  evan- 
gelized in  returning  to  Louisville, 
after  thirteen  months'  absence,  after 
having  given  missions  ;wherever,  on 
his  route,  there  was  a  colony  of 
whites,  a  plantation  of  slaves,  or  a 
village  of  Indians." 

In  1799  the  Russian  prince  Gal- 
litzin,  a  convert  to  the  Catholic 
faith,  who  might  well  be  called  one 
of  the  apostles  of  North  America, 
established  in  western  Pennsylvania 
a  mission  under  the  title  of  LorettOj 
doubtless  under  the  invocation  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin. 

In  1812  a  convent  was  founded 
in  Kentucky,  by  the  Rev.  Charles 
Nerinkx,  for  the  education  of  young 
females,  "  and  was  called  Loretlo, 
after  the  famous  asylum  of  the  Holy 
Virgin  in  Italy.  Besides  the  object 
alluded  to  above,  the  sisterhood  was 
to  take  charge  of  destitute  orphans, 
and  its  members  were  taught  to 
love  poverty,  and  to  earn  their  own 
livelihood  by  manual  labor.  They 
were  to  cherish  a  special  devotion 
towards  that  model  and  pride  of  her 

^  sex,  the  pm'e  and  holy  One, — - 


€80 


msTonr  of  the  devotion  to  the  blessed  virgin  mart. 


'  Our  tainted  nature's  solitary  boast,' 

the  Immaculate  Mary,  Mother  of 
God  made  man.  They  were  styled, 
'  The  Lovers  of  Mary  at  the  foot  of 
the  Cross.'  Standing  with  her  near 
the  Cross,  they  were  daily  to  sym- 
patliize  with  the  dying  Son  and  the 
afflicted  Mother,  with  the  pious  ejac- 
ulations: *  0  suffering  Jesus  I  0  sor- 
rowful Mary!'  Such  was  the  idea 
of  the  sainted  founder,  and  God  be- 
stowed an  abundant  blessing  on  his 
enterprise.  The  society  grew  apace, 
and  the  most  edifying  fervor  reigned 
throughout  the  establishment  of  Lo- 
retto.  The  mother  house  was  soon 
able  to  send  out  colonies  to  other 
parts  of  Kentucky,  and  subse- 
quently to  found  houses  in  Missouri 
and  Arkansas."* 

"These  women  sought  for  pov- 
erty in  every  thing :  in  their  monas- 
teries, and  in  the  plain  neatness  of 
their  chapels.  .  .  .  They  were  the 
edification  of  all  who  knew  them, 
and  their  singular  piety  and  pen- 
itential lives  reminded  one  of  all 
that  we  have  read  of  the  ancient 
monasteries  of  Palestine  and  The- 
bais."t 

''The    same  year    (1812)    which 

*  Life  cf  Bishop  Flaget,  p.  289-90. 


*  gave  birth  to  the  Loretto  Society, 
likewise  witnessed  the  commence- 
ment of  another  sisterhood,  destined 
also  to  do  much  for  promoting  the 
cause  of  religion  and  education."  J 
The  mother  house  of  this  community 
is  named  Nazareth,  in  commemora- 
tion of  the  humble  abode  of  Mary. 
The  members  are  known  as  the  Sis- 
ters of  Charity,  and  they  are  devot- 
ed to  the  twofold  object  of  teaching 
and  exercising  the  corporeal  and 
spiritual  works  of  mercy.  The  in- 
stitution has  attained  a  high  rep- 
utation for  sanctity  and  usefulness, 
and  has  extended  itself  far  and  near 
over  the  country. 

In  1819,  when,  in  consequence  of 
the  increasing  age  and  the  numer- 
ous infirmities  of  the  venerable 
Bishop  Flaget,  a  coadjutor  was 
given  him,  the  new  prelate  was 
consecrated  on  the  Feast  of  the 
Assumption,  in  the  newly -erected 
cathedral  of  Louisville.  "  This  was 
the  first  episcopal  consecration 
which  took  place  beyond  (or  west 
of)  the  Alleghany  mountains,"  and 
we  see  that  the  ceremony  was  per- 
formed under  the  auspices  of  Our 
Blessed  Lady. 


■\  Ibid. 


X  Ibid.,  291,  293. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


487 


In  1820  the  college  of  St.  Joseph 
was  founded,  and  in  1821  that  of 
St.  Mary's ;  both  in  Kentucky.  Thus 
did  the  pious  bishop,  who  was  main- 
ly instrumental  in  founding  both, 
place  the  education  of  the  rising 
generation  under  the  tutelary  care 
of  Mary  and  her  blessed  spouse. 

This  holy  patriarch  of  the  West 
went  to  Rome  about  the  year  1837, 
and  having  business  to  transact  at 
Vienna,  he  made  it  a  point  to  visit 
the  sanctuary  of  Loretto,  "to  sat- 
isfy that  tender  devotion  he  had 
from  childhood  cherished  towards 
the  Immaculate  Virgin,  Mother  of 
God.  He  made  a  retreat  there, 
under  the  direction  of  the  Jesuit 
Father.*  God  was  pleased  to  at- 
test the  sanctity  of  this  holy  pre- 
late, even  by  the  gift  of  miracles, 
as  w^e  see  from  his  Memoirs.  The 
young  lady  thus  miraculously  cured 
was  a  Miss  Olympia  de  Monti ;  she 
vras  attacked  by  a  fever,  which 
finally  became  of  the  most  malig- 
nant kind,  and  she  was  reduced  to 
the  very  point  of  death.  She  re- 
ceived the  Holy  Viaticum  with  sen- 
timents of  the  greatest  fervor,  and 
made  up  her  mind  that  she  was  to 

*  Life  of  Bishop  Flaget,  p.  315. 


die.  Just  then  Bishop  Flaget  was 
induced  to  pay  her  a  visit.  When 
Madame  de  Monti  had  conducted 
him  to  her  daughter's  room,  she  re- 
tired. The  bishop  remained  fifteen 
or  twenty  minutes  with  Miss  de 
Monti.  She  afterwards  related  to 
her  parents  that  he  gave  her  his 
blessing  twice,  and  made  the  sign 
of  the  cross  on  her  forehead.  More- 
over, the  holy  prelate  promised  to 
pray  for  her  intention  during  nine 
consecutive  days,  and  recommended 
to  her  to  recite  the  Litany  of  the 
Holy  Name  of  Jesus,  and  a  prayer 
to  the  Blessed  Virgin.  The  prayers 
were  heard,  and  the  young  lady  was 
restored  to  health.  This  miracle  is 
so  well  authenticated  that  no  ra- 
tional mind  can  doubt  it."f  Jesus 
and  Mary,  never  invoked  in  vain, 
were  pleased  to  honor  their  faithful 
servant  by  this  miraculous  cure. 

"  He  had  always  cherished  a  most 
tender  devotion  to  the  Virgin  Mother 
of  God ;  he  had  imbibed  this  feeling 
at  the  same  pure  fountain  of  living 
waters  from  which  all  the  saints  of 
God,  from  St.  John,  the  beloved  dis- 
ciple, down  to  St.  Alphonso  Liguori, 
drank  it  in  so  abundantly.    He  had 

t  Ibid.,  p.  318-323. 


488 


mSTORT  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  3TARY. 


made  it  a  practice  through  life  to 
recite  a  part  of  the  Rosary  daily; 
and  now,  while  unable  to  perform 
other  devotions  which  required  read- 
ing, he  gladly  availed  himself  of  the 
occasion  to  multiply  this  simple,  but 
touching  form  of  supplication."  * 

Following  the  march  of  civiliza- 
tion to  the  Far  "West,  we  find  in  the 
van  the  stalwart  champion  of  the 
Cross,  the  Rev.  Father  de  Smet, 
S.  J.,  and  M.  Blanchet,  now  the  ven- 
erable archbishop  of  Walla -Walla. 
The  former  may  truly  be  called  the 
Apostle  of  Oregon,  the  greatest  ex- 
plorer of  the  Western  wilderness 
since  the  days  of  Father  Marquette. 

We  find  this  illustrious  mission- 
ary planting  the  devotion  to  Mary 
wherever  he  went,  side  by  side  with 
the  worship  of  God.  At  each  of 
his  principal  missions  he  gave  her 
name  to  either  a  church,  a  school, 
or  some  other  charitable  institution. 
Thus,  when  a  convent  of  the  sisters 
of  Notre  Danie  was  established  in 
Willamette,  its  chapel  received  the 
name  of  St.  Mary's ;  when  a  chm*ch 
was  erected  amongst  the  Flathead 
Indians,  it   was   named   St.  Mary's 

*  Ufe  of  Bishop  Flaget,  p.  350. 
f  Oregon  Misaions,  p.  60. 


Church;  that  established  amongst 
the  Flatbows  was  dedicated  to 
Mary,  under  the  title  of  the  As- 
sumption, and  that  of  the  Koetensis 
was  called  the  Church  of  the  Holy 
Heart  of  Mary.f  "Nowhere,"  says 
Father  de  Smet  himself — "  nowhere 
does  religion  make  greater  progress 
or  present  brighter  prospects  for 
the  future  than  in  Oregon."  J  We 
have  every  reason  to  hope  that  this 
remark  will  be  verified,  for  the  foun- 
dations of  those  infant  churches 
were  well  laid.  "On  the  Feast  of 
the  Holy  Heart  of  Mary,"  says  the 
missionary  again,  "  I  sang  High 
Mass,  thus  taking  spiritual  posses- 
sion of  this  land,  which  was  now  for 
the  first  time  trodden  by  a  minister 
of  the  Most  High.  This  station 
bears  the  name  of  the  Holy  Heart 
of  Mary."  §  Speaking  of  another 
tribe  amongst  whom  he  celebrated 
the  Feast  of  the  Assumption,  he 
says :  "  Since  my  arrival  among  the 
Indians,  the  feast  of  the  glorious 
Assumption  of  the  Blessed  Viigin 
Mary  has  ever  been  to  me  a  day 
of  great  consolation.  .  .  .  The  Cross 
was   elevated   on   the  border  of  a 

J  Oregon  Missions,  p.  98. 
§  nid.,  p.  126. 


EISTOBY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


489 


lake,  and  the  station  received  the 
beautiful  name  of  the  Assumption. 
Under  the  auspices  of  this  good 
Mother,  in  whose  honor  they  have 
for  many  years  sung  canticles,  we 
hope  that  religion  will  take  deep 
root  and  flourish  amidst  this  tribe, 
where  union,  innocence,  and  sim- 
plicity reign  in  full  vigor."*  A 
Canadian,  settled  in  those  parts, 
had  been  many  years  without  see- 
ing a  priest,  and  on  hearing  of  the 
arrival  of  the  missionaries  at  the 
source  of  the  Columbia  (near  which 
he  resided),  he  hastened  thither 
with  his  wife  and  children  in  order 
to  have  them  baptized.  ''  The  Feast 
of  the  Nativity  of  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin, this  favor  was  conferred  on 
them.  .  .  .  This  was  a  solemn  day 
for  the  desert!  The  august  sacri- 
fice of  Mass  was  offered ;  Morigeau 
devoutly  approached  the  holy  table. 
At  the  foot  of  the  humble  altar  he 
received  the  nuptial  benediction, 
and  the  mother,  surrounded  by  her 
children  and  six  little  Indians,  was 
regenerated  in  the  holy  waters  of 
baptism.  In  memory  of  so  many 
benefits,  a  large  cross  was  erected 

*  Oregon  Missions,  p.  135. 
t  Ibid.,  p.  121. 


in  the  plain,  which,  from  that  time, 
is  caUed  the  Plain  of  the  Nativity.^' ■\ 
The  name  of  St.  Mary's  river  was 
also  given  to  one  of  the  principal 
streams  in  those  remote  regions,  J  so 
that  woods  and  wilds,  and  waters 
were  alike  consecrated  to  her,  and 
her  name  impressed  on  every  strik- 
ing object.  When  the  good  Indians 
prayed  for  their  benefactors,  it  was 
the  rosary  they  recited  for  them,  ^ 
invoking  the  tender  heart  of  Mary 
on  their  behalf.  "  How  happy 
should  I  be,"  writes  Father  de  Smet 
to  one  of  these  benefactors;  "how 
happy  should  I  be,  could  I  give  you 
to  understand  how  great,  how  sweet, 
how  enrapturing  is  their  devotion 
to  the  august  Mother  of  God  I  The 
name  of  Mary,  w^hich  pronounced  in 
the  Indian  language,  is  something 
so  sweet  and  endearing,  delights 
and  charms  them.  The  hearts  of 
these  good  children  of  the  forest 
melt,  and  seem  to  overflow,  when 
they  sing  the  praises  of  her  whom 
they,  as  well  as  we,  call  their  Moth- 
er." ||  In  another  place,  the  whole 
week  preceding  the  Conception  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  was  devoted 


X  Ibid.,  p.  218. 
II  Hid.  p.  284. 


§  Ibid.,  pp.  245,  246. 


490 


EISTOJiY  OF   THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIROIN  MARY. 


to  the  preparation  for  receiving  the 
Holy  Communion  on  that  festival. 
And  again,  we  find  the  hunting- 
party  who  travelled  with  the  mis- 
sionary, stopping  under  the  shade 
of  a  majestic  tree  to  celebrate  the 
Feast  of  the  Divine  Maternity.  "The 
sun's  last  rays  had  long  disappeared 
beneath  the  horizon,  ere  all  was 
ready  for  the  evening  prayer.  After 
which,  notwithstanding  the  fatigues 
of  the  day,  a  fire  was  kindled  before 
the  missionary's  tent,  and  the  great- 
er part  of  the  night  consecrated  by 
these  fervent  children  of  the  woods, 
to  the  reconciliation  of  their  souls 
with  God."* 

How  beautiful  is  the  fervor  of 
these  guileless  Christians ;  how  edi- 
fying their  example !  Religious 
confraternities  had  been  formed 
amongst  them  at  St.  Maiy's,  and 
when  their  spiritual  father  was 
forced  to  leave  them,  to  bear  the 
tidings  of  salvation  to  others  of 
their  brethren,  we  find  them  adding 
some  short  ejaculations  to  their 
morning  and  evening  prayers;  "first, 
to  the  Heart  of  Jesus,  as  protector 
of  the  men's  Confraternity ;  second, 
to  the  Blessed  Virgin,  patroness  of 

*  OregonJdUsions,  pp.  389,  390. 


f  the  women's  Sodality ;  third,  to  St. 
Michael,  model  of  the  brave;  fourth, 
to  St.  Raphael,  the  guide  of  travel- 
lers ;  fifth,  to  St.  Hubert,  the  patron 
of  hunters;  sixth,  to  St.  Francis 
Xavier,  for  the  conversion  of  idola- 
ters. We  shall  see,"  adds  the  zeal- 
ous missionary,  "  that  these  pious 
aspirations  were  not  addressed  to 
Heaven  in  vain."  Let  us  hope  that 
such  may  be  the  case,  and  that  the 
vast  regions  thus  happily  evangel- 
ized, may  continue  to  progress  in 
civilization — that  true  civilization 
founded  on  religion  —  and  that 
Mary,  the  Mother  of  God,  may  ever 
reign  over  the  hearts  of  its  people, 
of  what  origin  soever  they  may  be. 
Thus  we  see  that  the  holy  Mother 
of  God  presided  over  the  discovery 
and  the  evangelization  of  all  the 
northern,  southern,  and  western  re- 
gions of  the  American  continent. 
If  her  influence  was  not  so  apparent 
in  the  discovery  or  settlement  of 
the  Middle  and  Eastern  countries  of 
North  America,  she  has  since  ob- 
tained the  supreme  honor  of  being 
chosen  patroness  of  all  the  United 
States.  Owing  to  the  wonderful 
increase  of  Catholicity  in  that  coun- 
try, there  is  no  city  within  its  vast 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


493 


extent,  that  has  not  one  or  more  * 
churches  dedicated  to  the  Mother 
of  God,  under  her  numerous  titles, 
while  churches  and  chapels,  con- 
vents, schools,  hospitals,  and  insti- 
tutions of  various  kinds,  bearing  her 
name,  are  everywhere  met.  Some 
of  the  largest  and  grandest  cathe- 
drals either  are,  or  will  be,  placed 
under  her  gracious  patronage.  From 
the  stormy  coast  of  Maine  to  the 
sunny  shores  of  Alabama,  and  Flor- 
ida, and  Louisiana,  and  from  St. 
Louis,  Dubuque,  Chicago,  and  Mil- 
waukee, to  New  York  and  Boston, 
monumental  churches  and  charities 
in  honor  of  Mary  Immaculate,  cover 
the  land.  On  the  highest  point  of 
the  Alleghanies  is  seated  Zoretto, 
the  thriving  Catholic  settlement, 
with  its  handsome  church,  founded 
by  the  Eussian  prince,  Demetrius 
de  Gallitzin,  in  honor  of  the  ever- 
Blessed  Virgin ;  and  where  the 
mighty  cataract  of  the  North  pours 
the  waters  of  one  region  into  the 
lap  of  another,  over  that  sublime 
scene  Our  Lady  of  the  Angels  now 
presides  in  a  college  of  the  Lazarist 
Fathers,  and  Our  Lady  of  Loretto  in 
a  convent  of  the  Sisters  of  Loretto. 
Each  new  diocese,  as  it  springs 


into  existence,  adds  its  quota  of 
churches,  chapels,  convents  and 
schools  to  swell  the  long  list  of 
Mary's  foundations  in  America. 
Confraternities  and  sodalities  in  her 
honor,  are  numerous  in  all  the 
cities  and  towns,  and  even  in  the 
rural  districts.  The  Society  of  the 
Holy  Rosary,  those  of  the  Scapular, 
the  Immaculate  Heart  of  Mary  for 
the  Conversion  of  Sinners,  the  So- 
dality of  the  Children  of  Mary,  etc., 
are  everywhere  established.  Pro- 
cessions in  honoi'  of  the  Mother  of 
God  take  place  regularly  in  the 
churches,  and  the  devotion  of  the 
Month  of  Mary  is  faithfuUy  practised 
in  all  parts  of  America.  Even  in 
the  land  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers, 
Puritan  New  England,  churches  in 
honor  of  the  Mother  of  God  raise 
their  spires  to  heaven  all  the  coun- 
try over.  In  Boston,  the  chief  of 
the  New  England  cities.  Our  Lady 
has  three  stately  temples  dedicated 
to  her,  under  her  titles  of  the  Im- 
maculate Conception,  Gate  of  Heav- 
en, and  Star  of  the  Sea;  so,  in  New 
York,  Brooklyn,  Philadelphia,  and, 
indeed,  all  the  cities  of  the  Union. 
True,  the  w^ayside  Madonnas  are 
nowhere  to  be  seen  in  the  United 


492 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO    THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


States,  the  gracious  image  of  the 
Vii'gin-Mother  smiles  not  down  on 
her  children  in  the  streets  or  squares 
of  our  cities;  nevertheless,  the  de- 
votion to  Mary  is  seated  deep  in 
the  hearts  of  American  Catholics  in 
every  section  of  the  country. 

Canada,  and  especially  Lower 
Canada,  has,  as  we  have  seen,  been 
devoted  from  the  first  to  the  Blessed 
Vu-gin.  The  fervor  of  the  early  set- 
tlers has  scarcely,  if  at  all,  dimin- 
ished, and  Mary  is  now,  in  the  nine- 
teenth century,  as  loved  and  honored 
by  the  great  mass  of  the  French 
Canadians  as  she  was  two  hundred 
years  ago,  when  Champlain  and  de 
Maisonneuve,  Sister  Bourgeoys,  and 
Madame  de  la  Pelletrie  vied  with 
each  other  in  promoting  her  glory. 
Nor  is  this  devotion  of  Mary  con- 
fined to  the  descendants  of  the 
French  settlers  ;  the  Iiish  emi- 
grants are  gradually  spreading 
abroad  over  all  the  country,  and 
wherever  they  go,  they  bring  with 
them  at  least  the  germ  of  that  de- 
votion, and  readily  fall  in  with  the 
French  ceremonies  and  religious 
exercises,  in  honor  of  her  who  is  es- 
pecially dear  to  them  as  the  most 
afflicted   of    Catholic   nations.      In 


f  fact,  no  people  are  more  sincerely 
devout  to  Mary  than  the  Irish. 
From  their  earliest  youth  they  are 
trained  up  in  love  and  reverence 
for  her ;  the  devotion  of  the  llosary 
and  that  of  the  Holy  Scapular  are 
popular  in  every  part  of  Ireland, 
and  in  the  cities  there  are  various 
other  confraternities  established  in 
honor  of  Mary.  Hence  it  is  that 
they  propagate,  with  the  Catholic 
faith,  that  reverence  for  the  Blessed 
Virgin  which  has  raised  so  many 
noble  churches  and  convents  in  her 
honor  throughout  the  United  States. 
The  German  Catholics  have  also 
contributed  largely  to  spread  this 
devotion;  many  of  their  churches 
in  the  American  cities  are  dedi- 
cated to  Mary,  while  the  Spanish 
element,  so  strong  in  the  South  and 
Southwest,  has  done  much  to  pro-, 
mote  the  public  veneration  of  the 
Mother  of  God. 

America,  then,  from  north  to 
south,  fi'om  Hudson's  Bay  to  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  from  Chili  to 
Massachusetts,  is  deeply  imbued 
with  devotion  to  Mary.  Montreal, 
lately  the  capital  of  the  British  prov- 
inces, is  still,  and  will,  we  trust, 
ever  be  the  city  of  Mary,  seated  like 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


493 


a  queen  on  her  own  majestic  river,  * 
and  watching  with  anxious  interest 
the  increasing  homage  offered  to  her 
divine  Mistress  in  the  less  favored 
countries  around.  Even  in  the  Uni- 
ted States  the  prospect  is  cheering. 
Religious  communities  are  spring- 
ing up  everywhere  under  the  aus- 
pices of  the  bishops,  and  the  masses 
of  the  people  are  beginning  to  catch 
some  of  the  holy  fervor  of  their 
prelates. 

In  Ireland,  the  Apostle-nation  of 
the  world,  a  great  revival  has  been 
going  on  for  many  years.  Religious 
institutions  are  being  founded  and 
revived  all  the  country  over;  the 
ancient   churches   and  monasteries,  ^ 


so  long  ruined  and  deserted,  are 
now  being  restored ;  some  of  them 
with  renovated  splendor,  and  the 
National  University,  some  years  ago 
founded  in  Dublin,  will  be,  as  it 
were,  an  impregnable  bulwark  for 
the  Irish  Church — a  wall  of  brass 
rearing  itself  up  against  the  furious 
attacks  of  heiesy  and  infidelity. 
And  Mary  will  reign  as  a  queen 
within  those  honored  walls,  presid- 
ing over  the  education  of  the  gen- 
erations who  are  yet  to  come,  and 
of  the  faithful  missionaries  who  are 
to  perpetuate  the  faith  of  Christ 
and  the  devotion  to  her  through  all 
the  nations  of  the  earth,  who  in  her 
are  blessed. 


pilgrimages. 


CHAPTER    XYI. 

PILGRIMAGES     OF     FRANCE. 


HE  practice  of  f 
making  pilgrim- 
ages," says  M. 
Michaud,  *  "  has 
been  encouraged 
in  all  religions ; 
it  is,  moreover, 
based  on  a  sentiment  natural  to 
man." 

This  remark  is  just  and  true ;  all 
nations  have  had  consecrated  places 
whither  they  made  it  a  duty  to  re- 
pair, at  certain  commemorative  pe- 
riods, to  obtain  favors  more  easily 
from  the  divinity,  by  visiting  the 
isites  which  they  believed  sanctified 
by  his  presence  or  by  his  miracles. 

Pilgrimages  are  as  ancient  as  so- 
ciety itself;  those  of  the  East  are, 
nearly  all,  connected  with  diluvian 
memories;  indeed,  those  pilgrim- 
ages, whose  institution  is  lost  in 
the  obscurity  of  time,  have  gener- 
ally, for  their  object,  the  lofty  moun- 

*  Hint,  des  Crois.,  t.  L 


tains  whereon  was  formed  the  ker- 
nel of  the  great  nations  of  Asia, 
who  choose  to  descend,  like  their 
rivers,  from  the  rocky  bosom  of 
their  mountains.  The  Chinese,  who 
style  themselves  Sons  of  the  Moun- 
tains, climb  on  their  knees  the 
steep  sides  of  Kicou-hou-chan ;  the 
eastern  Tartars  go  to  venerate  the 
mountain  of  Chan-pa-chan,  as  the 
root  of  their  tribes,  and  some  of 
the  Gentile  Hindoos,  that,  of  Pyr- 
pan-jal;  the  Japanese  undertake, 
at  least,  once  in  their  life,  the  peril- 
ous pilgrimage  of  Jsje,  a  mountain 
from  which  their  ancestors  descend- 
ed: the  Apalachites,  or  Floridian 
savages,  repair,  on  the  return  of 
every  season,  to  sacrifice  on  Mount 
Ola'imi,  in  thanksgiving  to  the  sun, 
who,  they  say,  saved  their  fathers 
from  a  deluge,  etc.  These  pilgrim- 
ages are  founded  on  traditions  cor- 
rupted by  time,  but  undoubtedly 
historical ;   in   them   are   perceived 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


490 


the  traces  and  the  effects  of  the 
terror  which  prompted  the  build- 
ing of  the  famous  Tower  of  Babel. 
Discouraged  by  the  confusion  of 
tongues,  the  post-diluvian  tribes, 
finding  that  they  could  not  take 
refuge  in  towers  reaching  to  the 
clouds,  took  up  their  abode  on  high 
mountains,  to  preserve  themselves, 
if  possible,  from  the  disastrous  con- 
sequences of  another  deluge.  It 
was  only  when  pasturage  failed  on 
the  mountains,  and  the  soil  would 
not  yield  sufficient  produce  to  sup- 
port the  rising  colonies,  that  they 
were  forced  to  settle  on  the  plains, 
which  they  had  often  to  drain 
before  they  were  fit  for  tillage. 
Hence  comes  the  respect  enter- 
tained by  the  Eastern  nations  for 
their  sacred  mountains — a  respect 
which  they  testify  by  annual  visits, 
accompanied  by  vows,  offerings,  and 
prayers. 

After  having  venerated  the  cradle 
of  nations,  men  venerated  that  of 
creeds ;  then  the  sites  which  re- 
called great  remembrances ;  then 
persons  who  made  themselves  illus- 
trious by  heroic  or  religious  acts. 
Thus  it  is  that  the  gratitude  of 
the  Jewish  people  preserves,  from 


f  age  to  age,  the  tomb  of  Esther  and 
of  Mardocha'i,  whither  the  Hebrews, 
from  every  part  of  Asia,  have  gone 
on  pilgrimage  for  two  thousand 
years.  Strange  it  is  that  the  tomb 
of  two  exiles,  erected  by  the  grati- 
tude of  some  captives,  has  survived 
the  great  Assyrian  empire,  and  that 
it  alone  saves  the  ruins  of  Ecbatana 
from  utter  oblivion ! 

Man  is  like  the  ivy ;  he  must  rest 
somewhere,  and  cling  to  something, 
that  he  may  have  courage  to  live. 
When  he  finds  neither  sympathy 
nor  consolation  among  his  fellows, 
he  instinctively  conjures  up  the 
beings  of  a  better  world,  and  seeks 
from  them  that  succor  which  society 
either  will  not  or  cannot  give.  Of 
this  we  have  a  remarkable  proof  in 
the  conduct  of  the  Indians,  when 
oppressed  by  the  first  Portuguese 
viceroys ;  these  unarmed  and  inof- 
fensive people,  finding  neither  pro- 
tection nor  support  from  the  suc- 
cessors of  Alfonso  d'Albuquerque, 
sat  down,  as  suppliants,  before  the 
tomb  of  that  great  man,  to  demand 
from  the  illustrious  dead  that  jus- 
tice which  the  living  would  not 
grant  either  to  their  rights  or  their 
prayers. 


196 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


Protestantivsm,  which  discolors  f 
and  pulverizes  all  it  touches,  did 
not  fail  to  do  away  with  the  pious 
visits  which  Christians  made  in 
eveiy  age  to  places  sanctified  by 
the  sufferings  of  Chiist,  or  those 
which  his  Mother  made  famous  by 
her  favoi-s.  Turks,  the  infuriate 
enemies  of  images,  have  lighted 
golden  lamps  before  the  altars  of 
Mary ;  but  what  Protestant  has  ever 
placed  a  lamp  in  the  Holy  Sepul- 
chre; what  Protestant  has  prayed 
before  the  manger  of  Bethlehem,  as 
did  Saladin  and  the  Caliph  Omar? 
"These  local  devotions,"  say  they, 
"are  superstitions:  God  is  every- 
where." Doubtless  God  is  every- 
where, and  Catholics  know  it  well ; 
they  have  not  yet  to  learn  the  first 
question  of  their  catechism.  They 
knew,  fifteen   centuries   before   the 


*  It  was  over  the  threshing-floor  of  Areuna 
that  the  destroying  angel  ceased  his  ravages, 
after  the  prayer  of  David.  "From  all  time," 
says  a  great  ecclesiastical  writer,  "  God  has  par- 
ticularly marked  out  certain  places  for  receiving 
the  prayers  and  vows  of  men.  One  must  be 
more  incredulous  as  to  the  history  of  the  Church 
than  to  any  other,  not  to  believe  that  God 
wishes  his  saints  to  be  specially  honored  in  cer- 
tain places,  where  He  bestows  graces  not  given 
elsewhere,  and  this  in  order  to  attract  the 
nations. 


time  of  the  apostate  monk,  Luther, 
and  they  know  it  now,  that  God 
hears  in  all  places  the  prayer  of  the 
faithful  soul;  but  what  is  there  to 
prevent  God  from  attaching  some 
particular  graces  to  those  ancient 
shrines  where  he  has  often  vouch- 
safed to  manifest  his  power  by 
prodigies  ?  There  was  many  a  ver- 
dant hill  in  Judea  which  he  might 
have  pointed  out  to  David  for  the 
place  of  his  temple,  yet  he  chose 
the  rocky  threshing-fioor  of  Areuna, 
the  Jebusite,  because  he  had  there 
once  before  displayed  his  mercy ;  * 
and  also,  if  we  may  believe  a 
charming  tradition,  preserved  like 
a  desert-tlower  amid  the  dark  tents 
of  Arabia,  because  the  place  was 
sanctified  of  old  by  a  noble  instance 
of  fraternal  love.f  Man  is,  by  na- 
ture, so  imperfect  and  so  prone  to 


f  Jerusalem  was  a  ploughed  field ;  two  broth- 
ers owned  the  lot  of  ground  on  which  the  Tem- 
ple was  subsequently  built ;  one  of  these  brotli- 
ers  was  married,  and  had  several  children  ;  the 
other  lived  alone  ;  but  they  farmed  toirelher  the 
piece  of  ground  left  them  by  their  father.  Tne 
harvest- time  being  come,  the  two  brothers 
bound  up  their  sheaves,  of  which  the}'  made 
two  equal  shai'es,  and  left  them  on  the  field. 
During  the  night  there  came  a  happy  thought 
into  the  mind  of  the  unmarried  brother.  He 
said  to  himself,  "My  brother  has  a  wife   and 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


497 


evil,  that  he  has  always  some  ex- 
piation to  make  before  approach- 
ing the  source  of  all  sanctity ;  when 
that  expiation  seems  to  him  in 
some  measure  proportionate  to  the 
fault,  he  feels  a  more  sensible  trust 
in  the  assistance  of  Heaven ;  hence 
came  the  generous  confidence  of 
the  martyrs,  who  hoped  in  propor- 
tion to  their  sufferings.  The  pil- 
grim acts  on  the  same  principle ; 
to  prayer  he  adds  fatigue,  priva- 
tion, and  the  toil  of  travel,  and  he 
hopes,  in  virtue  of  the  sufferings  he 
imposes  on  himself,  that  he  may 
find  favor  with  God,  who  himself 
suffered  so  much !  How  can  such 
a  hope  be  vain  ? 

The  eminent  historian  Eobertson, 
unblinded  by  the  narrow  privileges 
of  his  sect,  candidly  acknowledges 

children  to  feed,  and  it  is  not  meet  that  my 
share  should  be  a-s  large  as  his  ;  I  will  go  then 
and  put  some  of  my  sheaves  with  his  secretly ; 
knowing  nothing  of  it,  he  cannot  refuse  them." 
And  he  did  accordingly.  The  same  night,  the 
other  brother  awoke,  and  said  to  his  wife,  "  My 
brother  is  young ;  he  lives  alone,  and  has  no 
one  to  comfort  him  in  his  toil  and  fatigue  ;  it  is 
not  just  that  we  should  take  from  the  common 
field  as  much  as  he  ;  let  us  arise  and  add  some 
of  our  sheaves  to  his  without  his  knowledge, 
so  that  he  cannot  refuse  to  take  the  sheaves." 
And  it  was  done  as  he  said.  Next  day,  each  of 
the  brothers  was  surprised  to  see  that  the  heaps 


the  benefits  for  which  Europe  is  in- 
debted to  foreign  pilgrimages.  In 
the  first  place,  the  enfranchisement 
of  the  commons,  the  creation  of 
commerce  and  shipping,  the  propa- 
gation of  knowledge,  the  improve- 
ment of  agriculture,  and  the  intro- 
duction of  numberless  plants  and 
trees,  with  various  kinds  of  grain, 
which  now  contribute  to  the  main- 
tenance of  the  Western  nations ; 
then,  the  emancipation  of  the  serfs 
to  which  the  pilgrimages  contribu- 
ted more  than  any  thing  else ;  for 
the  feudal  lord  who  mingled,  bare- 
foot,* with  the  pilgrims  of  all  con- 
ditions who  set  out  with  him  on 
some  holy  journey  [v^age),  more 
easily  understood,  in  those  hours  of 
penance  and  humility,  that  those 
despised    slaves,   whom     antiquity 

were  still  equal ;  neither  could  account  for  the 
prodigy.  So  it  went  on  for  several  nights ;  but 
as  each  carried  to  his  brother's  heap  just  the 
same  number  of  sheaves,  the  heap  always  re- 
mained the  same,  till,  one  night,  both  having  sat 
up  to  watch  for  the  cause  of  this  miracle,  they 
both  met  with  their  load  of  sheaves.  Now,  the 
place  where  so  good  a  thought  came  at  once 
into  the  minds  of  two  men,  and  was  so  per^ 
severingly  carried  out,  must  be  a  place  agree- 
able to  God,  and  the  men  blessed  it,  and  chose 
it  for  the  site  of  a  house  of  prayer. 

^4        *  See  Memoirs  of  the  Sire  de  Joinville. 


488 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


placed  in  the  rank  of  things^  were 
his  brethren  before  God,  and,  when 
he  obtained  the  grace  which  he 
came  to  seek,  far  away  from  his 
castle,  in  some  ancient  shrine,  it 
often  came  into  his  mind  to  free 
a  certain  number  of  his  vassals,  in 
honor  of  Christ,  the  enemy  of  sla- 
very, and  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 
Mary,  who  is  nought  but  meekness 
and  mercy.* 

Pilgrimages,  which  date  from  the 
Deluge,  f  and  have  been  adopted 
by  all  nations,  strengthen  the  re- 
ligious sentiment  amongst  Catho- 
lics, opening  the  soul  to  many  a 
generous  and  sanctifying  emotion ;  J 
let  Protestants,  then,  in  their  utter 
ignorance  of  the  human  heart,  say 
what  they  may,  pilgrimages  are 
good,  and  useful,  and  praiseworthy, 
and  well-pleasing  to  the  Divinity. 
We  see  this  pious  practice  in  use 
from  the  first  ages  of  the  Church ; 
Mary,   the    holy    women,   and    the 


*  Many  old  acts  of  emancipation  still  bear  the 
pious  formula,  "We  transfer  and  give  up  to  Our 
Lord  and  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  all  our  rights 
over  such  a  one,"  etc. 

f  If  credit  may  be  given  to  the  old  traditions 
of  Asia,  pilgrimages  are  of  still  more  ancient 
origin.  According  to  the  Rabbins,  the  children 
of  Adam  returned  more  than  once  to  contem- 


*  Apostles,  were  the  first  pilgrims, 
and  the  faithful  of  Europe  and  Asia 
quickly  followed  their  example. 

"  People  throng  hither,"  wrote  St. 
Jerome,  in  the  fourth  century,  "from 
every  part  of  the  world :  Jerusalem 
is  full  of  men  from  every  nation. 
Every  Gaul  of  distinction  comes  to 
Jerusalem.  The  Breton,  beyond  the 
range  of  our  knowledge,  if  he  have 
made  any  progress  in  religion, 
leaves  his  wild  home  to  visit  a  land 
which  he  knows  only  by  name  and 
on  the  testimony  of  the  Scriptures 
Need  I  speak  of  Armenians,  Per- 
sians, the  people  of  India,  of  Ethio- 
pia, of  Egypt  fertile  in  solitaries,  of 
Pontus,  of  Cappadocia,  of  the  two 
Syrias,  of  Mesopotamia,  and  the 
swarms  of  Christians  that  the  East 
pours  forth.  According  to  the  Sa- 
viour's own  words,  where  the  body 
is  there  shall  the  eagles  gather. 
They  come  in  crowds  to  these 
places,  and  edify  us  by  the  lustre 


plate  from  afar  the  inclosure  of  the  terrestrial 
paradise,  and  some  of  the  sons  of  Seth  took 
up  their  abode  on  the  summit  of  a  mountain 
whence  they  could  behold  it,  always  hoping  that 
the  promised  Liberator  would  soon  restore  them 
to  it. 

\  Doctor  Johnson,  a  zealous  Protestant  and 
a  profound  thinker,  himself  acknowledges  that. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


499 


of  their  virtues.     Their  language  is  * 
different,  but  their  religion   is  the 
same."  * 

The  Mussulmans  say,  with  great 
reason,  that  it  is  a  pious  and  salu- 
tary practice  to  visit  the  tombs  of 
the  holy  deadj  and  have  often  knelt 
side  by  side  with  Christians  in 
places  where  the  latter  went  on  pil- 
grimage. After  the  taking  of  Jeru- 
salem, the  Caliph  Omar  repaired  to 
Bethlehem ;  he  entered  the  church, 
and  prayed  before  the  crib  wherein 
the  Lord-Messiah  [Aisa  Resold)  was 
born.  He  commanded  the  Mussul- 
mans to  pray  only  one  by  one,  lest 
there  might  arise  in  the  crowd  some 
confusion  incompatible  with  the 
sanctity  of  the  place ;  he  also  for- 
bade them  to  go  there  for  any  other 
purpose  than  that  of  prayer.  Saadi 
himself  relates  this  fact,f  and  the 
local  tradition  of  Jerusalem  adds 
that  the  same  prince  went  to  pray 
at  the  tomb  of  Mary. 

Besides  the  scenes  of  the  Re- 
demption, there  are  several  famous 
pilgrimages  in  the  Holy  Land :  Our 

*  St.  Jerome,  Ep.  17. 

f  Omar  must  needs  go  to  Bethlehem;  he  en- 
tered the  church  and  said  his  prayers  at  the 
crib  where  the  Lord-Messiah  was  born.  He 
commanded  his  Mussuhnans  to  pray  there  only    ^ 


Lady  of  Edessa,  in  Mesopotamia, 
whither  the  first  Christians  repaired 
in  great  numbers ;  Our  Lady  of 
Seydnai,  where  a  Sultan  of  Damas- 
cus founded  a  perpetual  lamp,  in 
gratitude  for  a  favor  which  he  had 
obtained  through  the  intercession  of 
Mary;  Om*  Lady  of  Belment,  within 
two  hours'  march  of  Tripoli ;  finally, 
Our  Lady  of  Tortosa,  famous  in  me- 
diaeval times,  throughout  Christen- 
dom, and  where  the  Mussulmans 
themselves  sometimes  brought  their 
children  to  have  them  baptized,  per- 
suaded as  they  were  that  that  cere- 
mony, through  the  protection  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  would  preserve  them 
from  all  evil.  J 

We  read  in  the  Memoirs  of  the 
Sire  de  Joinville  that  he  went  on  a 
pilgrimage  to  Our  Lady  of  Tortouse, 
whence  he  brought  relics  and  some 
camlets  which  gave  rise  to  a  droll 
mistake.  The  seneschal,  who  had 
himself  brought  the  relics  to  the 
king,  sent  by  one  of  his  officers 
some  parcels  of  rich  stuffs  to  the 
pious  Queen  Margaret,  to  whom  he 

one  by  one,  and  forbade  them  to  assemble  there 
or  make  any  noise. — Gvlistan,  des  Moeurs  des 
Rois,  p.  301. 

X  Tortosa  is  now  Tripoli  of  Syria. 


600 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


was  very  willing  to  pay  his  court. 
The  queen,  knowing  that  the  Sire 
de  Joinville  was  returned,  and  had 
brought  relics  from  Tortosa,  no 
sooner  saw  his  knight  enter  her 
presence  with  a  parcel  in  his  hand, 
than  she  fell  on  her  knees  before 
the  package,  supposing  it  to  con- 
tain the  relics  in  question.  The 
knight,  ignorant  of  the  queen's  mo- 
tive, knelt  in  his  turn,  and  kept 
looking  at  Margaret  in  mute  sur- 
prise. The  princess,  perceiving  this, 
told  him  to  rise,  adding,  with  pious 
condescension,  "  that  it  was  not  for 
him  to  kneel,  having  the  honor  of 
bearing  holy  relics."  "  Relics,  your 
highness,"  replied  the  knight,  "I 
have  no  relics.  This  is  a  package 
of  camlets  which  the  Sire  de  Join- 
ville sends  you."  Then  the  queen 
and  her  ladies  began  to  laugh, 
"^/ic?,"  said  the  queen  to  the  knight, 
''''your  lord  has  played  me  a  pretty 
trick  to  make  me  kneel  to  his  cam- 

Usr-^ 

Pilgrimages  in  honor  of  the  Moth- 

*  Hisl.  de  St.  Louis,  by  the  Sire  de  Joinville. 

f  Occident  et  Orient,  by  M.  Barrault. 

J  All  the  East,  with  the  exception  of  the  Jews, 
is  fiiU  of  respect  for  the  Virgin,  whom  Mahomet 
placed  in  the  Koran  as  one  of  the  four  just  wo- 
men.    Chardin  relates  that  the  Jews  of  Persia, 


t  er  of  God  have  lost  nothing  of  their 
fervor  in  Asia,  and  Europeans  are 
sometimes  surprised  to  meet  Turk- 
ish women  praying  devoutly  at  the 
Virgin's  tomb,f  with  the  daughters 
of  Sion,  wealthy  Armenians,  Greeks 
from  beyond  the  sea,  and  Catholics 
from  Arabia.  The  devotion  to  the 
Virgin  amongst  the  Christian  na- 
tions of  the  East  is  sure  to  strike  all 
travellers;  they  consider  it  worthy 
of  note  that  this  devotion  submits 
all  human  destinies  to  the  power  of 
a  woman,  in  countries  where  women 
rank  so  low.J 

Amongst  the  Gauls  pilgrimages 
were  made  long  before  the  intro- 
duction of  Christianity;  one  of  the 
most  famous  shrines  of  western 
Gaul  was  a  gloomy  cavern,  conse- 
crated to  the  god  Belenus,  on  the 
rock — then  surrounded  by  woods — 
where  now  rises,  amid  moving 
sands,  the.  amphibious  fortress  of 
Mount  St.  Michael.  §  There  it  was 
that  the  pilots  of  Armorica  went  to 
buy  of  the  Druids  of  Mount  Belen, 

having  taken  it  into  their  heads  to  speak  ill  of 
her  before  some  of  the  followers  of  Ali,  were 
near  being  killed  for  their  pains,  and  had  to 
leave  the  city  where  it  happened. 

§  The  vast  forest  which  surrounds  Moun  St. 
Michael  was  submerged  about  the  year  709. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


501 


enchanted  arrow>  to  which  they  * 
foolishly  ascribed  the  power  of 
changing  the  winJs  and  averting 
storms.  When  this  steep  mountain, 
the  last  stronghold  of  Druidism,  re- 
ceived a  Christian  abbey,  solemnly 
dedicated  to  the  archangel  Michael, 
the  grotto  of  Belenus  was  trans- 
formed into  a  charming  marine 
chapel,  dedicated  to  the  Star  of  the 
Sea,  to  Mary,  protectress  of  sailors. 
This  chapel  was  built  of  pebbles 
polished  by  the  waves,  and  thrown 
up  by  the  ocean ;  inside,  the  walls 
and  roof  were  adorned  with  coral 
branches,  amber,  and  shining  shells, 
brought  there  from  every  shore  by 
pious  mariners ;  the  altar  was  a 
portion  of  rock  still  retaining  the 
roughness  of  a  shoal,  and  all  around 
were  hung  up,  as  ex-voto^  anchors 
saved  from  the  ocean,  and  the  chains 
of  captives.  Before  the  Revolution, 
this  chapel  was  often  visited  by 
long  tiles  of  mariners  saved  from 
shipwreck ;  those  sons  of  the  ocean, 
with  a  fervor  by  no  means  uncom- 
mon amongst  them,  chanted  in  a 
voice  hoarse  as  that  of  the  waves 
the  Ave  maris  stella,  or  the  sweet 
Salve  regina.  Nearly  all  the  kings 
of  France,  down  to  Louis  XY.,  vis- 


ited this  shrine;  and  there  is  said  to 
be  an  ancient  prophecy  preserved 
in  the  archives  of  the  abbey,  threat- 
ening great  misfortunes,  even  to  the 
third  generation,  on  the  posterity  of 
that  king  who  should  fail  to  make 
a  pilgrimage  to  Our  Lady  and  St. 
Michael.  If  the  prophecy  really 
exists,  it  has  been  but  too  truly 
verified ! 

The  pilgrimages  of  France  pre- 
sent themselves  to  us  surrounded 
by  marvels  which  conceal  their  ori- 
gin ;  we  will  speak  of  them  as  our 
worthy  fathers  spoke  before  us. 
These  wonders,  handed  down  by 
tradition  from  age  to  age,  are  not 
an  article  of  Catholic  faith,  and 
criticism  may  attack  them  without 
wounding  the  Church ;  nevertheless, 
it  is  our  opinion  that  we  should 
gain  little  by  rejecting  them:  the 
marvellous  belongs  to  Gothic  le- 
gends, like  moss  to  aged  oaks,  or 
ivy  to  mouldering  walls. 

According  to  certain  Lyonese  tra- 
ditions, based  on  a  bull  of  Innocent 
lY.,  St.  Pothin  erected  the  first 
chapel  wherein  Mary  was  invoked 
in  the  Gauls.  It  is  said  that  he 
brought  from  Asia  a  little  statue 
of  the  Yirgin,  which  he  placed  in 


503 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRQIN  MARY. 


a  solitary  and  shaded  crypt  on  the 
banks  of  the  Saone,  in  front  of  the 
hill  of  Fourviere.  In  that  wild  and 
retired  place  he  raised  an  altar  to 
the  true  God,  and  there  placed  the 
image,  which  was  afterwards  re- 
moved to  a  temple  built  on  the 
same  hill,  and  called  from  it  Our 
Lady  of  Fourviere.  This  church 
was  famous  as  a  pilgrimage,  in  the 
Middle  Ages,  through  all  the  Lyon- 
ese  country ;  but  the  Calvinists, 
who  pillaged  and  destroyed  so 
many  rich  shrines,  spared  not  that 
of  Lyons.  The  church  of  Fourviere, 
where  every  generation  from  the 
birth  of  Christianity,  had  marked 
its  passage  by  gifts  which  would 
be  now  as  precious  to  the  anti- 
quary, the  sculptor,  and  the  painter, 
as  to  the  pilgrim,  was  stripped  of 
all  but  its  four  bare  walls ;  these 
could  not  well  be  melted  in  the  cru- 
cible that  had  swallowed  up  so 
many  gems  of  art,  because  they 
had  the  misfortune  of  being  gold  or 
silver. 

The  chapter  of  St.  John  could  not 
think  of  restoring  that  of  Fourviere 
till  long  after  the  ravages  of  the 
Protestants.  It  was  done,  however, 
as  soon  as  the  cathedral  and  clois- 


f  ter  were  completed.  Mary's  altar 
was  at  length  consecrated  on  the 
21st  of  August,  1586.  From  that 
moment  the  confidence  of  the  peo- 
ple turned  towards  that  beacon  of 
salvation.  "  The  source  of  miracles 
seemed  dried  up,"  says  an  ancient 
historian,  "  but  they  began  again  at 
the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
to  the  great  joy  and  satisfaction  of 
the  whole  country."* 

During  the  Revolution  of  1793, 
the  church  of  Fourviere  was  sold; 
but  when  tranquillity  was  restored, 
the  zealous  prelate  who  governed 
the  ancient  church  of  Pothin  and 
of  Ireneus  recovered  the  shrine  for 
religion.  The  inauguration  was 
performed  on  the  19  th  of  April, 
1805,  by  the  sovereign  pontiff 
Pius  VILf 

In  1832  and  1835,  Lyons,  threat- 
ened with  cholera,  raised  its  eyes 
to  the  holy  mountain,  and  the  Vir- 
gin said  to  the  plague,  "  Thou  shalt 
go  no  farther!"  The  city  escaped, 
contrary  to  all  expectations :  the 
cries  of  terror  were  changed  into 
canticles  of  joy,  anc  public  thanks- 


*  Hid.  de  Notre  Dame  dt  Fourviere,  ou  Richer* 
ches  histo'-iqites  8ur  I'atUel  tutelaire  des  Lyonnais. 
■[Ibid. 


givings    were    solemnly   offered   to  * 
Mary  in  her  favorite  shrine. 

Ever  since  the  auspicious  period 
when  this  sanctuary  was  restored 
to  religion,  the  devotion  to  Our 
Lady  has  steadily  increased,  and 
Fourviere  is,  as  it  were,  its  foun- 
tain-head. The  people  who  inhabit 
Lyons  and  the  surrounding  country 
crowd  the  paths  of  Mary's  hill,  and 
no  matter  at  what  hour  you  go 
there,  you  are  sure  to  find  yourself 
amidst  a  crowd  of  pious  persons 
of  every  rank,  age,  and  condition. 
One  day,  in  the  year  1815,  a  pil- 
grim of  no  ordinary  mien,  having 
first  taken  a  view  of  Lyons  from 
the  top  of  the  hill,  like  one  who 
studied  its  strong  and  weak  points, 
at  length  entered  Our  Lady's  church, 
and  the  faithful,  raising  their  down- 
cast eyes  a  moment,  said  to  them- 
selves, "It  is  Marshal  Suchet!"  It 
was  indeed  he — the  marshal  of  the 
empire,  the  son  of  Lyons,  to  whom 
the  defence  of  his  native  city  was 
entrusted.  He  slowly  paced  up  the 
aisle  of  Mary's  church,  with  a  sub- 
dued and  respectful  countenance ; 
entering  the  sacristy,  he  sent  to 
request  that  one  of  the  chaplains 
would    come   to   him.      "Reverend 


sir,"  said  the  marshal,  advancing 
towards  the  priest,  "  when  I  was 
quite  a  child,  my  good  and  pious 
mother  often  brought  me  here,  to 
Our  Lady's  feet,  and  that  remem- 
brance is  still  before  me.  ...  I  will 
say  more,  that  remembrance  is  dear 
to  me,  and  I  have  willingly  cher- 
ished it.  Will  you  have  the  good- 
ness to  say  some  masses  for  my 
intention  ? "  And  having  placed 
three  Napoleons  on  the  table  where 
the  offerings  are  registered,  the  bril- 
liant hero  of  that  wondrous  period 
knelt  some  time  at  Mary's  altar  in 
fervent  prayer.  Marshal  Suchet,  as 
might  be  expected,  ended  his  loyal 
and  noble  career  by  a  Christian 
death,  as  is  recorded  on  his  tomb. 
The  pilgrimage  of  Notre  Dame 
du  Puy,  in  Velay,  is  also  considered 
as  one  of  the  oldest  in  France.  It 
is  said  that,  during  the  occupation 
of  Gaul  by  the  Romans,  a  Gallic 
lady  who  had  been  baptized  by  St. 
George,  first  bishop  of  Puy,  finding 
herself  in  danger  of  death,  was  ap- 
prised that  she  should  recover  her 
health  on  the  top  of  Mount  Ani- 
cium,  not  far  from  her  own  dwell- 
ing. She  had  herself  conveyed 
thither  accordingly,  and  was  scarce- 


604 


BISTORT  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


ly  seated  on  a  volcanic  rock  of  the 
Puy,*  when  she  fell  into  a  gentle 
slumber.  She  then  saw  in  a  dream 
a  celestial  woman  clothed  in  white 
flowing  robes,  with  a  crown  of  jewels 
on  her  head;  she  was  of  dazzling 
beauty,  and  surrounded  by  a  train 
of  heavenly  spirits.  "  Who  is  she  ?  " 
demanded  the  Gallic  lady,  address- 
ing one  of  the  attendant  spirits; 
"  who  is  this  queen  so  lovely  and 
so  noble,  who  comes  to  visit  a  poor 
sick  woman  in  her  affliction  ?"  "It 
is  the  Mother  of  God,"  replied  the 
angel ;  "  she  has  chosen  this  rock 
for  a  shrine,  and  commands  thee 
to  make  it  known  to  her  servant 
Geoi-ge.  Lest  thou  shouldst  take 
this  behest  of  Heaven  for  an  idle 
dream,  awake,  woman,  thou  art 
healed!"  She  awoke,  accordingly, 
without  fever,  pain,  or  even  languor. 
Penetrated  with  gratitude,  she  has- 
tened to  the  bishop,  and  gave  him, 
word  for  word,  the  message  of  the 
angel. 

Having  listened  in  silence  to  the 
orders  of  Her  whom  he  revered  next 
to    God,  St.  Geoi-ge   bowed    down, 

*  In  Languedoc  and  Auvergne  the  name  of 
puy  is  giVen  to  a  high  mountain,  from  the 
Italian  word  poggio. 


f  as  though  the  Virgin  herself  had 
spoken,  and  went  without  delay  to 
visit  the  miraculous  rock,  followed 
by  some  servants  and  the  Gallic 
convert.  How  great  was  his  sur- 
prise to  find  the  spot  covered  with 
snow,  although  it  was  then  ifuly! 
Whilst  he  yet  stood,  lost  in  aston- 
ishment, a  deer  was  seen  running 
over  the  snow,  marking  out  with 
its  light  feet  the  site  for  a  vast 
building.  The  holy  bishop,  still 
more  amazed,  had  the  ground  thus 
marked  fenced  in  with  a  hedge, 
and  on  that  favored  spot  there  soon 
arose  a  cathedral,  around  which  the 
city  of  Puy  was  soon  formed.  This 
town  was  considered  impregnable — 
thanks  to  the  protection  of  Mary. 

The  little  statue  which  people 
come  from  Spain  and  all  the  south- 
ern provinces  of  France  to  vener- 
ate, dates  from  the  time  of  the  Cru- 
sades ;  it  is  two  feet  in  height,  and 
is  seated  after  the  manner  of  the 
Egyptian  deities,  with  the  Infant 
Jesus  on  the  knee.  What  is  most 
remarkable  is,  that  this  statue  is 
wrapped,  from  h^d  to  foot,  in  sev- 
eral bandages  of  fine  linen,  carefully 
and  solidly   fastened  to  the  wood, 

I  much  in  the  same  way  as  an  Egyp- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


505 


tian  mummy.  The  appearance  of 
this  statue,  the  cedar  of  which  it 
is  composed,  and  the  bandages  in 
which  it  is  swathed,  give  reason  to 
suppose  that  it  is  the  work  of  the 
hermits  of  Lebanon,  who  fashioned 
it  on  the  model  of  the  Egyptian 
statues.  This  image  of  Our  Lady 
was  brought  by  St.  Louis  from  the 
Holy  Land. 

The  sovereign  pontiffs  have  en- 
couraged this  pilgrimage  by  their 
favors  and  by  their  example :  sev- 
eral popes  went  there  as  simple 
pilgrims. 

The  bishops  of  Puy  received  great 
privileges  from  the  court  of  Eome 
on  account  of  Our  Lady,  amongst 
others,  that  of  immediate  depend- 
ence on  the  Holy  See,  and  the  Pal- 
lium. Many  of  the  kings  of  France 
went  likewise  to  honor  Mary  on 
the  mountain  of  Anicium.  In  1422, 
Charles  VH.,  while  yet  but  Dau- 
phin, went  there  to  recommend  his 
almost  desperate  cause  to  Notre 
Dame  du  Puy,  and  it  was  in  that 
very  church  that  he  was  afterwards 
proclaimed  king. 

King  Ren^  also  made  this  pil- 
grimage with  a  great  train  of  men 
and    horses ;     a    crowd    of    Moors, 


probably  converted  to  the  Chris- 
tian faith,  followed  in  their  Oriental 
costume. 

The  Chapel  of  Our  Lady  of  the 
Mountains,  or  of  Ceignac,  seated  on 
a  hill  surrounded  by  others,  in  the 
ancient  forest  of  Cayrac,  between 
the  Yiaour  and  the  Aveyron,  is 
famous  through  the  pilgrimage  of 
a  Hungarian  palatine,  who,  in  1150, 
miraculously  recovered  his  sight, 
through  the  intercession  of  Our 
Lady.  This  nobleman,  afflicted  in 
the  very  prime  of  life  with  total 
blindness,  left  the  banks  of  the 
Danube  with  an  hundred  men-at- 
arms,  to  ask  Our  Lady  of  the  Moun- 
tain to  put  an  end  to  his  long- 
protracted  sufferings. 

He  embarked  on  the  Adriatic 
Sea,  and,  after  coasting  along  the 
Italian  shore,  entered  the  Gulf  of 
Lyons ;  but  there,  a  terrible  storm 
dispersed  his  ships,  and  it  was  with 
great  difficulty  that  his  squire  saved 
him  in  a  long  boat,  which  succeed- 
ed in  reaching  the  shore.  Shocked 
by  this  sad  catastrophe,  and  deplor- 
ing the  fate  of  his  followers,  the 
blind  prince,  accompanied  by  his 
faithful  servant,  plunged  into  the 
-jp  mountains  of  Languedoc,  journeying 


by  short  stages  towards  the  Chapel  f 
of  Our  Lady  of  the  Mountains, 
where  he  arrived  in  1150.  A  hunts- 
man, watching  his  snares  on  the 
verdant  shores  of  the  Yiaour,  point- 
ed out  the  ford  to  the  two  pil- 
grims, and  conducted  them  to  a 
rising  ground  commanding  a  view 
of  the  little  church.  The  palatine, 
for  years  deprived  of  the  sweet  light 
of  heaven,  could  not  behold  the  wel- 
come sight ;  but  he  heard  the  merry 
chime  of  the  morning  bells,  and, 
prostrating  himself  on  the  dewy 
grass,  he  blessed  God  and  Our  Lady 
for  that  he  had  reached  the  end  of 
his  long  journey.  Full  of  faith,  he 
entered  the  sanctuary  which  he 
came  so  far  to  seek,  and  had  a 
solemn  Mass  said  at  Mary's  altar. 
The  Mass  ended,  the  blind  prince 
was  praying  in  tears  before  the 
image  of  the  Virgin,  when  his  at- 
tention was  attracted  by  a  clang 
of  arms,  as  if  caused  by  many  pil- 
grims entering  the  church  together. 
He  instinctively  raises  his  sightless 
eyes,  and,  behold!  he  sees  his  own 
banner,  and  those  prostrate  pilgrims 
whose  Eastern  costume  contrasts  so 
strongly  with  the  brown  capes  of 
the   Languedoceans,   they    are    his  | 


own  faithful  Hungarians !  A  cry 
of  joy  and  gratitude  escapes  him ; 
he  has  recovered  his  sight,  and  his 
men-at-arms  are  there  before  him! 
Our  Lady  treated  her  vassal  with 
royal  generosity,  and  favored  him 
beyond  his  most  sanguine  hopes. 

Seven  lamps  of  massive  silver 
were  the  gift  offered  by  the  Hun- 
garian noble  to  the  Virgin ;  by  his 
orders,  a  cross  was  raised  on  the 
hill  where  he  had  prayed,  and  on  it 
was  inscribed,  in  Gothic  characters, 
the  history  of  his  cure.  A  group 
in  relievo  was  placed  in  Mary's 
shrine,  representing  the  prince  pal- 
atine and  his  squire  on  their  knees 
before  the  image  of  the  Virgin ; 
above  was  a  Latin  inscription,  con- 
ceived as  follows: 

Ecce  palatinus  privatus  lumine  princeps, 
Munera  magna  ferens,  sed  meliora  refert. 
Virginis  auspiciis,  divino  in  lumine,  lumen 
Cernit,  et  exultat,  dum  pia  perficerent. 
Insuper  et  centum  famulos  in  littore  fractos 
Invenit  incolumes  ;   dicitur  inde  locus. 

Amongst  the  benefactors  of  the 
Chapel  of  Our  Lady  of  Ceignac  are 
reckoned  the  Dukes  d'Arpajon,  Car- 
dinal de  la  Pelagrua,  nephew  of 
Pope  Clement  V.,  with  a  great  num- 
ber of  bishops  and  other  eminent 
personages. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


507 


The  pilgrimage  of  Our  Lady  of 
Roc  Amadour,  not  far  from  Cahors, 
is  situated  in  the  most  barren  and 
mountainous  part  of  Quercy.  A 
saint,  whom  local  tradition  would 
fain  set  down  as  the  Zaccheus  of 
the  Gospel,  retired  about  the  middle 
of  the  third  century  to  a  maze  of 
rocks  which  rear  their  lofty  heads 
above  the  narrow  and  deep  ravine, 
^  thi'ough  which  the  Lauzon  rolls  its 
waters ;  this  ravine,  now  known  as 
the  Glen  of  Roc  Amadour,  was  then 
called  the  Dark  Valley  [vol  tene- 
breux),  and  was  infested  with  wild 
beasts. 

This  gloomy,  yet  somewhat  grand 
landscape,  having  some  resemblance 
to  the  Theban  desert,  had  doubtless 
some  analogy  with  the  lofty  and 
austere  thoughts  of  the  anchoret ; 
he  made  himself  a  cell  on  one  of  the 
culminating  points  of  the  mountain, 
and  hoUoAved  in  the  rock,  on  a  level 
with  the  eyrie,  an  oratory  to  the 
Mother  of  God.  The  Gallo- Roman 
inhabitants  of  the  fair  valleys  of 
Figeac  and  St.  Cerd,  seeing  him 
sometimes  from  a  distance  on  the 
crest  of  those  bare,  wild  moun- 
tains, surnamed  him  Amator  rupis ; 
this  name,  the  only  one  which  has 


f  come  down  to  us,  was  changed  into 
that  of  Amador,  and  then  Amadour^ 
which  is  more  conformable  to  the 
genius  of  the  dialect  spoken  there. 

The  little  statue  of  the  Virgin, 
like  those  which  the  early  Chris- 
tians of  Gaul  venerated  in  the  hol- 
low of  oaks,  wrought  miracles  in 
behalf  of  the  fervent  pilgrims  who 
went  to  visit  it  in  its  rocky  shrine. 
Pilgrimages  were  multiplied,  and 
they  soon  became  so  frequent  that 
a  city  was  built  at  the  foot  of  the 
holy  place ;  that  city,  though  situa- 
ted in  a  desolate  region,  on  a  bar- 
ren soil,  and  in  a  place  difficult  of 
access,  nevertheless  became,  through 
the  devotion  of  our  fathers,  one  of 
the  principal  towns  of  Quercy;  it 
had  its  towers,  its  consuls,  and  its 
coat  of  arms — thi-ee  silver  rocks 
with  golden  lilies  on  a  field  gules. 

Just  over  the  steeple  of  the  an- 
cient church  of  Roc  Amadour,  at  a 
prodigious  height,  was  a  citadel 
intended  to  protect  the  rich  shrine 
of  Mary ;  but  those  lofty  walls,  tow- 
ering proudly  in  the  air,  were  not 
sufficient  to  save  the  holy  mountain 
from  the  fierce  followers  of  Calvin, 
who  would  have  braved  hell  itself 
for  the  sake  of  gold.      Our  Lady's 


608 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRQIN  MART. 


Chapel  has  now  a  surer  protection 
in  its  poverty. 

This  pilgrimage  was  famous  even 
in  the  time  of  Charlemagne ;  Count 
Koland,  nephew  of  that  emperor, 
visited  Roc  Amadour  in  778;  he 
made  an  offering  to  the  Blessed 
Virgin  of  the  weight  of  his  sword 
of  silver,  and  when  he  fell  on  the 
field  of  lloncevaux,  that  sword  was 
carried  to  Roc  Amadour.*  In  the 
yeai*  1170,  according  to  Roger  de 
Hoveden,  Henry  IL,  king  of  Eng- 
land and  duke  of  Guyenne  (in  right 
of  his  wife  Eleanor),  made  a  pil- 
grimage to  Roc  Amadour,  in  fulfill- 
ment of  a  vow  made  by  him  during 
a  long  illness  which  he  had  had.  As 
the  people  of  Quercy  had  no  great 
love  for  the  English,  Henry  had  to 
make  this  pious  journey  under  the 
escort  of  a  strong  guard.  The  Eng- 
lish prince  left  marks  of  his  mu- 
nificence in  Our  Lady's  Chapel,  and 
amongst  the  poor  of  Roc  Amadour. 

Amongst  the  illustrious  pilgrims 
who  went  to  honor  Mary  in  her 
mountain -shrine  were  Simon  de 
Montfort,  the  pope's  legate ;  Arnaud 
Amalric,  afterwards  bishop  of  Nar- 

*  Dupleix,  Hist,  de  France,  Charlemagne,  ch.  8. 
—This  bracmar  (sword)  having  been  stolen  or 


*  bonne;  St.  Louis,  accompanied  by 
his  three  brothers ;  Blanche  of  Cas- 
tile, and  Alphonso,  Count  of  Bou- 
logne, who  subsequently  ascended 
the  throne  of  Portugal ;  Charles  the 
Fair,  King  John,  Louis  XL,  and 
many  powerful  lords. 

Of  the  great  bishops  who,  at  va- 
rious times,  visited  the  miraculous 
Chapel  of  Our  Lady,  there  is  one 
whose  name  is  so  dear  to  humanity, 
to  Catholicity,  that  we  cannot  omit 
to  mention  it :  that  name,  so  honor- 
able to  France,  so  imposing  even 
to  unbelievers,  is  that  of  the  Swan 
of  Cambrai.  Consecrated  from  his 
birth  to  Our  Lady  of  Roc  Amadour 
by  his  pious  mother,  Fenelon  went 
more  than  once  to  invoke,  in  her 
favorite  shrine,  her  who  gave  him 
that  courageous  wisdom  which  he 
turned  to  such  good  advantage. 
Two  pictures,  hung  as  ex-voto  in 
Mary's  sanctuary,  represent  two 
solemn  phases  of  his  existence.  In 
the  first,  he  is  lying  in  his  cradle, 
a  new-born  infant;  in  the  second, 
a  young  man,  and  already  a  doctor 
of  divinity,  he  is  returning  thanks 
to  his  divine  protectress  for  the  first 

lost,  was  replaced  by  a  club,  which  retained  the 
name  of  Boland's  sword. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


509 


step  in  his  brilliant  career.  At  a  * 
little  distance  there  is  a  tomb,  at 
which  he  often  wept  and  prayed ; 
it  is  that  of  his  mother,  who  would 
sleep  her  last  sleep  in  the  shade  of 
Mary's  altar. 

Sometimes  it  was  not  only  in- 
dividuals, but  whole  towns  and 
provinces,  that  repaired  to  Roc 
Amadour.  "In  1546,"  says  M.  de 
Malleville,  in  his  Chronicles  of 
Quercy,  "  the  24th  of  June,  the 
Feast  of  St.  John  and  of  the  Blessed 
Sacrament,  was  the  great  pardon 
of  Roc  Amadour ;  to  which  place 
the  concourse  of  people,  both  na- 
tives and  foreigners,  was  so  great, 
that  several  persons  were  smoth- 
ered in  the  crowd,  and  tents  were 
spread  over  all  the  adjoining  coun- 
try like  a  great  camp." 

The  offerings  made  at  the  shrine 
of  Roc  Amadour  were  truly  mag- 
nificent ;  amongst  them  was  the 
forest  of  Mont  Salvy,  given  in  1119, 
by  Odon,  Count  de  la  Marche,  to 
the  Blessed  Mary  of  Roc  Amadour ; 
and  the  lands  of  Fornellas  and 
Orbanella,  given  in  1181,  by  Al- 
phonso  IX.,  king  of  Castile  and 
Toledo,  for  the  benefit  of  tlie  souls  of 
Ms  parents. 


In  the  year  1202,  Sancho  YIL, 
king  of  Navarre,  gave  an  annuity 
of  forty-eight  gold  pieces  for  the 
lighting  of  Our  Lady's  Chapel ;  and 
in  1208,  Savaric,  prince  of  Mau- 
leon,  a  great  captain  and  a  famous 
troubadour,  gave,  as  a  free  and 
perpetual  donation,  to  the  Blessed 
Mary  of  Roc  Amadour,  his  estate 
of  Lisleau,  with  a  full  exemption 
from  tax  or  charge  of  any  kind. 
Pope  Clement  Y.,  in  1314,  left  a 
legacy  to  the  same  church,  "  to 
keep  a  taper  perpetually  burning 
in  a  silver  vase  or  basin  in  the 
Chapel  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary 
of  Roc  Amadour,  in  honor  of  that 
ever-Blessed  Mother,  and  for  the 
salvation  of  his  soul." 

It  would  be  too  long  to  enumer- 
ate all  the  benefactors  of  Mary's 
Chapel ;  its  interior  was  radiant 
with  offerings  of  gold,  pearls,  and 
precious  stones ;  Spanish  princesses 
wrought  rich  hangings  for  it  with 
their  own  hands,  and  it  was  lit, 
both  night  and  day,  by  fourteen 
lamps  of  solid  silver,  whose  chains 
were  intertwined  into  a  magnificent 
net-work.  By  a  contrast,  peculiar 
to  Chiistianity,  the  Madonna's  altar 
was  of  wood,  as  in  the  days  of  St. 


no 


mSTORT  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


Amadour,  and  the  miraculous  im- 
age was  a  little  statue  of  rough 
black  oak.  High  in  the  dome 
of  the  chapel,  where  windows  of 
rich  stained  glass  surrounded  the 
steeple,  there  was  a  little  bell  with- 
out rope,  which  rung,  of  its  own 
accoi"d,  when  it  pleased  the  Star  of 
the  Sea  to  manifest  her  power  in 
behalf  of  distressed  mariners  who 
called  upon  her  from  the  wastes  of 
Ocean. 

The  Virgin  of  Quercy  was  too 
rich  a  prey  to  escape  Protestantism. 
On  the  3d  of  September,  1592, 
Dm-as  took  possession  of  Roc  Ama- 
dour ;  the  crosses  were  broken,  the 
pictures  defaced,  the  rich  ornaments 
burned  and  torn  to  pieces,  the  bells 
melted  down,  and  the  body  of  St. 
Amadour  was  smashed  with  the 
hammer,  and  then  consigned  to  the 
flames.*  The  atheists  of  1793  gave 
the  finishing  stroke  to  this  work  of 
destruction. 

Now  the  towers  of  the  city  are 
prostrate  and  overgrown  with  grass; 
shrubs  are  growing  amid  the  ruins 
of  the  citadel ;  tall  weeds  are  wav- 
ing over  the  disjointed  stones  of  the 
immense  flight  of  two  hundred  and 
seventy-eight  steps  which  led  from 


f  the  city  to  the  aerial  shrine  of 
Mary;  the  lute  of  the  Languedocian 
cantadour  no  longer  celebrates  Our 
Lady's  miracles,  and  the  niglit-wind 
alone  is  heard  whistling  through 
that  ancient  chapel,  where  the  or- 
gan once  pealed  its  solemn  music. 
The  Virgin  of  Roc  Amadour  might 
now  be  called  the  Virgin  of  EuinSj 
and  yet  she  still  works  miracles 
there. 

The  pilgrimage  of  Our  Lady  of 
Liesse,  in  Picardy,  is  not  so  ancient 
as  those  of  southern  France,  since  it 
only  dates  from  the  twelfth  century; 
but  it  is  even  more  famous  than 
they  are.  The  origin  of  the  statue 
which  decorates  the  sanctuary  is 
truly  mai*vellous ;  tradition  has  pre- 
served the  wondrous  tale  not  only 
in  the  French  province  where  it 
is  located,  but  even  in  the  Holy 
Land  ;f  nay,  it  is  even  said  to  exist 
in  the  archives  of  the  Knights  of 
Malta.J  The  following  is  the  story, 
and  it  bears  a  decidedly  Eastern 
character. 

Foulques  of  Anjou,  king  of  Jeru- 


*  Odo  de  Gissey,  Hist,  de  Roc  Amadour. 
f  See  Hist,  de  Notre  Dame  de  Liesse,  par  I'AbW 
Villette,  Addit.  au  disc,  prelim,  p.  100. 
t  Ibid.,  pp.  10,  11,  et  12. 


galem,  having  rebuilt  the  fortreSvS  of 
Bersabee,  within  fonr  leagues  of 
Ascalon,  to  protect  the  frontier  of 
flis  kingdom  from  the  incursions  of 
the  Saracen>s,  entrusted  its  defence 
to  the  brave  and  pious  Knights  of 
St  John  of  JerusaleuL  This  val- 
iant garrison  had  often  to  combat 
the  infidels  who  held  the  ancient 
country  of  the  PhilLsiines  for  the 
Sultan  of  Egypt  One  day,  the 
Knights  of  St  John,  including  three 
brothers  of  the  ancient  and  noble 
house  of  Eppes,  in  Picardy,  fell  into 
an  ambascade,  and,  notwiths-tand- 
ing  that  they  performed  prodigies 
of  valor,  they  were  taken  and  load- 
ed with  chains  by  the  Mnssnlmana, 
who  sent  them  to  ]^yi>t.  The 
brothers  d^ppes  had  the  majestic 
mien  and  krfty  stature  of  the  an- 
cient knights  of  the  north  of 
France.  The  Sultan  quickly  distin- 
guished them  from  the  others,  and 
hoping  to  gain  them  for  his  false 
prophet,  he  commenced  by  casting 
them  into  a  dungeon  in  order  to 
bre^  down  their  courage,  and  then 
proceeded  to  spread  before  their 
eyes  the  most  eedndng  prospect, 
making  them  all  manner  of  fEur 
promises  if  they  would  only  give  op 


t  their  religion.  The  three  valoron^ 
knights,  as  they  were  before  inac- 
cessible to  fear,  were  now  also  deaf 
to  the  voice  of  ambition,  and  not  to 
be  lured  by  gold.  The  Sultan,  thus 
disappointed,  sent  some  of  the  most 
famous  dervises  to  argue*  religion 
with  them,  whereupon  the  good 
knights,  in  their  hatred  of  Moham- 
medanism, became,  all  at  once,  sub- 
tle theologians,  and  defended  Chris- 
tianity as  well  in  discussion  as  they 
had  often  done  with  shield  on  arm 
and  lance  in  rest  The  Sultan  made 
it  a  point  of  honor  to  overcome  the 
captives,  and  his  obstinacy  incTcas- 
ing  with  their  resistance,  he  swore 
that  these  knights  c^  St  J<rfm 
should  foUow  the  prophet's  stand- 
ard were  it  to  cost  him  the  half 
of  Egypt  He  had  one  daughter, 
beautiful  and  accomplished,  and  so 
virtuous  that  she  deserved  to  have 
a  betta"  creed ;  her  lie  sent  into  the 
dungeon  where  the  French  knights 
languished  in  chaiiis,  and  charged 
her  to  give  them  a  terrifying  ac- 
count of  the  tortures  awaiting  them 
if  they  still  continued  to  hold  out 
The  knights  received  the  lady  with 
an  the  hi^bred  courtesy  of  tiiat 

I  cfaivalroos  age;  but  they  rejected 


J 


612 


mSTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   TEE  BLESSED  VTROTN  ^TARY. 


her  insinuations  with  the  firmness  f 
of  men  who  willingly  accepted  mar- 
tji*dom,  and  explained  their  own 
faith  in  a  manner  so  clear  and  con- 
vincing, that  the  young  princess  be- 
gan to  reflect  on  the  truths  laid  be- 
fore her.  A  miraculous  and  radiant 
image  of  Mary,  brought  by  angels,  it 
was  said,  to  the  pious  champions  of 
the  faith,  completed  the  conversion 
of  the  young  Mohammedan.  Hav- 
ing one  night  bribed  the  guards  of 
the  prison,  she  made  her  way,  with 
a  casket  of  jewels,  to  the  French 
knights,  and  escaped  with  them 
from  her  father's  palace. 

Having  crossed  the  Nile  in  a 
bark  prepared  to  receive  them,  the 
fugitives  bent  their  course  towards 
Alexandria,  hoping,  perhaps,  to  ob- 
tain a  temporary  asylum  in  one  of 
the  Coptish  monasteries  of  the  soli- 
tude of  St.  Macarius;  but,  after 
some  hours'  march,  the  princess, 
exhausted  with  fatigue,  stood  in 
need  of  some  repose,  and,  notwith- 
standing the  imminence  of  the  dan- 
ger, the  three  knights  of  St.  John 
resolved  to  keep  watch,  and  let  her 
sleep  for  a  while. 

They  accordingly  seated  her  in  a 
field   of   soft,   long   grasy,   and   sat 


down  themselves  at  a  respectful 
distance.  The  princess  slept,  and 
her  companions,  after  struggling  in 
vain  against  the  drowsiness  which 
came  upon  them,  at  last  fell  asleep 
in  their  turn. 

No  one  knows  how  long  their 
sleep  lasted.  The  eldest  of  the 
brothers  was  the  first  to  awake ; 
the  sun  was  already  far  above  the 
horizon,  and  the  birds  were  war- 
bling on  every  tree.  The  crusader 
looked  around  in  amazement ;  he  fell 
asleep  within  sight  of  the  Nile  and 
the  pyramids,  under  the  fan -like 
branches  of  a  palm-tree,  and  he 
awoke  under  a  venerable  oak,  on 
the  margin  of  a  purling  stream,  in 
a  fresh  green  meadow  spangled 
with  daisies.  At  a  little  distance 
rose  the  dark,  round  turrets  of  an 
old  baronial  castle,  very  much  re- 
sembling that  in  which  he  left  his 
soiTowing  mother,  when  setting  out 
for  the  Holy  Land.  His  doubts 
were  dispelled  by  a  shepherd  who 
was  leading  his  flock  to  the  pas- 
ture :  the  castle  before  him  was  his 
own  good  castle  of  Marchais,  and 
he  found  himself  in  Picardy,  under 
one  of  the  old  ancestral  trees  which 
his  fathers  had  planted.   He  blessed 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


513 


the  Holy  Yirgin,  and  awoke  his  com-  * 
panions,   whose    surprise    equalled 
his  own. 

The  image  of  the  Eastern  Ma- 
donna was  still  in  their  possession ; 
so  they  built  a  fair  church  wherein 
to  place  it,  and  the  Mohammedan 
princess  was  baptized  in  the  cathe- 
dral of  Laon. 

That  this  statuette  of  Mary 
reached  France  by  means  more 
natural,  we  may  well  believe ;  but 
it  is  quite  certain  that  it  was 
brought  from  the  Holy  Land  by 
three  brothers  of  the  house  of 
Eppe,  knights  of  St.  John  of  Jeru- 
salem. 

Some  of  the  most  illustrious 
names  of  the  French  monarch}^  are 
found  on  the  list  of  the  pilgrims 
to  Our  Lady  of  Liesse.  Amongst 
them  are  the  Duke  of  Burgundy, 
Louis  n.  of  Bourbon,  Prince  of 
Conde,  the  Duke  de  Mercoeur, 
Prince  Albert  Henry  of  Ligne, 
Madame  Henrietta,  Frances  of 
France,  Queen  of  England,  some 
of  the  Princes  de  Longueville, 
Marshal  d'Ancre,  Mademoiselle  de 
Guise,  the  Count  of  Egmont,  Louis, 
duke  of  Orleans,  brother  of  Charles 
VL,  Charles  YH.,  King  Ken^,  Louis  , 


XL,  Francis  the  First,  Henry  H., 
Charles  IX.,  Queen  Mary  de  Medici, 
Louis  XIIL,  Ann  of  Austria,  Louis 
XIY.,  etc. 

Many  of  these  great  personages, 
not  content  with  leaving  rich  do- 
nations at  JSTotre  Dame  de  Liesse, 
also  placed  their  statue  there ;  that 
of  Louis  n.  of  Bourbon,  prince  of 
Cond^,  was  of  gold. 

Mary  of  Arquin,  who  was  after- 
wards queen  of  Poland,  visited  Our 
Lady's  chapel  in  1671  ;  she  offered 
to  the  Blessed  Yirgin  a  silver  child, 
representing  Prince  Alexander  So- 
bieski,  her  son,  together  with  a 
chain  of  gold  enriched  with  jewels, 
denoting  that  she  devoted  him  to 
the  Mother  of  God,  as  her  slave.* 

This  shrine,  like  the  others,  was 
plundered  by  the  Huguenots,  and 
the  Kevolution  completed  the  work; 
yet  still  the  chapel  of  Our  Lady  of 
Liesse  is  frequented  by  a  concourse 
of  pilgrims. 

In  the  legend  of  St.  Liphard  of 
Meung,  who  lived  in  550,  there  is 
mention  made  of  the  town  of  Clery, 
and  an  oratory  therein  dedicated 
to  the  Blessed  Yirgin.  In  1280, 
some  laborers  placed  there  a  small 

*  Hist,  de  Notre  Dame  de  Liesse. 


614 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO  THE  BLESSED  VIROIN  MART. 


statue  of  Our  Lady  which  had 
been  turned  up  by  their  plough- 
share. This  discovery  was  rumored 
abroad,  and  attracted  the  attention 
of  the  most  powerful  nobles  of  the 
time.  Amongst  these  was  Simon 
de  Melun,  a  nobleman  who  had 
accompanied  St.  Louis  to  Africa, 
and  was  raised  by  Philip  the  Fair 
to  the  dignity  of  Marshal  of  France; 
he  formed  the  design  of  founding 
a  college  there,  but,  dying  glori- 
ously soon  after  at  the  siege  of 
Courtray,  he  was  prevented  from 
executing  his  pious  intention,  which 
was,  however,  carried  out  by  his 
wife  and  son.  Philip  the  Fair, 
after  his  victories  in  Flanders,  was 
deeply  sensible  of  what  he  owed 
to  Mary;  struck  with  the  vast 
numbers  of  the  faithful  who  visited 
Our  Lady  of  Clery,  he  increased 
the  number  of  its  canons,  and 
resolved  to  rebuild  the  church ;  but 
death  came  suddenly  upon  him, 
too,  in  the  midst  of  so  many  proj- 
ects, religious  and  otherwise,  and 
left  him  little  more  than  the  merit 
of  a  good  intention.  The  church 
was,  nevertheless,  commenced  in 
his  reign,  and  was  duly  continued, 
thanks  to   the  munificence   of   his 


*  third  son,  Charles,  duke  of  Orleans, 
The  completion  of  the  church  was 
reserved  for  Philip  of  Valois,  that 
noble  prince  who  charged  his  sol- 
diers, in  a  conquered  countiy,  to 
respect  the  churches.  This  mag- 
nificent temple  was  pillaged  by 
the  English  during  the  famous 
siege  of  Orleans.  Louis  XL,  who 
had  new  sleeves  put  to  his  old 
doublets  so  as  to  wear  them  thread- 
bare, knew  well  how  to  act  as  be- 
came a  sovereign  prince,  when  he 
felt  so  inclined;  he  had  the  church 
of  Clery  rebuilt,  made  it  a  donation 
of  2,330  crowns,  endowed  it  with 
great  revenues,  erected  it  into  a 
royal  chapel,  and  richly  provided 
for  its  canons. 

This  monument,  the  object  of  so 
much  care  and  expense,  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire  in  1472,  whilst  the 
workmen  were  engaged  in  covering 
it.  The  whole  was  consumed  by 
fire,  says  the  chronicle  of  Louis  XL, 
but  the  church  was  constructed 
anew,  under  the  inspection  of  the 
king's  secretary. 

Louis  XL  having  recovered  his 
health  at  Clery,  and  attributing  his 
cure  to  the  Blessed  Virgin,  enriched 
her    college   with    new    gifts,   and 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


515 


caused  his  tomb  to  be  constructed 
there.  "He  placed  himself  in  it 
several  times,"  says  one  of  his  his- 
torians, "in  order  to  see  whether  it 
fitted  his  body  well,  and  was  ready 
to  receive  him  after  his  death."  He 
was  buried  there  according  to  his 
desire.  His  wife,  Charlotte  of  Sa- 
voy, was  soon  after  laid  beside  him. 

The  Calvinists,  who  had  as  little 
respect  for  the  sepulchres  of  kings 
as  for  the  altars  of  saints,  demol- 
ished the  statue  of  Louis  XI.,  and 
broke  open  his  royal  tomb  for  the 
sake  of  pillage.  This  tomb,  recon- 
structed by  Louis  XIH.,  was  again 
broken  and  mutilated  during  the 
Revolution,  and  repaired  by  Louis 
XYIII.  The  devotion  to  the  Virgin 
is  still  kept  up  with  pious  fervor 
in  the  old  church  of  Louis  XI. 

The  pilgrimage  of  Our  Lady  of 
the  Thorn  [Notre  Dame  de  rapine), 
near  Chalons-sur-Marne,  commenced 
in  the  first  years  of  the  fifteenth 
century.  On  the  eve  of  the  Feast 
of  the  Annunciation,  a.  d.  1419,  two 
young  shepherds  leading  their  flocks 
by  the  side  of  a  little  chapel  dedi- 
cated to  St.  John  the  Baptist,  per- 
ceived a  bright  light  in  the  midst 
of  a  thorny  bush  which  grew  near 


*  it.  The  first  sheep  of  the  flock 
being  frightened  by  the  light,  took 
flight ;  but  the  young  lambs  ap- 
proached the  bush ;  the  shepherds 
followed  their  example,  and  discov- 
ered a  small  statue  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  with  the  Infant  Jesus  in  her 
arms.  The  miraculous  light  increas- 
ing when  night  came,  people  ran 
from  all  parts  to  see  it,  and  as  the 
place  where  the  prodigy  occurred 
was  very  high,  the  light  could  be 
seen  for  ten  leagues  around.  The 
bishop  of  Chalons  came  in  proces- 
sion with  all  his  chapter  and  many 
of  the  neighboring  priests  to  visit 
the  place.  They  found  the  bush  as 
green  as  though  it  were  summer; 
and  they  took  the  little  statue  of 
the  Madonna  and  conveyed  it  to  the 
neighboring  chapel  of  St.  John. 

This  remarkable  prodigy  attract 
ed  all  the  faithful  of  Champagne 
to  the  chapel,  which  speedily  be- 
came a  famous  pilgrimage.  With 
the  offerings  of  the  pilgrims  a  su- 
perb church  was  constructed  on  the 
plan  of  an  Irish  architect ;  the  work 
was  steadily  prosecuted;  notwith- 
standing the  war  then  being  carried 
on  against  the  English,  the  inhabit- 
ants, though  plundered  and  impov- 


616 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


erished,  cheerfully  left  their  plough 
to  draw  stones  all  the  way  from 
Lorraine.  The  building  went  on 
with  renewed  activity  when  Charles 
Vn.  sent  a  considerable  sum  to- 
wai'ds  the  completion  of  the  church. 
It  took  a  century  to  build  it,  and 
during  all  that  time  the  fervor  of 
the  people  continued  through  war, 
and  pestilence,  and  famine,  and  all 
imaginable  plagues,  the  worst  of 
which  was  certainly  the  harassing 
presence  of  the  English.  The  cities 
of  Chalon  and  Verdun  would  fain 
contiibute  their  share  towards  the 
decoration  of  this  building,  which 
was  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of 
the  miraculous  bush.  The  one  gave 
it  superb  stained  glass  windows, 
representing  the  history  of  the  mir- 
acle; the  other,  magnificent  bells; 
the  liberality  of  the  faithful,  great 
and  small,  rich  and  poor,  did  the 
rest 

During  the  religious  wars  the 
English  Protestants,  who  were  mas- 
ters of  Champagne,  having  heard 
of  the  great  riches  contained  in  the 
sanctuary  of  Our  Lady  of  the  Thorn, 
formed  the  project  of  pillaging  and 
destroying  it ;  but  the  lord  of  the 
soil,  a  man  full  of  faith  and  courage, 


t  had  the  noble  church  surrounded 
with  stakes,  and  putting  himself  at 
tl  e  head  of  a  band  of  brave  young 
men,  drawn  together  by  patriotism 
and  devotion  to  Mary,  they  succeed- 
ed in  repulsing  the  enemy  and  sav- 
ing the  Virgin's  altar.  Forced  to 
beat  a  retreat,  the  English  acted 
like  Vandals;  they  fired  a  parting 
volley  through  the  beautiful  win- 
dows, which  were  nearly  all  de- 
stroyed. Nevertheless,  by  a  sort  of 
prodigy,  the  famous  pane  of  glass 
on  which  is  represented  the  finding 
of  the  miraculous  statue  remained 
uninjured.  In  memory  of  that  hap- 
py day,  the  fabric  (or  trustees)  of 
the  church  of  Notre  Dame  dc 
I'Epine,  down  to  the  time  of  the 
Revolution,  gave  to  the  descend- 
ants of  the  gentleman  who  saved 
the  shrine  from  profanation  and  pil- 
lage two  blessed  swords,  which  they 
received  on  the  Feast  of  the  As- 
sumption before  the  Virgin's  altar. 
A  solemn  procession  took  place 
every  year  in  this  church.  A  num- 
ber of  delicate  children,  bound  to 
wear  white  perpetually  in  honor  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin,  assisted  in  the 
procession  on  the  15th  of  August, 
with   tapers  in  their  hands:   these 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


517 


were  the  petitioners  of  Mary.  The 
verdict  of  death  seemed  pronounced 
against  them  on  their  entrance  into 
the  world:  their  mothers  piously 
called  on  the  Yirgin,  and  hope, 
through  her  powerful  aid,  to  pre- 
serve those  fragile  plants  which 
thus  grow  up  under  her  sacred  pro- 
tection, and  depend  on  her  for  their 
very  existence.  It  was  an  affecting 
sight  to  see  those  little  angels, 
clothed  in  white,  and  pale  as  the 
flowers  wreathed  around  their  heads, 
kneeling  at  Mary's  feet,  and  repeat- 
ing the  prayer  which  they  were 
not  able  to  understand,  asking  that 
their  life  might  be  spared,  that  life 
so  precious  to  their  tender  mothers. 
.  .  .  When  the  rose  of  health  begins 
to  bloom  on  their  childish  features, 
when  the  seventh  year  is  past,  and 
they  at  length  leave  off  the  white 
livery  of  the  Virgin,  how  joyfully 
do  their  mothers  hasten  to  return 
thanks  to  Mary!  What  heartfelt 
prayers  are  then  poured  forth  at 
the  altar  of  Our  Lady  of  the  Thorn! 
There  is  in  the  Yosges  a  pilgrim- 
age which  perpetuates,  amongst  the 
humble  matrons  of  the  country,  a 
beautiful  superstition  wherein  the 
Christian   and  the  maternal   senti- 


ment are  somewhat  closely  commin- 
gled. About  the  year  1070,  a  monk 
of  Senones  built  on  the  margin  of 
a  lonely  torrent  a  hermitage  and 
chapel,  whither  the  people  went  to 
honor  Our  Lady  of  Meix.  This  pil- 
grimage was  afterwards  either  dis- 
continued or  suppressed.  The  chap- 
el is  now  in  ruins,  and  a  shattered 
stone  cross  is  the  only  thing  yet 
standing;  but  under  these  ruins 
there  are  subterraneous  vaults,  and 
an  altar  of  rough  stone,  whereon 
children  who  die  unbaptized  are 
still  laid.  "  They  are  hardly  placed 
on  that  stone,"  says  the  moun- 
taineer who  serves  as  a  guide 
through  the  gloomy  cavern,  "  when 
their  eyes  open,  a  slight  breath 
escapes  from  their  little  icy  lips, 
the  water  of  baptism  falls  on  their 
brow,  and  they  sleep  again  to  go 
up  to  heaven."  A  little  grave  is 
made  near  the  altar,  and  the  mortal 
remains  of  the  faded  floweret  are 
left  under  the  protection  of  Mary: 
the  ignorant,  but  exalted  tender- 
ness which  induced  the  parents  to 
ask  a  miracle  of  the  Virgin,  makes 
them  bury  them  within  the  pre- 
cincts of  her  ancient  shrine,  in  or- 
der that  she  may  not  forget  them! 


518 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


Let  incredulity  blame  as  it  may  f 
this  superstition  of  the  heart,  to  the 
tender  and  pious  soul  it  is  full  of 
melancholy  beauty,  and  deserving 
only  of  pity.  Doubtless,  more  than 
one  mother  may  have  been  mis- 
taken in  fancying  that  she  saw  the 
pale  lips  of  her  infant  quiver  with 
momentary  life  as  it  received  the 
water  of  baptism ;  but  no  one  will 
dare  to  say  that  Mary  has  not  power 
to  work  miracles  as  great  as  this,  at 
her  pleasure. 

Even  amongst  the  wild  recesses 
of  the  Pyrenees  there  are  sanctua- 
ries dedicated  to  Mary.  The  most 
ancient  and  the  most  famous  of 
these  is  Our  Lady  of  Heas,  fre- 
quented by  all  the  people  of  the 
neighboring  valleys.  Amongst  the 
precipitous  rocks  of  Heas  there  is 
an  altar  raised  where  the  goatherd 
would  not  dare  to  hang  up  a  tem- 
porary shelter  against  the  storm: 
the  Romans  would  have  dedicated 
this  altar  to  the  Spirit  of  the  Storm, 
but  Christians  have  erected  it  in 
honor  of  Her  who  stills  the  winds 
and  waves.  On  the  8th  of  Septem- 
ber, the  Feast  of  the  Nativity  of 
Mary,  and  on  the  15th  of  August, 
the  day  of  her  glorious   Assump- 


tion, an  immense  concourse  of  peo- 
ple repairs  to  the  shrine  of  Our 
Lady  of  Heas ;  each  one,  on  going 
away,  detaches  a  small  fragment  of 
the  blessed  rock,  which  is  taken 
home  respectfully  to  their  cabins, 
as  a  relic  of  some  value. 

Mountain  pilgrimages  are  pictur- 
esque ;  but  how  touching  are  those 
of  the  coasts  I  What  a  pleasing  ob- 
ject is  a  sanctuary  of  Mary,  with 
its  tapering  spire  standing  on  the 
point  of  a  promontory,  whence  it 
may  be  seen  from  afar  over  the 
deep  sea!  The  mariner  salutes  it 
with  a  heavy  heart  on  quitting  the 
land  where  he  leaves  his  wife  and 
children,  and  hails  it  with  delight 
on  his  return ;  that  spire  is  to  him 
the  emblem  of  hope,  and  amid  all 
the  anxious  perturbation  of  his 
heart,  as  he  approaches  his  home 
after  months,  perhaps  years  of  ab- 
sence, he  feels  a  certain  religious 
confidence,  a  certain  assurance  that 
all  goes  well — thanks  to  the  protec- 
tion of  the  good  Virgin.  .  .  .  And 
then,  who  knows  but  it  was  Our 
Lady  that  saved  him  from  ship- 
wreck, he  and  his  vessel;  and  the 
first  care  of  these  poor  people,  on 
reaching  land  is  to  go  barefoot,  as 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


519 


in  the  Middle  Ages,  to  hang  up  in  * 
the  maritime  chapel  the  offering 
promised  when  the  tempest  shiv- 
ered the  masts  and  rent  the  sails. 
One  of  the  Dieppe  papers  recently 
published  an  account  of  one  of  these 
touching  scenes,  which  made  a  deep 
impression  on  the  public  mind, 
notwithstanding  the  impiety  of 
the  times.  "  A  ceremony  of  a  most 
affecting  kind  took  place  yester- 
day in  St.  James's  church,"  said  the 
writer.  "The  crew  of  the  lugger 
Automne  (which  encountered  so  vio- 
lent a  storm  on  the  3d  of  Septem- 
ber) gave  themselves  up  for  lost, 
when  the  mate,  Louis  Coreteur, 
thought  of  making  a  vow,  in  the 
name  of  his  companions,  to  Our 
Lady  of  Succor,  the  patroness  of 
sailors.  Scarcely  had  he  made  the 
vow,  when  a  golden  sunbeam,  dart- 
ing through  the  mass  of  heavy 
clouds  which  obscured  the  sky, 
cheered  the  drooping  hearts  of  the 
mariners  with  renewed  hope.  This 
vow  was  yesterday  accomplished  by 
these  good  sailors  in  the  chapel  of 
Om-  Lady  of  Succor.  The  whole 
crew  of  the  vessel  walked  in  pro- 
cession to  Our  Lady's  chapel  bare- 
footed and  bareheaded,  in  their  sea 


costume,  bearing  on  their  robust 
shoulders  the  promised  offering, 
placed  on  a  litter,  and  ornamented 
with  blue  streamers ;  they  were 
accompanied  by  their  parents  and 
friends,  and  followed  by  a  numerous 
concourse  of  people.  The  parish 
priest  addressed  them  in  an  affect- 
ing discourse,  and  after  the  mass 
of  thanksgiving,  he  recited  the  De 
Profundis  for  the  captain  and  four 
of  the  crew  who  perished  during 
the  storm." 

Our  Lady  of  Grace  is  one  of  the 
most  ancient  maritime  chapels  of 
Normandy.  This  sanctuary  was 
built,  as  we  have  already  said,  in 
consequence  of  a  vow  made,  dur- 
ing a  tempest,  by  a  Norman  duke, 
who  was  very  devout  to  the  Bless- 
ed Virgin.  The  site  of  this  pretty 
chapel,  shaded  by  tall  trees,  and 
surrounded  with  flowery  turf,  is 
calm  and  beautiful  as  the  •  rich, 
fresh  landscapes  of  the  magnificent 
province  to  which  it  belongs.  Our 
Lady  of  Grace  seems  to  be  the  for- 
tress of  Honfleur ;  the  hill  on  which 
it  stands  •  commands  a  view  of  the 
mouth  of  the  Seine,  with  the  distant 
line  of  the  dark  green  sea  and  the 
bright  blue   river   gliding   into   its 


sto 


BISTORT  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


bosom.  There  are  two  roads  lead-  f 
ing  to  this  chapel— one  rough  and 
rocky,  the  other  smooth  and  level. 
In  former  times,  the  inhabitants  of 
Hontleur  took  a  pleasure  in  keep- 
ing the  road  clean  and  covering 
it  with  fine  sand,  in  order  that  a 
fair  and  gentle  princess,  much  be- 
loved by  the  people,  might  climb 
the  ascent  to  the  Virgin's  shrine 
without  fatigue.  The  revolutionary 
storm  drifted  the  noble  lady  to 
other  climes,  but  the  memoiT  of  her 
beneficence  still  remains. 

One  day,  not  long  ago,  great 
crowds  of  people  were  assembled 
on  the  little  green  esplanade  which 
extends  in  front  of  Notre  Dame  de 
Grace ;  they  were  clinging  to  the 
sides  of  the  rock,  hanging  from  the 
bushes,  mounted  on  the  tops  of  the 
trees,  and  every  eye  was  turned  to- 
wards the  ocean  in  search  of  some 
expected  object.  The  enthusiasm 
of  the  people  was  great,  but  some- 
what grave  and  religious  in  its 
character  ;  prayers  ascended  to 
heaven,  and  tears  were  in  every 
eye :  a  ship  passed  under  Our 
Lady's  hill — a  ship  with  a  black 
flag  and  a  cofiin  on  the  deck:  the 
priests  blessed  it  as  it  passed  be-  ^ 


neath,  and  the  people  wept  in 
silence.  .  .  .  There  was  not  a  chapel 
of  the  Virgin  on  either  bank  of  the 
Seine  wherein  prayers  were  not  of- 
fered up  that  day  for  the  soul  of 
the  great  emperor;  and  Our  Lady 
of  Grace  was  fervently  invoked  for 
that  illustrious  exile  who  died  far 
away  from  France,  and  —  saddest 
of  all — where  the  flag  of  England 
waved  above  him ! 

"Within  half  a  league  of  Pornic, 
a  small  seaport  about  ten  leagues 
from  Nantes,  on  a  height  which 
overhangs  the  ocean,  stands  the 
maritime  village  and  church  of  St. 
Mary ;  this  church  bears  the  marks 
of  great  antiquity,  and  in  its  small 
cemetery  lie  the  mortal  remains  of 
a  crusader ;  it  is  held  in  great  ven- 
eration amongst  the  Breton  sailors, 
who  often  go  there  to  accomplish 
vows.  When  a  Breton  ship  passes 
under  the  church  of  St.  Mary,  the 
mariners  take  off  their  hats  and 
say  the  Ave  Maria.  Not  a  peasant 
along  the  coast  thinks  of  going  into 
the  sea  to  bathe  without  dipping 
his  hand  in  the  water  and  making 
the  sign  of  the  cross,  turning  his 
head  towards  the  patronal  sanc- 
tuary ;    and   the    fishermen,   tossed 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


521 


about  by  the  storm,  which  is  more  * 
dangerojs  along  the  coast  than  on 
the  high  sea,  never  lose  hope  so 
long  as  they  can  behold  the  pictur- 
esque spire  of  St.  Mary's  church: 
the  Virgin  sees  them.  That  thought 
sustains  their  courage,  and  is,  even 
in  itself,  a  chance  of  safety. 

When  the  stormy  waves  of  the 
Atlantic  rush  madly  into  the  sandy 
bays  of  Guienne,  and  recede  from 
the  shore  with  a  hoarse  and  terrific 
sound,  if  a  dismasted  vessel  be  seen 
struggling  with  the  tempest,  it  is 
Our  Lady  of  Arcachon  whom  the 
anxious  wives  and  mothers  of  the 
Aquitaine  sailors  invoke  on  their 
behalf  This  chapel,  around  which 
whole  flocks  of  sea-mews  take  re- 
fuge, stands  in  a  wild  and  lonely 
place,  amid  clumps  of  gloomy  pines. 
Many  sailors,  and  poor,  grateful 
women,  arrive  there  barefoot  from 
time  to  time,  telling  their  beads 
with  their  rough,  horny  fingers,  and 
many  an  ex-voto  hangs  in  the  vener- 
able chapel,  denoting  that  so  many 
prayers  have  been  heard  and  grant- 
ed by  Mary. 

Our  Lady  of  the  Watch  (Notre 
Dame  de  la  Garde)  is  the  last  ob- 
ject seen   or  noticed  by  the  Pro- 


vencal sailor  as  he  leaves  his  native 
land :  its  chapel,  built  in  the  thir- 
teenth century,  is  of  blueish-gray 
limestone,  and  stands  on  the  summit 
of  a  lofty  mountain  commanding  a 
view  of  the  Mediterranean,  with  its 
numerous  isles,  its  castle  of  If,  and 
its  changeful  billows.  Thither  does 
the  sea-worn  mariner  first  bend  his 
steps  when  his  vessel  reaches  the 
port,  after  a  voyage  to  the  distant 
countries  of  the  Levant ;  it  is  no 
uncommon  sight  to  see  these  sea- 
faring people  going  on  their  knees 
up  the  mountain -path  to  this  an- 
cient chapel  to  thank  Her  whom 
they  name,  with  true  Italian  famil- 
iarity, the  good  Mother  of  the  Watch, 
for  having  saved  them  from  the 
manifold  dangers  of  sea,  wind,  and 
plague. 

But  it  is  not  to  sailors  alone  that 
the  Madonna  of  Marseilles  is  kind 
and  propitious  ;  she  is  the  guardian 
angel  of  the  city,  which  has  re- 
course to  her  in  all  public  calami- 
ties. When  the  cholera,  raging  all 
over  France,  first  broke  out  on  the 
Provengal  soil,  the  fair  old  Phocian 
city  knelt  as  one  man  at  the  feet 
of  its  beloved  patroness,  who  failed 
it  not  in  its  hour  of  peril.     In  tes- 


622 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


timony  of  its  gratitude,  Marseilles 
has  consecrated  to  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin a  superb  statue  of  solid  silver, 
admirably  executed.  That  is  as  it 
should  be. 

In  Corsica,  Our  Lady  of  Lava- 
sina,  looking  down  on  the  blue 
waves  of  the  Mediterranean,  re- 
freshes the  way-worn  pilgrim,  and 
even  the  sailor,  passing  in  his  ves- 
sel, with  the  perfume  of  its  orange- 
trees.  This  sanctuary,  dedicated  to 
the  Nativity  of  the  Virgin,  was  long 
left  in  obscurity,  visited  only  by 
the  coral  fishers  who  frequent  that 
lovely  coast,  when,  about  the  middle 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  miracles 
were  wrought  by  the  Corsican  Ma- 
donna, which  were  noised  abroad, 
even  through  Italy.  The  church 
was  then  enlarged  and  beautified ; 
great  numbers  of  the  faithful  went 
there,  on  the  patronal  feast,  with 
bare  feet  and  tapers  in  their  hands. 
This  pious  practice  is  still  kept  up 
with  as  much  devotion  as  in  any 
foimer  time.  The  painting  which 
decorates  this  chapel,  the  work  of 
an  Italian  artist,  represents  Mary 
when  a  child,  with  St.  Anne  throw- 
ing a  transparent  veil  gracefully 
over  her  head. 


SWITZERLAND. 

The  origin  of  the  famous  pilgrim- 
age of  Our  Lady  of  Hermits,  the 
Loretto  of  Helvetia,  dates  from  the 
heroic  times  of  Charlemagne.  The 
saint  who  first  inhabited  the  her- 
mitage of  Einsiedeln  was  a  young 
Suabian  lord  named  Meinrad,  be- 
longing to  the  illustrious  house  of 
Hohenzollem.  Being  of  that  con- 
templative turn  of  mind  so  common 
among  the  Germans,  Meinrad,  even 
in  his  early  days,  loved  to  wander 
through  the  woods  which  then  over- 
spread his  native  land,  and  to  com- 
mune with  the  Deity  face  to  face, 
where  no  sound  broke  in  on  the 
silence  of  the  place  save  the  mur- 
mur of  streams  or  the  rustling  of 
leaves.  Night  often  surprised  him 
poring  over  an  old  book  clasped 
with  gold,  which  he  had  inherited 
from  his  fathers,  or  meditating  pro- 
foundly on  the  miracles  and  favors 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin.  His  soul 
soared  aloft  in  solitude ;  pitying  the 
world  and  its  fleeting  goods,  Mein- 
rad made  his  vows  in  the  abbey 
of  Reichenau,  which  he  afterwards 
quitted  for  a  small  hermitage  built 
on  the  brow  of  Mount  Etzel.     There 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


523 


he  passed  seven  years ;  but  the 
fame  of  his  virtue  descended  to  the 
valleys  ;  the  shepherds  and  wood- 
men first  went  to  visit  him,  then 
lords,  then  noble  ladies,  humbly  so- 
liciting his  prayers  and  counsels. 
This  public  homage  was  torture  to 
the  young  hermit,  who  sighed  only 
for  meditation  amid  the  deep  silence 
of  the  woods.  One  night  he  stealth- 
ily quitted  his  hermitage,  taking 
with  him  only  the  statue  of  the 
Virgin,  the  sole  ornament  of  his 
chapel,  and  took  refuge  in  a  forest 
of  the  canton  of  Schwytz,  which 
bore  the  characteristic  name  of  the 
Dark  Forest. 

Thirty- two  years  after,  he  was 
assassinated  by  ruffians  with  whom 
he  had  shared  the  water  of  his 
spring  and  the  wild  fruits  of  his 
forest.  The  birds  of  heaven  pur- 
sued the  murderers  till  they  suf- 
fered the  penalty  of  their  crime.* 

For  nearly  half  a  century  after 
the  tragical  death  of  Meinrad,  his 
cell,  wherein  he  had  wrought  mir- 
acles, remained  uninhabited;  at  the 


*  The  murderers  were  betrayed  by  two  ra- 
vens, who  followed  them  all  the  way  to  Zurich  ; 
they  even  made  their  way  through  the  windows 
of  the  inn  where  the  assassins  took  refuge  on 


* 


end  of  that  time,  a  little  society  of 
hermits  settled  there  under  St.  Ben- 
non,  of  the  ducal  house  of  Burgundy. 
Hence  the  surname  of  Our  Lady  of 
Hermits  given  to  the  chapel  of  Ein- 
siedeln.  St.  Eberhard  consecrated 
his  wealth,  which  was  considerable, 
to  the  erection  of  a  monastery  there, 
and  he  himself  was  the  first  abbot. 

The  Virgin's  chapel,  such  as  it 
was  in  the  time  of  St.  Bennon,  was 
placed  in  the  vast  church  of  the 
convent,  of  which  Meinrad's  cell 
formed  the  choir.  The  French  de- 
stroyed this  chapel,  which  had 
withstood  the  furious  attacks  of 
Protestantism ;  but  God  permitted 
the  statue  of  the  Virgin  to  be 
saved.  It  was  replaced  in  the 
church  of  Einsiedeln  in  1803,  with 
much  solemnity,  and  in  1817  this 
ancient  shrine  recovered  a  portion 
of  its  former  splendor,  thanks  to 
the  concurrence  of  some  distin- 
guished artists  and  the  abundant 
alms  of  the  faithful. 

The  convent  of  Einsiedeln  is  not 
situated  in  the  mildest  climate :  its 


entering  the  town,  and  never  left  them  till  they 
witnessed  their  execution.  It  is  in  memory  of 
this  event  that  the  abbey  of  Reichenau  bears 
two  ravens  on  its  arms. 


6S4 


HISIVRY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


steeple,  covered  with  snow  the  f 
greater  part  of  the  year,  pierces 
the  dull,  heavy  clouds  secreted  by 
the  long  frost ;  at  its  base  stretches 
a  barren  waste,  yielding  with  re- 
luctance a  scanty  crop ;  the  fruits 
are  few  and  tasteless,  and  the  fields 
ai*e  only  adorned  by  the  pretty  lilac 
blossom  of  the  potato  ;  but  still  Our 
Lady  is  pleased  to  manifest  her 
power  there,  and  the  rugged  path 
of  the  holy  mountain  is  often  mois- 
tened with  the  noblest  blood  of 
Germany.  More  than  one  count 
of  the  empire,  and  noble  German 
ladies  not  a  few,  make  it  their  duty 
to  ascend  barefoot  to  Einsiedeln: 
there  is  still  some  of  the  ancient 
fervor  of  Frederick's  knights  re- 
maining in  old  Germany.  As  for 
the  Catholic  population  of  Switzer- 
land, nothing  can  equal  their  con- 
fidence in  Our  Lady  of  Hermits ; 
and  there  are  few  families,  even  in 
the  more  distant  cantons,  who  do 
not  keep  up  the  pious  practice  of 
making  this  pilgrimage. 

"The  first  thing  which  strikes 
the  eye,  in  the  beautiful  church  of 
Einsiedeln,"  says  a  French  trav- 
eller, who  visited  it  in  1839,  "  is 
the    miraculous   chapel  where    the 


modest  image  of  the  Virgin  is  ex- 
posed. Mass  was  being  said  there, 
and  a  great  crowd  of  the  faithful, 
men,  women,  and  children,  of  every 
age  and  station,  were  assisting  at 
the  holy  sacrifice,  piously  awaiting 
the  time  for  communion ;  others 
were  gathered  around  the  confes- 
sionals ;  others,  after  having  re- 
ceived the  Holy  Eucharist,  were 
hearing  a  mass  of  thanksgiving  at 
some  of  the  side-altars.  Neaiiy  all 
the  Swiss  cantons  were  represented 
there.  In  a  group  from  which  the 
other  pilgrims  seemed  to  keep  re- 
spectfully aloof,  we  recognized  the 
graceful  mien  and  elegant  costume 
of  the  w^omen  of  France.  The  men, 
less  numerous,  and  more  uniformly 
clad,  still  betrayed  their  origin  by 
a  certain  diversity  of  countenance. 
Amongst  them  we  could  distinguish 
French,  Germans,  and  Italians  ;  but 
all  were  equally  pious  and  col- 
lected." 

In  a  visit  of  devotion  to  the 
abbey  of  Einsiedeln,  Queen  Hor- 
tense,  that  fair,  unhappy  princess, 
once  the  brightest  ornament  of  Na- 
poleon's court,  placed  on  the  altar 
of  the  Swiss  Madonna  a  superb 
branch  of   hortensia,  composed   of 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


525 


large  diamonds.  This  ex-voto  was 
the  offering  of  a  mother  who  had 
but  one  son  to  love,  and  who  be- 
sought the  Mother  of  Christ  to 
protect  and  save  from  all  evil  the 
noble-hearted  youth,  who  remem- 
bered but  too  well  that  he  was  born 
within  hearing  of  the  cannon  of 
Wagram,  and  amid  the  fabulous 
exploits  of  the  imperial  epoch. 

Many  volumes  have  been  writ- 
ten in  Switzerland  on  the  miracles 
wrought  by  the  Madonna  of  Ein- 
siedeln.  We  shall  give  but  one 
of  these,  a  little  fanciful  legend  of 
the  seventeenth  century,  which  we 
found  in  a  book  of  devotion  pub- 
lished in  Fribourg,  but  now  some- 
what scarce.  The  Swiss  piously 
believe  in  the  authenticity  of  this 
strange  fact;  but  others  are  not 
bound  to  follow  their  example. 

In  a  vast  mediaeval  hall,  whose 
walls  were  adorned  with  paintings 
in  fresco  of  the  most  terrific  sub- 
jects, and  around  which  were  seen 
those  stone  benches  only  found  in 
the  feudal  castles  of  Germany,  were 
seated  some  Helvetian  gentlemen 
quaffing  deep  draughts  of  Rhenish 
wine,  from  large,  old-fashioned  gob- 
lets.   In  the  midst  of  this  Teutonic 


f  banquet,  whilst  a  young  officer 
named  Berthold  was  uttering  some 
of  the  most  extravagant  nonsense, 
a  pilgrim  was  ushered  in ;  he  was 
going  alone  and  barefooted  to  visit 
Our  Lady  of  Hermits,  when  the 
approach  of  a  violent  storm  forced 
him  to  ask  hospitality  at  the  castle. 
The  noble  host  arose  from  his  seat, 
and  com'teously  conducted  his  new 
guest  to  the  corner  of  a  vast  Gothic 
fireplace,  where  whole  oaks  were 
burning.  This  duty  accomplished, 
Berthold,  without  any  respect  for 
the  austere  presence  of  the  pilgrim, 
resimied  the  silly  and  impious  dis- 
course which  his  entrance  had  for 
a  moment  interrupted,  casting  from 
time  to  time  a  furtive  glance  at  the 
stranger  to  see  what  effect  his 
words  produced  on  him ;  but  the 
pale,  emaciated  face  of  the  holy 
man  remained  perfectly  calm  and 
motionless.  The  banquet  over,  the 
guests  ordered  their  horses,  and 
prepared  to  go  to  their  several 
homes.  "The  night  is  dark,"  said 
the  host  to  the  young  miscreant, 
Berthold,  who  was  a  relative  of  his 
own  ;  "  thou  hast  to  pass  through  a 
glen  haunted  by  evil  spirits.    Some- 

^  thing  bad  might  happen  to  thee. 


686 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


Be  advised  by  me,  and  stay  here  to-  f 
night" 

"  Pshaw  I "  laughed  the  officer, 
vN'ho  was  in  the  service  of  France, 
"  I  fear  neither  God  nor  devil  I " 

"Are  you  quite  sure  of  that?" 
demanded  the  pilgrim,  in  a  tone  of 
gloomy  raillery,  which  made  all  the 
others  afraid. 

"So  sure,  honest  pilgrim,  that  I 
now  drink  to  Lucifer,  and  beg  the 
favor  of  his  company  to  escort  me 
home  to-night,  if  it  be  convenient." 

"And  thou  wouldst  deserve  it 
well,"  cried  the  host,  turning  pale. 

"We  will  petition  Our  Lady  for 
you,"  said  the  immovable  pilgrim; 
"you  will  need  her  help." 

"  Oh,  pray  do  not  trouble  your- 
self—  I  can  dispense  with  your 
prayers;"  .and  he  bowed  ironically 
to  the  holy  man.  Some  minutes 
after,  he  was  in  the  stirrups,  and 
dashing  down  the  hill  on  which  the 
castle  stands,  singing  the  chorus  of 
a  bacchanalian  song. 

The  night  was  far  advanced,  the 
silence  profound,  and  the  solitude 
unbroken ;  the  full-orbed  moon,  fair 
and  lonely,  shone  out  at  times 
through  thick,  dark  clouds,  in  a 
starless  sky,  and  flashes  of  lightning  I 


darted  at  intervals  along  the  hori- 
zon. For  some  reason  best  known 
to  himself,  the  young  man  left  off 
singing,  but  kept  swearing  occa- 
sionally. He  at  last  reached  the 
dangerous  place  mentioned  by  his 
friend,  which  was  known  by  a  name 
very  common  in  Helvetia,  The  Dev- 
ils Road.  It  was  a  deep  gorge,  hol- 
lowed between  the  reddish  flanks  of 
two  mountains — a  wild  and  gloomy 
spot,  where  the  Alpine  goat  would 
have  scarcely  ventured  even  in  the 
light  of  day.  At  that  dead  hour  of 
the  night,  when  the  deep  stillness 
and  the  fearful  gloom  called  forth 
every  superstitious  feeling  latent  in 
the  mind,  the  young  Swiss,  becom- 
ing somewhat  uneasy,  mechanically 
placed  his  hand  on  his  sword ;  then, 
ashamed  of  himself,  he  began  to 
laugh  at  his  own  fears. 

"  I  have  specially  invited  Lucifer 
to  see  me  home,"  said  the  miscreant, 
willing  to  indulge  his  pride  by  an 
idle  boast;  "but  he  is  deaf,  it  seems 
— or  hell  is  empty." 

The  thunder  growled  in  the  dis- 
tance, and  a  flash  of  lightning  illu- 
mined the  woods  and  mountains, 
showing  him  two  hideous  dwarfs  at 
his  horse's  head.     "  Ha  I "  cried  the 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


627 


officer,  with  a  shudder ;  but  quickly 
resuming  his  wonted  insolence, 
"Avaunt,  ye  fiends!"  he  cried, 
proudly  waving  his  sword ;  "  two 
wretched  dwarfs  would  be  only  a 
fitting  escort  for  some  Alpine  cow- 
herd!" 

The  dwarfs  disappeared,  and  the 
gallop  of  two  horses  rapidly  de- 
scending the  almost  perpendicular 
face  of  the  mountain  made  Berthold 
turn  his  head.  The  horsemen  were 
two  knights,  in  black  armor,  mount- 
ed on  steeds  of  the  same  color. 
Their  eyes  shone  like  blazing  coals 
through  the  bars  of  their  closed  hel- 
mets ;  to  the  arm  of  each  was  fas- 
tened the  morgenstern  of  ancient 
Germany,  a  club  studded  with  long 
iron  points,  apparently  reeking  with 
human  gore,  and  streams  of  fire 
waved  above  their  helmets  instead 
of  plumes. 

The  gloomy  knights  drew  up  in 
silence  on  either  side  of  the  terrified 
officer,  snatched  the  reins  from  his 
trembling  hands,  and  the  three 
horses  dashed  along  at  lightning 
speed;  mountain  after  mountain 
disappeared;  sparks  of  fire  darted 
from  the  stones  of  the  road,  and  dis- 
tance was  no  sooner  perceived  than 


*  passed.  Frail  bridges  of  flexible 
branches,  spanning  cataracts  so 
fearful  that  even  the  boldest  hun- 
ter of  the  Alps  would  scarce  set 
foot  upon  them,  were  crossed  with 
the  swiftness  of  the  wind.  The  re- 
gions of  eternal  snow  were  quickly 
gained,  and  the  horses,  redoubling 
their  fury,  made  straight  for  a  tre- 
mendous gulf,  where,  far  down  as 
the  eye  could  see,  rolled  a  mountain 
stream,  its  noise  hardly  perceptible 
from  the  immense  height  above. 
Suddenly,  from  amidst  those  gloomy 
waters,  reddened  at  times  by  sub- 
terranean fires,  a  multitude  of 
hoarse,  hollow  voices  were  heard. 
"  Kevenge  !  revenge  ! "  they  cried ; 
"give  us  the  seducer,  the  false 
friend,  the  duellist!" 

"We  bring  him!"  replied  the 
knights,  brandishing  their  ponder- 
ous clubs. 

A  cold  sweat  bedewed  Berthold's 
brow;  his  hair  stood  on  end,  and 
his  features  were  convulsed  with 
mortal  terror;  for  amongst  those 
accusing  voices  there  were  many 
that  he  well  knew — voices  that 
pierced  his  very  soul:  remorse  be 
gan  to  speak  as  loud  as  fear  within 
his  wretched  soul. 


niSTORT  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VJRGTN  MART. 


"  Give  us  the  gambler,  the  slan-  * 
derer,  the  blasphemer,  the  perjured!" 
cried  the  voices  from  the  abyss; 
and  Berthold's  gloomy  companions, 
laughing  within  their  helmets,  with 
a  clanking,  horrible  laugh,  answered 
the  voices  from  below :  "  We  bring 
him!  we  bring  him  I" 

"  Give  us  the  impious  I " 

"We  bring  him!"  was  still  the 
answer  of  the  black  knights,  and 
Berthold  well  nigh  lost  his  senses. 

Already  were  the  three  horsemen 
on  the  edge  of  a  steep  rock  over- 
hanging the  dread  abyss.  .  .  Another 
moment,  and  all  were  over.  .  .  .  But 
suddenly  the  two  black  knights 
stopped  in  the  midst  of  a  furious 
gallop,  and  stood  still  and  mute 
as  statues.  The  light  tinkle  of  a 
bell  was  heard  from  afar:  it  was 
the  midnight  office  ringing  in  Our 
Lady's  Chapel  at  Einsiedeln.  Ber- 
thold understood  that  Mary's  influ- 
ence had  paralyzed  the  fearful 
power  which  was  dragging  him 
down  to  hell,  and,  hastily  making 
the  sign  of  the  cross,  he  fervently 
recommended  himself  to  the  pro- 
tecting Virgin,  who  seemed  to  inter- 
pose between  him  and  the  condign 
punishment   which    his    conscience 


told  him  he  so  well  deserved.  The 
bell  ceased  ringing,  and  the  youn^i 
officer  felt  his  heart  sink  as  he  saw 
the  two  knights  once  more  moving 
on  their  black  coursers.  But  the 
voice  of  repentance  had  ascended 
to  the  starry  throne  of  Mary;  and 
the  demons,  with  an  impotent  ges- 
ture of  rage  and  despair,  plunged 
headlong  into  the  chasm,  leaving 
Berthold  alone  on  the  brink.  The 
moon,  just  then  emerging  from  a 
mass  of  dark  clouds,  shone  brightly 
down  from  her  meridian  height,  and 
the  officer  discovered,  to  his  great 
surprise,  that  he  was  on  the  highest 
ridge  of  the  mountains,  and  would 
find  it  extremely  difficult  to  descend. 
Some  days  after,  the  young  noble- 
man went  barefooted  to  Our  Lady 
of  Hermits^  to  the  great  amazement 
of  his  boon  companions,  and  made 
a  vow,  in  expiation  of  his  sinful 
orgies,  never  to  drink  any  other 
beverage  than  the  pure  water  from 
the  spring. 

In  a  remote  corner  of  the  canton 
of  Underwald,  on  the  edge  of  a  path 
which  winds  in  a  serpentine  form 
amongst  the  rocky  knolls  which 
cover  the  mountain-side,  at  the  nar- 
rowest part  of  the  pass,  where  the 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


529 


traveller  sees  below  the  most  fright- 
ful precipices,  and  above  overhang- 
ing masses  of  rock,  where  death 
seems  threatening  on  either  hand, 
there  stands  a  small  open  chapel, 
adorned  with  simple  pictures  of  the 
Blessed  Yirgin.  That  gracious  im- 
age, placed  thus  so  far  from  any 
habitation,  and  from  all  human  suc- 
cor, has  received  the  name  of  Our 
Lady  of  the  Traveller.  This  place, 
often  accursed,  was  long  ago  called 
the  DeviVs  CuUender.  After  trying 
in  vain  to  make  it  more  secure,  peo- 
ple conceived  the  idea  of  building  a 
chapel,  and  placing  in  it  a  sacred 
image,  so  that  no  one  might  forget, 
how  great  soever  was  his  danger, 
to  invoke  the  holy  name  of  God, 
and  make  the  sign  of  the  cross. 
But  where  were  workmen  to  be 
found  bold  enough  to  undertake  the 
work  ?  This  obstacle  was  speedily 
got  over,  for  several  came  forward 
and  repaired  to  the  spot,  after 
renewing  their  fervor  bv  hearing: 
Mass.  And  the  Mother  of  God,  will- 
ing to  show  these  pious  workmen 
that  their  heroic  devotion  was  pleas- 
ing to  her,  made  fast  the  tottering 
rocks  by  virgin^ s  threads^  fastened  to 
the  grass  and  moss.     "  Ever  since," 


*  say  the  Swiss  of  Underwald,  "the 
passage  is  safe;  no  accident  hap- 
pens there  either  day  or  night.  Our 
Lady  is  so  good  as  to  protect  all 
the  passers  by,  even  those  who  do 
not  see,  or  will  not  honor  her."  * 

The  pilgrimage  of  Maria  Zell,  in 
Austria,  is  almost  as  famous  as  that 
of  Einsiedeln.  Its  founder,  whose 
name  is  no  longer  known,  was  a 
monk  of  the  abbey  of  St.  Lambert, 
who  took  up  his  abode,  about  the 
middle  of  the  twelfth  century,  in  the 
vale  of  Affleuz,  for  the  purpose  of 
converting  some  Carinthian  tribes 
who  were  still  idolaters.  This  pious 
German  missionary  brought  with 
him  a  small  wooden  statue  of  the 
Blessed  Yirgin,  which  he  exposed 
to  the  veneration  of  his  neophytes' 
on  the  trunk  of  a  fallen  tree,  for 
want  of  other  pedestal.  The  Carin- 
thian shepherds  sheltered  their  Ma- 
donna as  well  as  they  could,  in  a 
sort  of  hut  erected  by  them  for  the 
purpose,  and  went  in  crowds  tc 
invoke  her  in  that  humble  shed, 
where  their  simple  demands  were 
often  heard  and  granted  by  the 
powerful  Virgin. 

Such  was  the  commencement  of 

*  See  M.  Veuillofc,  Voyage  en  Suisse,  1829. 


530 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


this  famous  pilgrimage,  now  fre- 
quented by  emperore  and  princes. 
In  1220,  Henry,  margrave  of  Mo- 
ravia, and  his  wife  Agnes,  in  grati- 
tude for  a  marvellous  cure  obtained 
through  the  intercession  of  Mary, 
built  the  stone  chapel  which  is  now 
seen  in  the  middle  of  the  church ; 
on  its  altar  was  placed  the  sacred 
image,  which  had  till  then  remained 
on  the  stump.  Louis  I.,  king  of 
Hungary,  after  gaining  an  unhoped- 
for victory  over  the  Turks,  erected 
the  church  which  surrounds  the 
chapel.  The  Mussulmans  Bun-ound- 
ed  Maria  Zell,  in  1530  ;  but,  at  the 
moment  when  the  chief  was  direct- 
ing the  point  of  his  lance  against 
the  miraculous  statue  of  the  Virgin, 
he  was  struck  with  blindness,  and 
his  soldiers,  seized  with  terror,  took 
flight.  The  emperors  Mathias,  Ferdi- 
nand n.,  Ferdinand  III.,  and  Leopold 
L,  made  the  pilgrimage  of  Maria  Zell. 
In  1728,  Maria  Theresa  made  her 
lirst  communion  there ;  in  1814,  the 
Emperor  Francis  went  thither  him- 
self; and  the  late  emperor,^  no  less 
devout  to  Mary  than  his  great  an- 
cestors, made  that  pilgrimage  with 
the  empress  and  a  part  of  his  court. 
A.  magnificent  offering  of  precious 


stones  signalized  the  munificence 
of  the  two  illustrious  pilgrims  who 
went  to  solicit  the  aid  of  the  Queen 
of  Heaven  in  governing  their  peo- 
ple wisely  and  paternally,  as  their 
pious  and  glorious  ancestors  did 
before  them. 

On  the  shores  of  the  lUyrian  Sea 
there  rises,  about  two  thousand  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  a  moun- 
tain, which  bears  the  name  of 
Monte- Santo ;  on  the  top  of  this 
mountain  there  is  a  Franciscan 
monastery,  which  possesses  the 
miraculous  image  of  St.  Mary  of 
Castagnavizza.  King  Charles  X., 
a  good  prince  and  a  pious  mon- 
arch, reposes  there  under  the 
guardian  care  of  the  heavenly 
patroness  of  France ;  one  day,  per- 
haps, when  the  stormy  passions 
of  men  have  subsided,  six  feet  of 
French  earth  will  be  granted  to 
the  descendants  of  St.  Louis,  of 
Henry  IV.,  and  of  Louis  XIV. 

In  the  palatinate  of  Kalish,  in 
Poland,  there  is  a  small  town, 
seated  advantageously  on  a  height, 
and  praised  for  the  strength  of  its 
fortifications  even  in  1750.  This 
town,  named  Czenstochowa,  was  al- 
ways  garrisoned   by  companies  of 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


531 


artillery;  but  it  was  best  known 
through  its  abbey  of  the  Fathers  of 
Death,  or  the  congregation  of  St. 
Paul,  which  contained  a  miracu- 
lous image  of  Mary ;  both  natives 
and  foreigners  flocked  to  this  sanc- 
tuary, where  every  wealthy  pilgrim 
left  magnificent  offerings.  Besides 
the  image  of  the  Madonna,  which, 
according  to  the  monks,  is  the 
identical  poftrait  of  the  Virgin 
painted  by  St.  Luke  (an  opinion 
somewhat  questionable),  they  ex- 
pose to  the  veneration  of  the  faith- 
ful a  more  authentic  relic :  the  table 
at  which  the  Holy  Family  took 
their  meals.  Polish  sentinels  were 
stationed  at  the  gate  of  Our  Lady 
of  Czenstochowa,  and  in  different 
parts  of  the  monastery ;  fresh- 
blown  flowers  were  every  morning 
laid  at  the  Virgin's  feet ;  but  not 
all  the  sweet  and  simple  grace  of 
Mary's  worship  could  exclude  from, 
that  chapel  a  sort  of  religious 
horror  which  froze  one's  very  blood. 
The  catacombs,  with  their  mournful 
ornaments  of  human  bones,  were 
scarcely  more  frightful  than  those 
spectral-looking  monks,  who  wore 
on  their  drapery  the  death's-head 
and  cross-bones,  such  as  we  see  on 


*  funeral-palls,*  and  had  similar  de- 
vices painted  in  a  hundred  differ- 
ent places  through  the  church. 
This  devotion  to  the  Virgin  of 
Czenstochowa  has  been  transplant- 
ed into  France  by  the  Poles  of  our 
own  times.  A  pious  Polish  family, 
residing  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Paris,  conceived  the  idea  of  inau- 
gurating the  image  of  the  tutelary 
Madonna  of  Poland  in  an  ancient 
oak  of  the  Forest  of  St.  Germain. 
On  the  13th  of  August,  1840,  a 
Polish  ecclesiastic,  in  the  presence 
of  a  multitude  of  Poles  of  both 
sexes,  consecrated  the  sacred  image 
in  the  beautiful  tree  chosen  for  its 
temple  (doubtless,  for  want  of 
means  to  build  one) ;  then,  all  the 
assembly,  kneeling  on  the  grass, 
began  to  recite  aloud  the  Litany 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin ;  they  then 
prayed  for  the  dead,  and  for  their 
beloved  country;  they  besought 
Heaven  for  happier  days,  and  dis- 
persed with  their  souls  strength- 
ened and  encouraged  by  that  re- 
ligious sentiment  which  gives  men 
patience  and  fortitude. 

Belgium   has    been    always    dis- 
tinguished amongst  the  nations  of 

*  Hint,  des  Ordres  Monastiques,  t.  iii.,  ch.  44. 


Europe  for  its  teodet  devotioa  to  * 
Marj ;  of  the  noinerDiis  pilgrimages 
which  it  had,  and  stiU  has,  we  will 
only  mentioii  that  of  Oar  Ladj  of 
Hall,  of  which  an  interesting  de- 
scription was  left  OS  by  one  of  the 
most  learned  writes  of  the  seven- 
te^ith  centory,  Jostos  Iipsi& 

Oor  Lady  of  Hall  is  situated  in 
a  pretty  town  sarroonded  by  a  fine 
and  fertile  country,  watered  by  the 
Senne;  it  is  considered  a  beaatifiil 
chorch  even  in  that  old  Cathc^ic 
land,  where  the  chorches  are  truly 
magnificent  Hie  Tirgin^  chapel 
is  on  the  left-hand  side.  The  statae 
is  of  gilt  wood,  and  is  crowned  with 
fine  g(M.  With 'one  hand  the  Vir- 
gin supports  her  drrine  Son,  and 
with  the  other  she  presents  a  lily, 
that  charming  flower,  the  emblem 
of  chastity,  poetically  named  by  the 
inhabitants  of  the  Pyrenees,  An- 
dredotta  Maria  arrosa  (the  Virgin 
Mary's  rose).  In  former  times,  she 
wore  on  her  breast  six  large  pearls, 
with  a  beautiful  ruby  in  their 
midst  Twelve  towns  or  cities,  who 
had  experienced  the  effects  of  her 
protection,  undertook  the  charge  of 
her  adornment  Every  year,  on  the 
first    Sunday   of   September,    their  ^ 


deputies  bron^it  her  twelve  mag- 
nificent robes,  in  token  of  gratitude 
and  dcFotioiL  On  that  day  a  sol- 
emn proees^on  toc^  place,  and  the 
image  of  the  Virgin  was  borne  in 
triumph  by  the  twdve  deputies 
through  the  city  of  Hall  and  its 
suborbs.  The  people  of  Liege  are 
also  in  the  habit  df  going  there 
every  year,  in  procession,  on  the 
Feast  of  Pentecost*  • 

SevCTal  princes  have  contributed 
to  enrich  this  sanctuary.  Over  the 
altar,  according  to  Justus  Lipsis, 
were  seen  the  twelve  Apostles^  and 
on  either  side,  an  angel  with  a 
lamp;  the  whole  of  solid  silver. 
So  altar  could  bosst  so  great  a 
numb^  (^  lamps,  coats -of -arms, 
banners,  croBBes,  chalices,  and  \2^ 
rioos  figures  in  gold  and  silvo". 
Philip  the  Good,  duke  of  Burgundy, 
gave,  among  other  rich  presents,  a 
seocmd  statue  of  the  Virgin,  with  a 
cavalry  soldier  and  a  foot-soldier, 
fully  accoutred,  all  of  silver;  Charies, 
his  son,  gave  a  silver  £Edcon ;  the 
Emperor  Maximilian  enriched  this 
shrine  with  a  golden  tree;  Charies 
V.  with  a  coat- of- arms ;  Pope  Ju- 

*  Dtm  Fir^o  AiOouu.— Millot,  Bid.  da  Trom- 
AmU,  t  l,  p.  467. 


HISTOBT  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO  THE  BLESSED  VIBOm  MABT. 


533 


lias  n.  with  a  silver  lamp.  To  the 
right  were  seen  the  statnes  of  the 
Emperor  Maximilian,  Albert,  duke 
of  Saxony,  and  one  of  their  conr- 
tiers,  in  a  kneeling  posture.  Ova* 
their  heads  were  hung  the  banners 
sent  by  conquerors  as  offerings  to 
Mary.  There  was  also  a  jRemon^ 
stromoe  of  silT^  gilt^  of  consider- 
able weight,  given  by  Henry  VilL 
of  England.  Justus  lipsis  him- 
seH  not  content  with  having  care- 
fiilly  written  the  history  of  Oar 
Lady  of  Hall,  hong  up  his  silv^ 
pen  before  Mary's  image. 

After  the  Holy  Sepolehre  and 
St.  Peter's  in  Rome,  there  is  not  in 
all  Christendom  a  pilgrimage  more 
£amoas  than  that  of  ihe  Holy  House 
of  Loretto, — ScmUssmia  casa  di  Lo- 
reto.  The  Holy  House  of  N^azareth 
was  venerated  by  Christians  even 
in  the  lifetime  of  the  Apostles,  and 
St.  Helen  surrounded  it  by  a  temple 
which  received  the  name  of  St 
Mary.  Und^  the  domination  of  the 
Arabian  caliphs,  crowds  of  Euro- 
pean pilgrims  went  to  adore  €rod 
and  honor  his  Mother  in  that  sim- 
ple, holy  dwelling  where  Jesus  and 
Mary  led,  for  so  many  years,  a  \a^ 
borious  and  hidden  life;   but  when 


■^  the  Turks  had  subjugated  their  for- 
mer masters,  the  Christian  pilgrims 
who  ventured  into  Syria  to  visit 
Jerusalem  and  Nazareth,  were  so 
barbarously  treated,  that  the  West 
became  thoroughly  exasperated,  and 
rushed  fordi  as  one  man  to  do  battle 
against  the  infidels. 

Whai  Godfrey  de  Bouillon  was 
proclaimed  king  of  Jerusalem,  Tan- 
cred  (whose  valorous  deeds  have 
be^i  sung  by  Tasso)  was  named 
governor  of  Galilee:  that  prince, 
who  was  very  devout  to  Mary,  en- 
riched the  Church  of  Kazaretfa  with 
sumptuous  gifts. 

Alter  the  disastrous  expedition 
of  St.  Louis,  tMs  comer  of  the  earth, 
which  was  r^arded  as  the  cradle 
of  Christianity,  was  defended,  foot 
by  foot,  by  the  brave  Knights  of  the 
Temple,  who  shed  tears  of  rage  and 
blood,  seeing  the  holy  places  pro- 
faned by  the  Saracens. 

Galilee  having  &llen  under  the 
Mohsmunedan  yoke,  though  whiten- 
ed with  the  bcmes  of  Christian  war- 
riOTS,  "  God  would  not  p^mit  Mary's 
hsAj  house,"  says  Father  Torsellini,* 
**  to  remain  exposed  to  the  profana- 
tion of  the  Barbarians;  he  had  it 

*  Mstanm  LmmrdrnKA,  eh.  2,  p.  6L 


534 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


conveyed  by  angels  to  Sclavonia,  * 
and  thence  to  the  March  of  Ancona, 
where  it  was  placed  in  the  midst  of 
a  laurel  grove  belonging  to  a  pious 
and  noble  widow  named  Lauretta. 
It  was  rumored  abroad,"  he  adds, 
"that  on  the  arrival  of  the  Holy 
House,  the  tall  trees  of  the  Italian 
forest  bowed  down  in  token  of  re- 
spect, and  further,  that  they  retained 
that  inclination  till  the  winds  or  the 
woodman's  axe  laid  them  prostrate 
on  the  ground." 

The  Church  of  Loretto,  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  in  Italy,  4as  been 
tastefully  and  munificently  adorned 
by  the  popes,  who  often  went  there 
as  pilgrims ;  three  doors  of  chased 
bronze  give  admission  to  the  holy 
temple,  in  the  centre  of  which 
stands  the  Holy  House,  with  its 
covering  of  white  marble,  adorned 
with  magnificent  basso -relievo,  de- 
signed by  Bramante,  and  executed 
by  Sansovino,  Sangallo,  and  Bandi- 
nelli. 

The  miraculous  statue  of  the  Vir- 
gin is  thirty-three  inches  in  height ; 
it  is  carved  in  cedar-wood,  covered 

*  The  altar  of  the  Madonna  is  radiant  with 
gold  and  jewels.  {.Italy,  by  Lady  Morgan,  voL 
iii.,  ch.  25.) 


with  the  richest  drapery,  and  placed 
on  an  altar  sparkling  with  jewels.* 
It  is  said  that  the  niche  in  which  it 
stands  is  overlaid  with  gold.f  Nu- 
merous lamps  of  massive  silver  are 
constantly  burning  before  it. 

La  sola  del  tesoro  (the  treasure- 
room)  no  longer  displays  the  bound- 
less wealth  that  it  did  in  former 
times ;  but  even  in  our  days  it  has 
received  some  splendid  gifts  from 
popes  and  princes.  Amongst  these 
pious  offerings  is  seen  an  ostensory 
of  gold  enriched  with  diamonds,  a 
chalice  and  a  censer,  offered  to  the 
Madonna  by  the  Emperor  Napoleon; 
a  chalice  of  silver  gilt  adorned  with 
rubies  and  beryls,  presented  in 
1819  by  Prince  Eugene  Beauhar- 
nais ;  another  chalice  ornamented 
with  brilliants,  by  the  Princess  of 
Bavaria,  his  w^ife ;  a  large  cross  of 
gold  and  diamonds,  and  a  crown  of 
amethysts,  rubies,  and  diamonds, 
offered,  in  1816,  by  the  King  and 
Queen  of  Spain,  then  on  their  pil- 
grimage to  Loretto;  a  bouquet  of 
diamonds,  offered,  in  1815,  by  Ma- 
ria-Louisa,  sister  of   the   King   of 

f  La  vaga  nicchia  e  ricoperta  di  lame  d'oro, 
(Don  Vincenzo  Murri,  Storia  deUa  Santa  Gasa.)  ' 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


586 


Spain,  Queen  of  Etruria,  and  Duch- 
ess of  Lucca ;  an  immense  heart  of 
the  purest  gold,  with  a  jewel  in  the 
centre,  suspended  by  a  chain  of  em- 
eralds and  amethysts,  the  Emperor 
of  Austria's  gift  to  the  Madonna. 
It  would  be  impossible  to  enume- 
rate all  the  precious  stones  and  rich 
presents  of  every  kind  offered  by 
kings  and  princes,  under  the  simple 
title  of  dono  di  una  pia  persona  (the 
gift  of  a  pious  person)  on  the  regis- 
ter which  contains  the  names  of  the 
benefactors  of  the  Holy  House. 

The  music  of  the  beautiful  Litany 
of  Our  Lady  of  Loretto  was  the 
offering  wherewith  a  famous  Flor- 
entine composer  repaid  a  miracle 
of  the  Virgin  in  the  beginning  of 
the  eighteenth  century.  This  com- 
poser, named  Barroni,  suddenly  lost 
his  hearing,  like  Beethoven;  after 
exhausting  all  the  efforts  of  art,  he 
besought  the  assistance  of  Mary, 
and  made  a  pilgrimage  to  Our  Lady 
of  Loretto.  There  he  was  cured, 
after  having  prayed  with  fervor  and 
devotion ;  in  his  gratitude  to  the 
Holy  Madonna  he  composed  a  cho- 
rus of  praise  in  her  honor,  which, 
under  the  title  of  the  Litany  of  Lo- 
retto, was  executed  for  the  first  time 


*  on  the  15th  of  August,  1737.  This 
Litany  is  since  sung  every  year  on 
the  Feast  of  the  Madonna ;  Rossini, 
passing  by  Our  Lady  of  Loretto, 
was  struck  with  the  beauty  of  the 
music,  and  is  said  to  have  intro- 
duced it  into  his  TamirediJ^ 

The  popes  have  taken  pleasure  in 
showing  their  respect  for  Mary  by 
their  tender  solicitude  for  her  mirac- 
ulous shrine  at  Loretto.  Pope  Pius 
Y.  offered  to  the  Holy  House  two 
silver  statues  of  St.  Peter  and  St. 
Paul ;  he  did  still  better  by  turning 
from  its  natural  channel  a  river 
whose  waters,  sluggish  and  partly 
stagnant,  sent  up  the  most  unwhole- 
some exhalations  to  the  top  of  the 
hill,  where  a  small  town  was  formed 
in  the  shade  of  Mary's  magnificent 
church.  Gregory  XHL  founded  a 
college  for  the  Illyrian  youth  within 
the  very  bounds  of  Loretto,  as  if  to 
console  the  Dalmatians  for  the  loss 
of  the  Madonna,  who  stopped  but  a 
moment  amongst  them  ere  she  took 
her  flight  to  the  lovely  shores  of 
Italy.  Sixtus  V.  founded  the  Order 
of  the  Knights  of  Loretto,  specially 
intended  to  protect  the  coast  of  the 
Mediterranean  from   the   incursions 

*  Gazette  Musicale. 


686 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


of  the  Barbarians.  Benedict  XIV.  t 
embellished  this  sanctuary  with  per- 
sistent generosity ;  and  Pius  VII.,  on 
being  liberated,  went  to  kneel  be- 
fore Our  Lady's  altar  before  he  re- 
turned to  Rome,  and  left,  as  a  mark 
of  his  passage,  a  superb  golden 
chalice  with  this  inscription :  "  The 
sovereign  pontiff,  Pius  VII.,  restored 
to  liberty  on  the  Feast  of  the  Annun- 
ciation, being  on  his  return  from 
France  to  Rome,  left  at  Loretto  this 
token  of  his  gratitude  and  devo- 
tion." His  Holiness,  Gregory  XVL, 
likewise  made  the  pilgplnmge  to 
Loretto. 

The  Spaniards  have  conseci-ated 
to  Mary  the  lofty  mountain  of  Mont- 
serrat,  ten  leagues  from  Barcelona, 
which  was,  according  to  the  cele- 
brated naturalist  Humboldt,  the 
great  Atlas  of  the  ancients ;  spread 
out  beneath  lies  the  fair  kingdom  of 
Valencia,  the  ancient  garden  of  the 
Hesperides.  This  mountain,  whose 
singular  form  gave  rise  to  its  name 
of  Monte-Serrats  (the  cut  mountain), 
seems  composed  of  detached  pieces, 
which  make  it  appear  divided,  and 
covered  with  spiral  cones,  so  that  at 
a  distance  it  would  be  taken  for  the 
work  of  man.     Seen  from  afar,  it  is 


a  pile  of  grottoes  and  gothic  pyra- 
mids ;  on  a  nearer  view,  each  par- 
ticular cone  appears  a  mountain, 
and  all  these  cones,  terminated  by 
miniature  spires,  forms  an  enormous 
mass  about  live  leagues  in  circum- 
ference. It  was  probably  this 
strange  configuration  that  gave  rise 
to  the  fable  of  the  giants  heaping 
mountain  on  mountain  in  order  to 
scale  the  heavens. 

On  a  platform  of  this  famous 
mountain  was  built  the  superb  con- 
vent dedicated  to  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin, one  of  the  most  renowned  pil- 
grimages in  the  Christian  world. 
The  foundation  of  this  noble  monas- 
tery is  recorded  as  follows,  in  an 
inscription  over  a  large  picture  of 
the  same  time  (1239):  In  the  year 
808,  under  the  government  of  Geof- 
fry  the  Bearded,  count  of  Barcelona, 
three  young  shepherds  having,  one 
evening,  seen  a  great  light  coming 
down  from  heaven,  and  heard  melo- 
dious music  in  the  air,  went  and 
told  their  friends.  The  bishop  of 
Manresa  repaired  to  the  spot,  ac- 
companied by  a  magistrate  and  a 
great  number  of  the  people ;  they 
also  beheld  the  heavenly  light,  and 
after  searching  for  some  time,  they 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


537 


discovered  the  image  of  the  Virgin, 
which  they  resolved  to  take  to  Man- 
resa;  but,  on  reaching  the  place 
where  the  monastery  now  is,  be- 
hold! they  could  go  no  farther. 
This  prodigy  induced  the  Count  of 
Barcelona  to  build  a  convent  there 
for  nuns,  whom  he  procured  from 
the  royal  abbey  of  las  Fttellas,  in 
Barcelona ;  the  first  abbess  of  Our 
Lady  of  Montserrat  was  his  daugh- 
ter Richilda,  who  took  possession  of 
it  about  the  year  895.  This  com- 
munity of  nuns  existed  till  976, 
when  Borrell,  count  of  Barcelona, 
with  the  pope's  consent,  established 
the  Benedictines  on  Montserrat. 

The  convent  of  Montserrat  is  a 
grand  and  noble  building,  situated 
on  a  narrow  table-land  of  the  moun- 
tain, known  by  the  name  of  St. 
Mary's  Platform ;  it  is  overhung  by 
enormous  rocks,  which  seem  ever  on 
the  point  of  falling ;  it  is  defended 
by  the  declivities  of  the  mountain, 
like  natural  fortifications,  and,  on 
the  side  where  it  is  accessible,  by 
six  strong  towers.  Besides  the  con- 
vent and  church  of  Our  Lady,  the 
fortified  inclosure  contains  a  lodg- 
ing-house for  travellers,  an  hospital, 
and  an  infirmary.     The  Church  of 


*  Our  Lady  of  Montserrat,  though 
having  but  one  nave,  is  yet  very 
spacious;  the  choir -stalls  are  of 
remarkable  workmanship.  The  face 
of  the  Virgin's  image  is  almost 
black,  like  that  of  Toledo,  Guada- 
loupe,  and  many  others  in  Spain ; 
it  represents  Our  Blessed  Lady  of 
a  matronly  figure,  and  advanced  in 
age ;  although  very  dark,  her  face 
is  beautiful ;  she  is  seated  on  a  sort 
of  throne,  and  holds  in  her  right 
hand  a  globe,  from  which  springs  a 
fleur  de  lys,  while  with  the  other 
she  supports  the  Divine  Child,  sit- 
ting on  her  knee,  giving  benediction 
with  his  right  hand,  and  holding  in 
the  other  a  globe  surmounted  by  a 
cross.     . 

The  inhabitants  of  the  mountain 
are  divided  into  four  classes,  namely, 
monks,  hermits,  choristers,  and  lay- 
brothers,  who  regularly  and  unin- 
terruptedly succeed  each  other  at 
prayer.  The  place  is  so  arranged, 
that  the  singing  in  the  monastery  is 
heard  in  the  different  hermitages; 
and  the  bells  of  the  latter,  repeated 
by  the  echoes,  is  conveyed  from  one 
station  to  another  round  the  whole 
mountain.  The  top  of  Montserrat 
commands   one  of  the  finest  pros- 


588 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


pects  in  the  world,  consisting  of  the  * 
kingdoms  of  Valencia  and  Murcia, 
and*  even  the  Balearic  Isles. 

Spanish  kings  and  princes  often 
ascended  on  foot  the  mountain-path 
which  leads  to  Mary's  altar;  and 
numberless  captives  went  thither, 
in  the  old  times,  to  hang  up  the 
chaiife,  which  they  had  worn  among 
the  Mooi*s.  St.  Ignatius  Loyola, 
before  he  devoted  his  life  to  relig- 
ion, went  there  to  Inake  his  vigil  of 
armsy  according  to  ^Ihe  custom  of 
ancient  chivalry,  with  whose  spirit 

he  was  strongly,. imbued^V  "After 
having  passed  the  nigh^  in  prayer," 
says  Father  Bouhoui-s,  fiis  biogra- 
pher, "and  solemnly  consecrated 
himself  to  the  Yirgin,,  as  her,  knight, 
in  conformity  with  those  martial 
ideas  in  which  he  conceived  the 
things  of  God,  he  hung  his  sword 
on  a  pillar  near  the  altar,  as  a  sign 
that  he  renounced  the  secular  ser- 
vice ;  then,  after  receiving  the  Holy 
Communion  very  early  in  the  morn- 
ings he  left  Montserrat." 

Our  Lady  of  the  Pillar,  at  Sara- 
gossa,  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most 
magnificent  pilgrimages  in  Spain. 
King  Ferdinand  went  there  with 
Queen  Christina  a  short  time  before 


his  death;  and  both,  after  praying 
devoutly,  like  true  Catholic  princes, 
before  the  venerated  image  of  the 
Virgin  of  Saragossa,  left  her,  at  their 
departure,  munificent  proofs  of  their 
devotion. 

The  cathedral  dedicated  to  Mary 
is  a  vast  building,  five  hundred  feet 
in  length,  with  three  spacious  naves, 
and  a  multitude  of  chapels.  Mod- 
ern travellers  speak  with  admira- 
tion of  these  chapels  of  marble  and 
of  jasper,  hung  round  with  offerings 
of  gold,  silver,  and  precious  stones ; 
its  silver  lamps  shed  such  a  daz- 
zling radiance  on  those  walls,  cov- 
ered with  bright  and  precious  ob- 
jects, that  it  produces  around  the 
statue,  itself\sparkling  with  jewels, 
such  an  overpowering  brightness 
that  the  eye  can  scarcely  bear  to 
rest  upon  it ;  the  whole  like  a  splen- 
did vision,  with  the  glitter  of  gold 
and  the  flash  of  rubies  and  dia- 
monds. The  Virgin's  statue  stands 
on  a  jasper  column  about  three  feet 
high ;  her  garments  and  jewels  were 
valued  at  several  millions  of  pounds. 

A  pilgrimage,  still  very  famous  in 
Spain,  is  that  of  Our  Lady  of  Gua- 
daloupe.  Father  Mariana  assures 
us  that  this  image,  which  was   re- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


539 


nowned  so  early  as  the  fourth  cen- 
tury, was  sent  by  Pope  Gregory  the 
Great  to  St.  Leander,  bishop  of 
Seville.  King  Alfonso  endowed  this 
shrine  in  1340,  and  annexed  it  to 
his  private  domains.  Forty-nine 
years  after,  Don  Juan  I.  gave  it  to 
some  Jeromite  monks,  together  with 
the  lordship  of  a  large  town  formed 
in  the  neighborhood.  The  convent, 
which  took  the  name  of .  Santa 
Maria^  is  situated  in  the  midst  of 
the  present  town ;  and,  as  times 
were  very  unsettled  when  it  was 
first  founded,  it  has  rather  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  stately  fortress  than 
of  a  peaceful  monastery.  It  has  an 
infirmary  for  the  sick  -poor,  a  cara- 
vanserai for  strangers,  two  colleges, 
and  some  fine  cloisters. 

In  1389,  the  famous  Spanish  arch- 
itect, Juan  Alfonso,  commenced  the 
church,  which  has  three  naves,  and 
its  walls  are  hung  round  with  mag- 
nificent offerings,  acknowledging,  as 
the  Spaniards  say,  more  than  three 
thousand  authentic  miracles  wrought 
by  the  Blessed  Yirgin.  Her  image 
is  over  the  high  altar,  and  was  lit, 
some  years  ago,  by  more  than  one 
hundred  lamps  of  massive  silver ; 
she  is  clothed  in  white,  and  has  the 


*  Divine  Infant  in  her  arms.  Queen 
Donua  Maria,  wife  of  Juan  11.,  her 
son,  Don  Henrico,  and  many  other 
princes,  chose  their  burial-place  in 
this  church,  which  is  adorned  with 
good  paintings  by  Zurbaran  and 
Jordans. 

The  devotion  to  Our  Lady  of  Gua- 
daloupe  crossed  the  ocean,  and  was 
establishda 'by  miracles  in  Mexico, 
a  country  entirely  devoted  to  the 
Mother  of  God.  It  is  recorded,  in  a 
narrative  published  at  Rome  in 
1786,  that  a  converted  Indian,  who 
went  every  Saturday  to  Mexico — 
eight  miles  from  his  own  village — 
to  hear  mass  in  honor  of  the  Blessed 
Yirgin,  had  a  miraculous  vision  on 
a  hill  formerly  very  famous  among 
the  Mexican  idolaters,  who  named 
it  Tepijacac,  and  consecrated  it  to 
Tonantim,  the  mother  of  the  gods. 
One  Saturday,  being  the  9th  of  De- 
cember, A.  D.  1531,  the  pious  Diego, 
passing  the  foot  of  this  hill,  heard  a 
soft  strain  of  music,  which  he  took 
at  first  for  the  singing  of  birds  ;  but 
on  listening  more  attentively,  he 
was  inclined  to  attribute  it  rather 
to  the  angels.  Over  the  Tepijacac 
hovered  a  variegated  cloud  of  the 
loveliest  hues  imaginable,  and  from 


140 


RISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


it  came  forth  a  sweet  voice,  call- 
ing the  pious  Mexican  by  name. 
Amazed,  and  unable  to  account  for 
this  strange  adventure,  Diego  climb- 
ed the  hill,  on  the  summit  of  which 
he  perceived  a  woman  of  the  most 
majestic  beauty :  from  her  white 
drapery  issued  rays  of  light,  w^hich, 
reflected  on  the  surrounding  rocks, 
seemed  to  have  transformed  them 
into  precious  stones.  The  Blessed 
Virgin,  for  she  it  was,  told  Diego 
that  she  wished  to  have  a  temple 
built  to  her  on  that  hill,  under  the 
name  of  Our  Lady  of  Guadaloupe, 
and  commanded  him  to  acquaint 
Juan  de  Zumarraga,  who  was  then 
bishop  of  Mexico.  The  prelate  lis- 
tened in  silence  to  this  strange 
recital,  and  dismissed  the  Indian, 
telling  him  that  he  would  need  to 
be  assured  of  the  truth  of  his  state- 
ment, and  to  have  a  more  convinc- 
ing sign  of  the  will  of  Heaven. 
Apprised  by  her  messenger  of  the 
ill  success  of  his  mission,  the  Virgin 
ordered  him  to  ascend  the  hill  and 
gather  a  bunch  of  flowers.  Now,  it 
was  not  the  season  for  flowers,  and, 
moreover,  the  top  of  the  rock  had 
as  yet  produced  only  briers  and 
thorns ;   but   Diego   obeyed,  never- 


f  theless,  and  his  submission  was  re- 
warded, for  he  quickly  found  him- 
self in  the  midst  of  flowers,  balmy 
and  beautiful ;  he  proceeded  to  cull 
a  nosegay,  which  Mary  told  him  tc 
present  to  the  bishop.  "  He  will 
believe  this  time,"  said  the  Virgin, 
with  a  smile. 

Diego  repairs  to  the  episcopal 
palace,  where  the  fragrance  of  the 
flowers  hid  under  his  cloak  attracts 
the  attention  of  the  officers  of  the 
household ;  they  force  Diego  to  let 
them  see  them,  and  stretch  out  their 
hands  to  take  them.  Astonishment ! 
the  flowers  are  imprinted  on  the 
cloth,  and  are  nothing  more,  as  it 
were,  than  painted  roses  and  lilies  I 
The  bishop  appears,  and  Diego, 
opening  the  folds  of  his  garment, 
now  exhaling  a  celestial  odor,  finds, 
to  his  extreme  surprise,  that  the 
flowers  had  shaded  themselves  into 
a  beautiful  image  of  Mary.  The 
prelate,  after  prostrating  himself, 
takes  the  cloak  from  off  the  Mexi- 
can's shoulders,  and  exposes  it  in 
his  chapel  until  another  could  be 
built  on  the  spot  pointed  out  by  the 
Virgin.  The  church  was  erected  as 
soon  as  possible,  and  when  it  was 
completed,  the  image  was  conveyed 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO  THE  BLESSED  VntGIN  MARY. 


541 


thither :  ever  after  it  performed 
many  miracles,  and  became  the 
most  famous  Madonna  in  America. 

This  new  sanctuary  being  unable 
to  contain  the  crowds  who  flocked 
thither,  people  thought  of  building 
another,  about  the  year  1695.  The 
archbishop  of  Mexico,  Francisco  de 
Aquiar  e  Seixas,  laid  the  first  stone. 
This  is  the  splendid  church  now  so 
much  admired.  It  cost  2,270,000 
pounds.  On  the  1st  of  May,  1709, 
the  sacred  image  was  transported 
thither,  and  placed  on  a  silver 
throne  valued  at  400,000  francs. 
The  gifts  increasing  from  day  to 
day,  altars  were  constructed  of  the 
finest  marble,  and  the  treasury  was 
enriched  with  precious  vessels.  The 
great  silver-gilt  lamp  alone  weighs 
more  than  six  hundred  and  twenty 
marks,  and  is  still  more  valuable 
from  its  workmanship.  Around  the 
sanctuary  runs  a  grand  balustrade 
of  silver,  continued  as  far  as  the 
choir,  which,  according  to  the  Span- 
ish custom,  occupies  the  lower  end 
of  the  church.  This  first  railing  is 
protected  by  a  second  of  precious 
wood,  adorned  with  an  infinite  num- 
ber of  silver  figures  of  exquisite 
workmanship.     A  vice-king  of  Mex- 


*  ico,  Don  Antonio-Maria  Buccarelli, 
surrounded  the  image  with  a  cornice 
of  massive  gold,  and  enriched  the 
altar  with  twelve  golden  candle- 
sticks. In  1749,  a  chapter  was 
founded  for  the  service  of  this  sanc- 
tuary. 

Mexico  was  solemnly  consecrated 
to  Our  Lady  of  Guadaloupe,  and  her 
feast  was  fixed  on  the  12th  of  De- 
cember, with  an  octave,  as  a  festi- 
val of  the  first  class.  Benedict  XIV. 
extended  this  festival  to  all  the  do- 
minions of  the  Catholic  king.  A 
town  has  since  sprung  up  around 
the  sanctuary.  Guadaloupe  is  the 
Loretto  of  America.  The  image 
represents  an  Immaculate  Concep- 
tion, with  the  inscription :  Non  fecit 
taliter  omni  nationi.* 

We  will  content  ourselves  with 
the  pilgrimages  already  described, 
as  they  are  the  most  famous  in 
Christendom :  it  would  be  tedious 
to  enumerate  all  those  which  still 
exist  in  Catholic  countries.  We 
will  merely  mention,  then.  Our  Lady 
of  Lampadouze,  placed,  like  a  bea- 
con, on  a  desert  isle,  between  Malta 

*  The  Mexicans,  to  show  their  respect  for  Our 
Lady  of  Guadaloupe,  gave  her  name  to  their 
first  steamboat. 


Ml  mSTORT  OF  THE  DEVOTIOK  TO   THE  BLESSED  VTROTN  MART. 


ftnd  the  African  coast,  whose  lamp,  f 
kept  up  alternately  by  Christians 
and  Mussulmans,  burned  uninter- 
ruptedly for  ages ;  Our  Lady  of 
Monte-Nero,  overiooking  Livoume, 
whose  church  is  frequented  by  an 
innumerable  crowd  of  pilgrims,  and 
its  walls  covered  with  ex-wlo;  it 
commands  a  view  of  that  fair  Tus- 
can sea  into  which  the  ItaUan  maid- 
ens cast,  on  the  eve  of  the  Virgin's 
festivals,  those  garlands  of  flowers 
which  they  once  offered  to  the 
nymphs  of  Amphytrion ;  Our  Lady 
of  Jftrcy,  near  Savona,  in  the  valley 
of  St  Bernard,  the  fairest  sanctuary 
constructed  by  the  piety  of  the  (xen- 
oese  people  in  honor  of  Mary ;  Our 
Lady  of  Consolation,  in  Turin ;  Our 
Lady  of  Charme,  in  Mamienne;  Our 
Lady  of  Chasms,  near  Chambery; 
and  Our  Lady  of  Passaw,  where  the 
French  priests,  driven  from  home 
by  the  Revolutionary  bayonets,  went 
to  pray  for  a  happy  return  to  their 
coimtiy  —  sighing  for  the  limpid 
streams  of  France  on  the  banks  of 


the  majestic  Danube,  the  king   of 
German  rivers. 

As  to  the  other  sanctuaries  of 
Mary  scattered  all  over  the  world, 
the  greater  part  will  be  found  in 
the  annexed  Historical  Calendar. 
This  calendar,  published  during  the 
minority  of  Louis  XTV.,  contains 
all  the  pilgrimages  of  the  Virgin 
throughout  Christendom,  with  a 
number  of  pious  foundations,  which 
render  it  extremely  valuable ;  it  is, 
moreover,  a  very  rare  work,  only  to 
be  found  in  libraries.  It  is  needless 
to  say  that  things  have  changed 
since  then,  and  that  many  religious 
edifices  consecrated  to  the  Mother 
of  Grod,  and  then  in  a  flourishing 
condition,  are  now  but  a  heap  of 
ruins — thanks  to  the  "  march  of  in- 
tellect "  and  the  "  age  of  progress." 
This  calendar,  which  completes  our 
notice  of  the  pilgrimages,  is  given 
without  other  authority  than  that 
of  the  writere  quoted,  t(^ther  with 
the  dates  and  miracles  as  they 
stand  from  age  to  age. 


HISTORICAL    CALENDAR 

(£>f  tl)e  ScastB  of  tl)£  Blcsscb  Virgin, 

WITH  THF  FOUNDATIONS  AND  CHURCHES  DEDICATED  TO  HER. 


JANUABY. 

1.  Dedication  of  Our  Lady  of  the  Annuncia- 
tion, in  Florence,  by  Cardinal  Guillaume  d'Es- 
tonville,  a.  d.  1452.  In  this  church  is  preserved 
a  picture  of  the  Annunciation,  which  was  found 
miraculously  finished  when  the  painter  came  to 
give  it  the  last  touches.     Archangel.  Janius. 

2.  Foundation  of  the  Abbey  of  Dunes,  in 
Flanders,  in  honor  of  the  Virgin,  a.  d.  1128,  by 
Foulques,  a  Benedictine  monk.  Chronic.  Ber- 
tinense. 

3.  Our  Lady  of  Sichem,  near  Louvain,  in  the 
duchy  of  Brabant.  This  image  is  said  to  have 
sweat  four  drops  of  blood  in  the  year  1306. 
Just.  Lips,  in  Hist.  Sichem,  cap.  5. 

4  Dedication  of  Our  Lady  of  Treves,  in  Ger- 
many, A.  D.  746,  by  Hydolph,  Archbishop  of 
Treves.  The  Princess  Genevieve,  wife  of  Sy- 
fred,  palatine  of  Treves,  and  daughter  of  the 
Duke  of  Brabant,  had  this  church  built  in  a 
wood  on  the  very  spot  where  Our  Lady  ap- 
peared to  her,  and  assured  her  that  her  inno- 
cence should  be  recognized.  Additiones  ad  Mo- 
lanum  de  Sanctis  Belgicis. 

5.  It  is  stated  that  on  this  day  a  paralytic 
man  was  miraculously  cured  in  the  church  of 
Our  Lady  of  Sichem,  in  Brabant.  Just.  Lips,  in 
Hist.  Sichem,  cap.  24. 

6.  Our  Lady  being  on  this  day  at  the  wed- 
ding of  Canaan,  prevailed  upon  her  Son,  then 
thirty  years  of  age,  to  change  water  into  wine ; 


this  was  his  first  public  miracle.     8.  Epipn. 
hceres.  51. 

7.  Our  Lady's  return  from  Egypt  to  Judea 
with  Jesus  and  St.  Joseph.  Martyrolog.  Rom., 
7  Januar. 

8.  Our  Lady  of  the  Beginning,  in  Naples. 
This  chapel  was  built  by  St.  Helen,  and^ons«- 
crated  by  St.  Sylvester,  a.  d.  320.  Pet.  Stephanus, 
de  Locis  Sacris  Neapolit. 

9.  Our  Lady  beyond  the  Tiber,  in  Rome. 
This  church  was  built  by  Calixtus  L,  A.  r.  224. 
Baronius  in  apparatu  ad  Annal.  et  in  Annal.  ad 
ann.  224. 

10.  Our  Lady  of  Guides,  in  Constantinople, 
where  there  were  some  of  Our  Lady's  spindles 
to  be  seen,  with  some  of  the  swaddling-clothes 
of  the  Divine  Infant,  given  by  St.  Pule-heria  to 
that  church.     Niceph.,  Tract.  3,  cap.  7. 

11.  Our  Lady  of  Bessiere,  in  Limousin.  A 
heretic  who  had  scoflfed  at  the  devotion  testified 
to  this  image,  saw  his  house  burned  before  his 
eyes  without  any  visible  cause.  Triple  Couronne, 
1.  i.,  Trait.  2,  S.  10,  nomb.  6. 

12.  Our  Lady  of  the  Broad  Street,  in  Rome, 
built  on  the  spot  where  St.  Paul  languished 
for  two  years  in  chains,  while  he  preached  the 
Gospel  and  wrote  several  of  his  Epistles.  Trip. 
Gout.,  place  quoted,  nomb.  6. 

13.  Pius  Y.  revises  the  Little  Office  of  the 
Blessed  Yirgin,  a.  d.  1571.    Balinghem  in  Calend. 

14.  Oi»  Lady  of  Speech,  near  Montserrat,  in 
Spain;  so  called  because  she  is  said  to  have 


restored  speeoh  to  a  dumb  man,  a.  d.   1514.    s^ 
BaHnghem  in  Calend. 

15.  Our  Lady  of  the  Porch,  in  Rome,  where 
may  be  seen  an  image  said  to  have  been  brought 
from  heaven  by  an  angel  to  the  blessed  Golla, 
widow  of  the  Consul  Symmachus.  Ex  monv^ 
ment.  S.  Maries  in  Portic. 

16.  Our  Lady  of  Montserrat,  in  Spain,  on 
this  day,  miraculously  delivers  several  captives 
from  the  tyranny  of  the  Turks.     Hist.  Montiaer. 

17.  Our  Lady  of  Peace,  in  Rome.  In  the 
year  1483,  the  Duke  of  Calabria  having  be- 
sieged Rome  to  revenge  himself  on  Sixtus  IV. 
for  having  prevented  him  from  assisting  the 
Duke  of  Ferrara  against  the  Venetians,  the 
Pontiff  had  recourse  to  the  Queen  of  Heaven, 
and  engaged  by  vow  to  build  her  a  church 
under  the  title  of  Our  Lady  of  Peace,  if  she 
would  vouchsafe  to  deliver  the  city  from  the 
siege,  and  restore  peace  to  Italy.  His  prayer 
being  heard,  he  accomplished  his  vow,  and  com- 
menced a  church,  which  was  finished  by  his 
successor,  Innocent  VIII.  Gabriel  Pennotus  in 
hint,  tripartita  Canon.  reguL,  1.  iii.,  cap.  33. 

18.  Our  Lady  of  Dijon,  in  Burgundy.  This 
image,  formerly  called  Our  Lady  of  Hope,  de- 
livered the  city  from  the  fury  of  the  Swiss, 
A.  D.  1513  ;  in  gratitude  for  this  favor,  a  general 
procession  takes  place  every  year.  Trip.  Cour., 
nomb.  42. 

19.  Our  Lady  of  Gimont,  near  Toulouse. 
This  Cistercian  church  is  celebrated  in  that 
part  of  the  country  for  its  miracles.  Trip.  Cour., 
nomb.  34. 

20.  Our  Lady  of  Tables,  in  Montpellier ;  an 
ancient  and  very  famous  church.  In  the  arms 
of  the  city  the  Virgin  is  seen  holding  her  Divine 
Son  in  her  arms.     Trip.  Cour.,  nomb.  38. 

21.  Our  Lady  of  Consolation,  in  Rome,  at  the 
foot  of  the  Capitol.  This  Madonna  commenced 
to  work  miracles  in  1471.    Trip.  Cour.,  nomb.  38. 

22.  Espousals  of  Our  Lady.  This  feast,  long 
celebrated  in  France  by  pious  persons,  was  ap- 
proved of  by  Pope  Paul  III,,  in  154%  Petrus 
Aurattis,  lib.  de  Imag.  Virt.,  c.  10.  ¥ 


23.  Espousals  of  Our  Lady,  according  to  the 
custom  of  Arras.  This  feast  was  first  celebrated 
in  the  year  1556.     Monutn.  Eccles.  Attrebat. 

24.  Our  Lady  of  Damascus.  There  is  said 
to  proceed  from  this  image,  painted  on  wood,  a 
miraculous  oil,  which  restored  sight,  a.  d.  1203, 
to  the  Sultan  of  Damascus,  infidel  as  he  was. 
In  gratitude  for  this  favor,  he  founded  a  lamp 
to  be  kept  constantly  burning  before  the  image. 
Spond.  in  Annal.,  ad  ann.  1203. 

25.  Translation  of  Our  Lady's  shroud  and 
tomb  to  Constantinople,  by  Juvenal,  Bishop  of 
Jerusalem,  in  the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Marcian, 
A.  D.  455.     Ferreol,  Locrius  in  Ghron.  anacephal. 

26.  Our  Lady  of  Long- Fields,  founded  in 
1261,  by  Elizabeth,  sister  of  St.  Louis.  OaUia 
Christ.,  t.  iv. 

27.  Our  Lady  of  Life,  at  Venasque,  in  Prov- 
ence. Chronicles  say  that  this  image  frequently 
restored  life  to  unbaptized  children,  in  order 
that  they  might  receive  baptism.  IHp.  Cour., 
nomb.  89. 

28.  Our  Lady  of  Succor,  near  Rouen.  This 
image  is  famous  throughout  the  country.  Ex 
archiv.  hums  ecclesia. 

29.  Our  Lady  of  Chatillon-sur-Seine.  Ber- 
nard had  a  great  devotion  for  this  image,  be- 
cause of  a  miracle  which  it  wrought  in  his 
favor.     Trip.  Cour.,  nomb.  43. 

30.  Our  Lady  of  the  Rose,  at  Lucca,  in  Italy. 
Three  roses  were  found  in  the  month  of  Jan- 
uary in  the  arms  of  this  image,  according  tc 
a  Latin  chronicle.  Ccesar  Franciot.  in  hist. 
Litcensi. 

31.  Apparition  of  Our  Lady  to  Sister  Angela 
de  Foligny.     In  e/'us  vita. 

FEBKUABY. 

1.  The  Vigil  of  the  Feast  of  the  Purification. 
Locrius  in  Calend. 

2.  The  Purification  of  Uur  Lady.  This  festi- 
val was  instituted  in  544,  under  the  Emperor 
Justinian,  on  occasion  of  the  plague  which  rav- 
aged ConstantiQople,  where  ten  thousand  per- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


545 


sons  somefemes  died  in  one  day.  In  the  year 
701,  Pope  Sergius  added  to  this  feast  the  so- 
lemnity of  the  Tapers.  Baronius  in  Annal.  ad 
ann.  544. 

3.  Our  Lady  of  Seidaneida,  near  Damascus. 
From  this  image,  painted  on  wood,  there  flowed 
an  oil  which  was  never  exhausted,  no  matter 
what  quantity  was  taken.  The  virtue  of  this 
oil  was  so  great  that  it  cured  even  the  infidels 
themselves.  Arnold,  abbas  Lubec.  ajpud  Baron,  ad 
ann.  870,  et  apud  Spondan.  ad  ann.  1203. 

4.  Our  Lady  of  the  Pillar,  at  Saragossa,  in 
Spain.  So  named  because,  according  to  the 
ti'adition,  the  Blessed  Virgin  appeared  to  St. 
James  the  Major  on  a  pillar  of  jasper,  a.  d.  36, 
and  commanded  him  to  build  her  a  church, 
which  the  Spaniards  hold  to  have  been  the 
first  dedicated  to  Our  Lady.  Beutereus,  1.  i., 
c.  2  et  3. 

5.  Dedication  of  the  first  temple  to  Our  Lady 
by  St.  Peter,  in  Tripoli,  now  Tortosa.  Ganisius, 
I  v..  de  B.  Virg.,  c.  32. 

6.  Our  Lady  of  Louvain,  in  the  Netherlands. 
This  Madonna,  highly  venerated  in  the  country, 
began  to  work  miracles  in  1444.  Balinghem  in 
Galend. 

7.  Our  Lady  of  Grace,  in  the  Abbey  of  St. 
Sauve,  at  Montreuil-sur-Mer.      Ghronic  S.  Salvi. 

8.  Our  Lady  of  the  Lily,  near  Melun.  This 
abbey  of  Cistercian  nuns  was  founded  by  Queen 
Blanche,  mother  of  St.  Louis.     Gall.  Christ,  t.  4. 

9.  Octave  of  the  Purification  of  Our  Lady, 
established  in  the  Cathedral  of  Saintes,  because 
it  was  said  that  on  the  night  of  the  Octave  the 
bells  were  heard  to  ring  harmoniously  of  their 
own  accord.  The  sacristans  having  hastened  to 
the  church,  beheld  a  number  of  strange  men 
with  tapers  in  their  hands,  singing  hymns  of 
honor  to  the  Virgin,  venerated  in  that  church 
under  the  title  of  Our  Lady  of  Miracles,  and, 
entering  softly,  they  begged  the  nearest  of  the 
august  band  to  give  them  his  taper,  in  proof 
of  the  prodigy.  This  taper  is  religiously  pre- 
served in  that  church.  Sausseyus  Martyr.  Gall, 
died. 


* 


10.  Our  Lady  of  the  Dove,  near  Bologna,  in 
Italy,  built,  it  is  said,  in  the  place  marked  out 
by  a  dove,  who  kept  for  two  days  flying  round 
some  masons  who  were  at  work,  seeming  to 
them  k)  indicate  a  certain  spot.  Trip.  Gour., 
nomb,  107. 

11.  St.  Mary  of  Liques,  near  Calais.  This 
monastery,  of  the  Premonstratensian  Order,  was 
founded  in  1131,  by  Robert,  lord  of  Liques. 
Gall.  Christ.,  t.  iv. 

12.  Our  Lady  of  Argenteuil,  near  Paris,  built 
by  Clovis  I.,  A.  D.  101.  This  priory  possesses  a 
part  of  Our  Saviour's  seamless  garment.  Thomas 
Bosius,  1.  ix.,  de  Sig.  eccl.,  c.  9. 

13.  Our  Lady  of  the  Hot  Oven,  in  Bourges ; 
so  called  because,  in  the  year  526,  a  certain  Jew, 
it  is  said,  shut  up  his  son  in  a  heated  oven  be- 
cause he  had  received  Baptism  and  the  Holy 
Communion  ;  he  was  taken  out  safe  and  sound, 
thanks  to  the  protection  of  Our  Lady.  A 
church  was  built  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  in  mem- 
ory of  this  event.  Annales  de  France  en  Childe- 
hert. 

14.  Our  Lady  of  Bourburg,  in  Flanders.  It 
is  said  that  this  image  having  been  struck  by  an 
impious  man,  a.  d.  1383,  the  sacrilegious  offender 
fell  dead  on  the  spot.  Bzovius,  ex  Archiv.  eccles. 
Burburg. 

15.  Our  Lady  of  Paris,  built  first  by  King 
Childebert,  a.  d.  522.  About  the  year  1257,  St. 
Louis  had  a  more  spacious  one  erected  on  the 
same  site,  on  the  foundations  laid  by  Philip 
Augustus  in  1191.  Du  Breuil,  Theatre  des  Antiq. 
de  Paris,  1.  i. 

16.  Our  Lady  of  the  Thorn,  near  Chalon,  in 
Champagne  ;  so  famed  because  this  image  was 
found  in  a  hawthorn  bush.  Trip.  Gour.,  nomb. 
54. 

17.  Our  Lady  of  Constantinople,  formerly  the 
Jewish  synagogue,  which  was  converted  into  a 
Christian  church  by  the  Emperor  Justin  the 
Younger,  a.  d.  566.     Locrius. 

18.  Our  Lady  of  Laon,  erected  into  a  cathe- 
dral, and  founded  by  St.  Remi,  Archbishop  of 

^    Rheims,  about  the  year  500  ;  this  prelate  also 


646 


mSTORT  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


oonseorated  St  Geneband,  his  nephew,  its  first  f 
bishop.  Miracles  were  often  wrought  there, 
and,  amongst  others,  we  read  that  in  1395  there 
was  seen  on  tlie  spire  a  crucifix,  whose  stigmata 
shed  blood.  Thomas  Walsingham,  JHist.  Ang.  in 
Richardo  I.  rege. 

19.  Our  Lady  of  Good-Tidings,  near  Rouen, 
visited  by  a  vast  concourse  of  people,  especially 
on  Saturdays.     Trip.  Cour.,  nomb.  52. 

20.  Our  Lady  of  Boulogne-sur-Mer.  In  this 
church  there  is  seen  an  image  said  to  have  been 
brought  in  a  ship  by  the  ministry  of  angels, 
A.  V.  633.  Louis  XL  gave  this  church  a  massive 
golden  heart,  weighing  as  much  as  two  thousand 
crowns,  a.  d.  1479,  and  ordained  that  all  the 
kings  of  France,  his  successors,  should  make  a 
similar  offering  on  their  accession  to  the  crown. 
Trip.  Cour.,  nomb.  53. 

21.  Our  Lady  of  Good  Haven,  in  Dol,  propi- 
tious to  mariners.     Trip.  Cour.,  nomb.  61. 

22.  Our  Lady  of  Help,  at  Rennes,  in  Brittany. 
Idem. 

23.  Our  Lady  of  the  Rocks,  near  Salamanca, 
in  Spain.  There  is  an  image  venerated  in  this 
chui-ch  which  was  miraculously  found,  a.  d.  434, 
by  Simon  Vela,  who  built  a  church  there.  Ba- 
Hnghem  in  Calend. 

24.  On  this  day,  in  the  year  591,  St.  Gregory 
the  Great,  having  the  image  of  the  Virgin  which 
St  Luke  painted,  borne  in  procession,  the 
plague  ceased  in  Rome.     Balinghem  in  Calend. 

25.  Our  Lady  of  Victory,  in  Constantinople. 
The  city  was  delivered  from  the  siege  of  the 
Saracens  by  the  aid  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  a.  d. 
621.     Fereolus  Locrius. 

26.  Our  Lady  of  the  Fields,  in  Paris,  formerly 
dedicated  to  Ceres.  St.  Denis,  after  having  cast 
out  the  demons,  consecrated  it  to  Our  Lady. 
In  it  is  seen  an  image  of  the  Virgin,  on  a  small 
square  stone,  about  a  foot  in  diameter,  made 
after  that  which  St  Denis  brought  to  France. 
This  house,  a  Benedictine  priory,  was  occupied 
by  the  Carmelites,  who  were  received  into  it, 
A.  D.  604,  and  founded  by  Catherine,  Princess  de 
Longueville.    It  was  the  first  settlement  of  those 


nuns  in  France.  Mother  Anne  of  Jesus,  a  com- 
panion of  St.  Theresa,  was  the  first  superior. 
Du  Breuil,  Theatre  des  Anliq.,  L  ii. 

27.  Our  Lady  of  Lights,  near  Lisbon,  in  Por- 
tugal. A  light  was  long  seen  shining  in  this 
place,  without  any  one  being  able  to  account  for 
the  phenomenon,  when  Our  Lady,  appearing  to 
a  prisoner,  promised  him  liberty  on  condition 
that  he  would  build  her  a  church  on  the  place 
thus  pointed  out  by  her.  Anton.  Voisconcell.,  in 
descript.  reg.  Lusitan.,  c.  7,  §  5. 

28.  Institution  of  the  Monastery  of  the  An- 
nunciation, at  Bethune,  in  Artois,  by  Franfois 
de  Melun  and  Louise  de  Foix,  his  wife,  a.d. 
1519.     Fereolus  Locritis. 

MARCH. 

1.  Establishment  of  the  Feast  of  the  Imma- 
culate Conception  of  Our  Lady,  by  Sixtus  IV., 
A.  D.  1476,  and  grants  of  indulgences  to  those 
who  assist  at  mass  or  Divine  service.  T.  IV. 
Conciliorum. 

2.  Our  Lady  of  Apparitions,  in  Madrid  ;  so 
named  because,  in  1449,  the  Virgin  appeared 
on  eight  successive  days  to  a  young  girl  named 
Yves,  and  commanded  her  to  build  a  church 
on  the  spot  where  she  should  find  a  cross  in 
honor  of  Our  Lady.     In  vita  B.  Joan. 

3.  Our  Lady  of  Longpont,  in  Valois.  This 
abbey,  of  the  Cistercian  Order,  was  founded  in 
the  year  1131,  by  Josselin,  Bishop  of  Soissons. 
Oall.  Christ.,  t.  iv. 

4.  Our  Lady  of  Guard,  in  Arragon  ;  so  named 
for  having  saved  the  life  of  a  child  who  fell  into 
a  well,  A.  D.  1221.     Bzovius,  ad  ann.  1221. 

5.  Our  Lady  of  Good  Aid,  at  Nancy,  in  Lor- 
raine. This  image  is  believed  to  have  obtained 
the  victory  for  Rend,  Duke  of  Lorraine,  over 
Charles  the  Bold,  the  last  Duke  of  Burgundy. 
Trip.  Cour.,  nomb.  65. 

6.  Our  Lady  of  Nazareth,  at  Pierre-Noire,  in 
Portugal.  This  image  was  honored  in  Naz- 
areth from  the  time  of  the  Apostles,  if  v/e  may 
beUeve    a    document  which   was    found  by   a 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


547 


hunter  fastened  to  the  image,  a.  d.  1150.     Trip. 
Cour.,  nomb.  13. 

7.  Our  Lady  of  the  Star,  at  Villa- Vicioza,  in 
Portugal ;  so  called  because  of  a  star  which  a 
shepherd  saw  shining  where  the  church  is  built. 
T^ip.  Cour.,  nomb.  17. 

8.  Our  Lady  of  Virtues,  at  Lisbon,  in  Portu- 
gal. Anton.  VasconcelL,  in  descripL  reg.  Lusitan., 
c.  7,  §  5. 

9.  Foundation  of  Savigny,  in  the  diocese  of 
Avranche,  in  Normandy,  in  honor  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  about  the  year  11]  2,  by  the  Blessed 
Vital,  hermit,  who  was  its  first  abbot.  Gall. 
Christ.,  t.  iv. 

10.  Our  Lady  of  the  Vine,  near  Viterbo,  in 
Tuscany.  A  handsome  church  now  occupied 
by  the  monks  of  St.  Dominick.  Bzovius,  ad 
ann.  1487. 

11.  Our  Lady  of  Forests,  at  Porto,  in  Portu- 
gal. This  image  was  discovered  in  a  forest, 
where  it  had  been  hid  by  Queen  Malfada,  wife 
of  Alphonso  I.  Joan.  Barrius,  lib.  de  reb.  inter- 
amnensib.,  c.  12. 

12.  Our  Lady  of  Miracles,  in  the  cloister  of 
St.  Maur-des-Foss^s,  near  Paris.  It  is  said  that 
this  image  was  found  already  made,  when  the 
sculptor,  named  Rumoldi,  thought  of  working 
on  it.     Du  Breuil,  Theatre  des  Antiq.,  1.  iv. 

13.  Our  Lady  of  the  Empress,  in  Rome. 
There  is  a  tradition  that  this  image  spoke  to  St. 
Gregory  the  Great,  a.  d.  593.  Anton.  Yepez.  ad 
ann.  84,  divi  Benedicti. 

14.  Our  Lady  of  the  Breach,  in  Chartres, 
where  a  general  procession  is  held  every  year, 
in  gratitude  to  Our  Lady  for  having  delivered 
the  city,  when  besieged  by  the  heretics,  a.  d. 
1568.  It  was  during  this  siege  that  the  image 
of  Our  Lady,  standing  over  the  Porte-Drouaise, 
remained  uninjured  by  the  cannonading  or  mus- 
ketry of  the  besiegers,  the  marks  of  which  are 
still  seen  on  two  or  three  of  the  fingers.  Sebas- 
tien  Rouillard,  Parthenie,  c.  3. 

15.  In  the  year  911,  the  city  of  Chartres  was 
miraculously  delivered  from  the  siege  main- 
tained by  Hollo  or  Ralph,  Duke  of  the  Nor- 


*  mans ;  as  he  was  on  the  point  of  taking  the 
town,  Gaucelin,  forty-seventh  bishop  of  Char- 
tres, ascended  the  ramparts,  holding  a  relic  of 
Our  Lady  by  way  of  a  banner ;  *  this  raised 
such  a  commotion  in  the  enemy's  camp,  that 
they  were  forced  to  retire  in  disorder ;  in  mem- 
ory of  this  event,  the  fields  of  the  Porte-Drou- 
aise are  still  called  the  Field  of  Retreat.  Sebas- 
tien  Rouillard,  Parthenie,  c.  7,  nom.  5. 

16.  Our  Lady  of  the  Fountain,  in  Constanti- 
nople, built  by  the  Emperor  Leo,  a.  d.  460,  in 
gratitude  for  the  Blessed  Virgin  having  ap- 
peared to  him  on  the  margin  of  a  stream  where 
he  had  charitably  led  a  blind  man,  and  promised 
him  that  he  should  become  an  emperor,  though 
he  was  yet  only  a  simple  soldier.  Niceph^  1.  xv., 
cap.  15. 

17.  A.  D.  1095,  under  Urban  II.,  there  was  a 
council  held  at  Clermont,  in  Auvergne,  and  the 
Office  of  Our  Lady  was  instituted.  Goncil. 
Glarom. — Foundation  of  the  Abbey  of  Baumont- 
lez-Tours,  by  Ingeltrude,  in  the  year  600.  Gall. 
Ghrist.,  t.  iv. 

18.  In  the  year  1586,  Our  Lady  of  Loretto 
was  erected  into  a  cathedral  by  Sixtus  V.  Tur- 
sel.  Hist.  Lauetana,  5,  10. 

19.  Our  Lady  Fair  (La  Belle  Dame)  at  No- 
gent-sur-Seine.  It  is  said  to  be  impossible  to 
convey  this  famous  image  from  its  little  chapel, 
which  is  no  more  than  four  or  five  feet  square. 
Ex  monument.  Novigent. 

20.  Our  Lady  of  Calevoirt,  at  Uckelen,  near 
Brussels.  This  image  began  to  work  miracles 
in  1454,  whereupon  a  magnificent  chapel  was 
built  there  in  honor  of  Oar  Lady,  a.  d.  1623 ; 
the  shrine  was  piously  visited  that  same  year  by 
the  Infanta  of  Spain,  Isabella  Clara  Eugenia. 
Aub.  Miroeus,  in  Annal.  Belg. 

21.  Our  Lady  of  Bruges,  in  Flanders,  where 
there  is  a  tress  of  the  Blessed  Virgin's  hair, 
given  by  a  Syrian  bishop  named  Moses.  Hugo 
Farcitus,  1.  i.,  miracul.  B.  Virg. 

22.  On  Palm  Sunday,  in  the  year  1098,  St. 

»  This  relic  (so  called)  is  the  wedding  garment  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin. — Teams. 


Robert,  Abbot  of  Muldme,  retired,  with  twenty- 
one  of  his  monks,  to  the  diocese  of  Chalons-sur- 
Saone,  where  he  built,  in  honor  of  Our  Lady, 
the  famous  monastery  of  Citeaux,  the  muther- 
hoose  of  the  order.  Arnofd  Vionus,  1.  i.,  Ligni 
viicB,  c.  47. 

23.  Our  Lady  of  Victory.  This  image  bears 
that  name,  because  the  French,  having  happily 
taken  it  from  the  Greeks,  in  a  bloody  battle 
fought  near  Constantinople,  a.  d.  1204,  it  ob- 
tained a  complete  victory  for  them.  Spondanus 
iri  Annal.,  ad  ann.  1204. 

24.  Vigil  of  the  Annunciation  of  Our  Lady, 
instituted  by  Gregory  IL  On  that  day  Our 
Lady  made  the  Pasch  in  Jerusalem,  a.  d.  49. 
Balingh.  Metaphrastes. 

25.  The  Annunciation  of  Our  Lady.  This 
festival  was  instituted  by  the  Apostles,  and  is 
the  most  ancient  of  all.  Joan.  Boni/aciua,  L  ii., 
HisL  Virg.,  c.  5. 

26.  Our  Lady  of  Soissons,  occupied  by  nuns 
of  the  Benedictine  Order.  This  abbey  possesses 
one  of  the  Blessed  Virgin's  shoes.     J3.  FarcUus. 

27.  Apparition  of  Our  Lord  to  his  Blessed 
Mother,  after  his  resurrection.  Alphonsus  a 
Castro,  c  17. 

28.  Our  Lady  of  Castelbruedo,  at  Olian,  in 
Catalonia.  It  is  said  that  every  year,  on  the 
Feast  of  the  Annunciation,  three  lights  of  an 
azure  color  are  seen  to  penetrate  the  windows 
of  this  church,  hght  the  lamps  and  tapers,  go 
out  by  the  way  they  came,  and  disappear  imme- 
diately. Ludo  MarincBus,  1.  v.,  de  reb.  Hisp.,  c. 
ultimo. 

29.  Apparition  of  Our  Lady  to  St.  Bonet, 
Bishop  of  Clermont,  in  Auvergne,  whom  she 
commanded  to  say  mass  one  night  when  he  had 
remained  in  the  church  to  say  his  prayers.  The 
saint,  pressing  against  a  pillar  as  if  to  conceal 
himself,  the  stone  became  soft,  and  made  him 
the  place  which  is  still  seen  there.  But  the 
Blessed  Virgin  having  compelled  him  to  offici- 
ate, left  him,  when  the  ceremony  was  over,  the 
chasuble  brought  by  angels  from  heaven.  This 
celestial  gift  is  still  shown  at  Clermont,  where    ^ 


it  is  rohgiously  preserved.    In  ejus  '9Ua,  apud 
Surium,  die  15  Jan. 

30.  Restoration  of  the  Chapel  of  Our  Lady  of 
Boulogue-sui'-Mer,  by  Claude  Dormy,  bishop  of 
that  city.     Trip.  Cour.,  nomb.  53, 

31.  Our  Lady  of  Holy  Cross,  in  Jerusalem, 
where  there  is  seen  a  portion  of  Our  Lady's 
veil,  given  by  St,  Helen.    Onuphrius,  1.  vii,,  EccL 

APEIL. 

1.  Octave  of  the  Annunciation  of  Our  Lady, 
in  the  Carmelite  Order.     Balinghem  in  Galend. 

2.  Our  Lady  the  Great,  at  Poictiers.  There 
is  in  this  church  an  image  of  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin, in  whose  bands  were  miraculously  found 
the  keys  of  the  city,  whilst  a  servant  of  the 
Mayor  sought  them  everywhere,  in  order  to 
open  the  gates  to  the  English,  to  whom  he  had 
promised  to  deUver  the  city.  Jean  Boucher, 
Annals  d'Aquitaine. 

3.  Apparition  of  Our  Lord  to  his  Blessed 
Mother  and  the  Apostles,  eight  days  after  his 
resurrection.     Balinghem  in  Galend. 

4.  Our  Lady  of  Grace,  in  Normandy.  This 
image  is  famous  all  over  the  country,  and  peo- 
ple come  from  all  parts  to  venerate  it.  Ex. 
Archiv.  hujus  eccl. 

5.  Apparition  of  Our  Lady  to  Pope  Honorius 
IV.,  in  confirmation  of  the  Order  of  Our  Lady 
of  Mount  Carmel.     Balinghem  in  Galend. 

6.  Our  Lady  of  the  Conception,  attached  to 
the  Capuchin  Convent  of  Douai,  in  Flanders. 
There  is  in  this  church  a  picture  of  the  Im- 
maculate Conception,  which  was  miraculously 
preserved  from  fire,  a,  d.  1553.  Amatus  Francisc. 
in  libello  M.  S. 

7.  Our  Lady  of  the  Forsaken,  at  Valencia,  in 
Spain,  This  image  is  in  a  chapel  where  there 
is  said  to  be  a  loud  noise  made  when  any  one  is 
drowned  or  murdered  in  the  neighborhood  of 
the  city.     Trip.  Gour.,  nomb.  28. 

8.  Feast  of  the  Miracles  of  Our  Lady,  at 
Cambron,  near  Mons,  in  the  Low  Countries. 
Locrius. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


549 


9.  Our  Lady  of  Myans,  near  Chambery,  in 
Savoy.  It  is  thought  that  this  image  arrested 
the  devastating  progress  of  the  lightning  which 
had  already  consumed  the  town  of  St.  Andrew, 
with  sixteen  villages,  and  prevented  it  from  de- 
stroying Myaus,  a.  d.  1249.     Trip.  Gour.,  n.  114. 

10.  Our  Lady  of  Laval,  in  Vivarais.  This 
church  is  much  frequented,  in  order  to  obtain 
rain  for  the  preservation  of  the  goods  of  the 
earth.     Trip.  Gour.,  nomb.  41. 

11.  It  is  said  that  on  this  day  a  blind  man 
recovered  his  sight  in  the  church  of  Our  Lady 
of  Montserrat,  a.  d.  1538.     Balinghem  in  Galend. 

12.  Our  Lady  of  Charity,  in  the  Abbey  of  the 
Bernardines,  seven  leagues  from  Toulouse.  It 
is  said  that  this  image  has  several  times  shed 
tears.     Trip.  Gour.,  nomb.  34. 

13.  Apparition  of  Our  Lady  to  the  Blessed 
Jane  of  Mantua.     In  ejun  vita. 

14.  Apparition  of  Our  Lady  to  St.  Ludivina, 
A.  D.  1433.     Joan  Bruchman. 

15.  In  the  year  1101,  the  Holy  Virgin  gave 
the  Blessed  Alberic  the  white  habit,  instead  of 
the  black  one  which  he  then  wore.     In  ejus  vita. 

16.  Our  Lady  of  Victory,  in  the  Church  of  St. 
Mark,  in  Venice.  This  is  the  famous  image 
which  the  Emperors  John  Zimisces  and  John 
Comnenus  caused  to  be  borne  on  a  triumphal 
car  ;  it  is  now  borne  in  procession  by  the  Vene- 
tians when  they  wish  to  obtain  rain  or  fine 
weather.     In  ejus  i^ta. 

17.  Our  Lady  of  Arabida,  in  Portugal,  where 
there  is  an  image  which 'an  English  merchant 
was  accustomed  to  wear  on  his  person.  Being 
one  day  in  danger  of  shipwreck,  he  beheld  his 
image  surrounded  by  a  great  light,  on  the  top 
of  the  rock  of  Arabida,  where  he  then  built  him- 
self a  small  hermitage,  and  in  it  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days.     IVip.  Gour.,  nomb.  16. 

18.  Grant  of  Plenary  Indulgences,  by  Urban 
VI.,  to  those  who  visit  the  Church  of  Our  Lady 
of  Loretto.     Balinghem  in  Galend. 

19.  Confirmation  of  the  Feast  of  the  Concep- 
tion of  Our  Lady,  by  the  Council  of  Trent,  a.  d. 
1545.     Goncil.  Trident. 


*  20.  Our  Lady  of  Scheir,  in  Bavaria.  This 
church  was  built  on  the  site  of  the  castle,  volun- 
tarily made  over  to  Our  Lady  by  all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  house  of  Scheir,  with  the  exception 
of  Arnold,  who,  in  punishment  of  his  obstinacy, 
was  drowned  in  a  neighboring  lake.  Thrith.  de 
Orig.  gentis  et  princ.  Bav. 

21.  Institution  of  the  Confraternity  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception,  in  Toledo,  a.  d.  1506, 
by  Cardinal  Francis  Ximenes,  archbishop  of  that 
city.     Gomesius,  in  ejus  vita. 

22.  Our  Lady  of  Betharam,  in  the  diocese  of 
Lescar,  country  of  Beam.  This  image  was 
found  in  1503  by  shepherds  who,  seeing  an  ex- 
traordinary light  in  the  place  now  occupied  by 
the  high  altar  of  the  chapel,  approached  and 
found  there  an  image  of  Our  Lady,  to  whom  a 
chapel  was  immediately  built.    Trip.  Gour.,  n.  32. 

23.  Concession  of  Indulgences,  by  Pope  Ca- 
lixtus  III.,  A.  D.  1455,  to  those  who  visited  the 
Cathedral  of  Arras,  where  there  are  preserved  a 
veil  and  a  cincture  of  Our  Lady.  Andreas  Her- 
hy,  ex  codice  MS.  Eccles.  Attreh. 

24.  Dedication  of  Our  Lady  of  Reparation,  at 
Florence,  by  Eugenius  IV.,  a.  d.  1436.  Balingh. 
in  Galend. 

25.  Dedication  of  the  Lower  Holy  Chapel  of 
Paris,  in  honor  of  Our  Lady,  by  Phillip,  Arch- 
bishop of  Bourges,  A.  n.  1248.  Du  Breuil,  Thea- 
tre des  Antiq. 

26.  Our  Lady  of  Naiera,  in  Navarre.  This 
image  was  miraculously  found  1048.  Don  Gar- 
cias  de  Naiera,  King  of  Navarre,  built  a  church 
for  it,  which  was  visited  by  several  of  the  kings 
of  Navarre.    Andre  Favin,  1.  iii..  Hist,  de  Navarre. 

27.  It  is  said  that  in  the  year  1419,  Our  Lady 
of  Haut,  in  Hainaut,  restored  life  to  a  child  who 
had  been  three  days  dead.  Just.  Lips,  in  Hist. 
D.  Virg.  Hallens,  c.  19. 

28.  Our  Lady  of  the  Oak,  near  the  town  of 
Sabld,  in  Anjou.  This  image  has  wrought  so 
many  miracles  that  it  is  now  very  famous  in 
that  country.  Marshal  de  Bois  Dauphin  built 
it  a  handsome  church  and  an  hospital  for  pil- 

^    grims.     Trip.  Gour,,  nomb.  50. 


660 


EISTORr  OF  TEE  DEVOTION  TO  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


29.  Our  Lady  of  Faith,  in  the  Augustinian 
Gharoh  of  Amiens.  This  image  remained  a  long 
time  in  the  oratory  of  a  young  lady,  who  gave  it 
to  the  Augustiuians,  and  in  theii*  church  it  has 
since  wrought  many  miracles.  Ex.  MS.  Atig» 
Aminer. 

30.  Our  Lady  of  Nantes,  in  Bretague.  This 
church,  which  was  dedicated  to  the  Apostles  St. 
Peter  and  St.  Paul,  by  Felix,  Bishop  of  Nantes, 
was  thrown  down  by  the  Normans,  a.d.  937, 
and  rebuilt  by  Alain,  Duke  of  Bretagne.  For- 
tunaL,  L  iii,  Carm.,  c.  1,  2,  3  et  4. 

MAY. 

1.  In  the  year  1449,  some  of  the  principal 
goldsmiths  of  Paris  began  to  give  the  May-pole 
to  the  Church  of  Notre -Dame.  Du  Breuil, 
Antiq.  de  Parisi,  1.  i. 

2.  Our  Lady  of  Oviedo,  in  Spain,  where  there 
is  some  of  the  Blessed  Virgin's  hair.  Balinghem 
in  Calend. 

3.  Apparition  of  Our  Lady  to  the  Blessed 
Mary  Bazzi,  of  the  Order  of  St  Dominick,  a.  v. 
1597.     Balinghem  in  Calend. 

4.  Our  Lady  the  Helper,  three  leagues  from 
Caen,  in  Normandy.  There  is  a  solemn  pro- 
cession held  every  year  at  this  chapel.  Trip. 
Cour.,  nomb.  51. 

5.  Our  Lady  is  present  on  Mount  Olivet,  at 
the  Ascension  of  Our  Lord,  and  then  returns  to 
Jerusalem  to  retire  with  the  Apostles.  Ads  of 
the  Apostles,  c.  i. 

6.  Our  Lady  of  Miracles,  in  the  Church  of 
Our  Lady  of  Peace,  in  Rome.  It  is  said  that  in 
1483,  a  man  who  had  lost  his  money  at  play, 
having  blasphemed  this  image,  stabbed  it  four 
times  with  his  poignard,  when  it  shed  so  much 
blood  that  the  miracle  was  noised  abroad  all 
through  the  city.  This  image  is  still  preserved 
in  the  Church  of  Our  Lady  of  Peace,  where  it  is 
seen  over  the  high  altar,  enshrined  in  marble. 
Oabr.  Pen.  in  Hist.  Triple  Canon.  Regvl.,  1,  iiL, 
-^  33,  §  2. 

7.  Our  Lady  of  Haut,  in  Hainaut,  where  there 


^  is  one  of  the  three  little  statues  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin  which  St.  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Andrew 
II.  of  Hungary,  honored  religiously,  and  be- 
queathed by  will  to  her  daughter,  St.  Sophia, 
who  gave  it,  in  1267,  to  the  Church  of  Haut, 
where  several  miracles  have  since  been  wrought. 
Jiist.  Lips.  Hint.  D.  Virg.  Hallens,  c.  3. 

8.  A.  D.  1202,  the  learned  Justus  Lipsius  gave 
his  silver  pen  to  the  Church  of  Our  Lady  of 
Haut,  in  Hainaut,  where  it  still  hangs  before 
the  high  altar.     In  ejus  vita. 

9.  Our  Lady  of  Loretto,  in  the  March  of  An- 
cona,  in  Italy.  This  chapel  is  the  House  of 
Nazareth,  where  the  mystery  of  the  Redemption 
was  announced.  Turselin,  in  Hist.  Lauretana, 
1.  i.,  c.  1,  2,  5,  6,  7,  8,  10. 

10.  Dedication  of  the  City  of  Constantinople 
to  Our  Lady,  by  Constantine  the  Great,  under 
the  Patriarch  Alexander.  Niceph.,  1.  viii.,  c.  26. 
— Our  Lady  of  La  Saussaie,  near  Paris.  The 
church  of  this  Benedictine  priory  was  dedicated 
to  Our  Lady  a.  d.  1305,  by  Pope  Clement  V. 

11.  Apparition  of  Our  Lady  to  St.  Philip  of 
Neri,  whom  she  cured  of  a  grievous  malady, 
A.  D.  1594,     In  ejus  vita. 

12.  Our  Lady  of  Virtues,  at  Aubervillers,  near 
Paris.  This  image  has  wrought  so  many  mira- 
cles in  this  church,  that  it  is  called  Our  Lady  of 
Virtues,  although  it  is  dedicated  to  St.  Christo- 
pher.    Du  Breuil,  1.  iv. 

13.  Dedication  of  Our  Lady  of  Martyrs,  called 
the  Rotunda,  in  Rome,  by  Boniface  IV.,  a.d. 
608.  This  temple  was  styled  the  Pantheon,  be- 
cause it  was  dedicated  to  all  the  gods  of  the 
Gentiles.     Bede,  Hist.  Eng.,  b.  ii,  ch.  4. 

14.  Dedication  of  Our  Lady  of  Noyon,  by 
Hardouin,  thirty-seventh  bishop  of  that  city, 
A.  D.  998.     Chronic.  Annonice,  t.  iii. 

15.  Descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost  on  Our  Lady 
and  the  Apostles,  a.  d.  34,  being  the  forty-eighth 
year  of  the  Blessed  Virgin's  age.  Christoph.  a 
Castro,  in  Hist.  Virg. 

16.  Apparition  of  Our  Lady  to  St.  Catherine 
of  Alexandria,  whose  body  was  found  on  the 

^    13th  of  this  month,  on  Mount  Sinai,  by  a  special 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIBGIN  MARY. 


551 


revelation  from  the  Queen  of  Heaven.     In  ejus 
vita. 

17.  Our  Lady  of  Tears,  in  the  Duchy  of  Spo- 
letto,  in  Italy.  It  is  said  that  this  image,  paint- 
ed on  a  wall,  shed  abundance  of  tears,  a.  d.  1494. 
Gabriel  Pennotus,  1.  iii.,  Hist.  Tripartita,  c.  34. 

18.  Dedication  of  Our  Lady  of  Bonport,  be- 
longing to  the  Order  of  Citeaux,  near  Pont  de 
I'Arche,  in  the  diocese  of  Evreux.  This  abbey 
was  founded  by  Richard  CcBur  de  Lion,  11th 
March,  a.  d.  1190.     Gall.  Ghriat.,  t.  iv. 

19.  Dedication  of  Our  Lady  of  Flines,  near 
Douai,  by  Peter,  Archbishop  of  Rheims,  a.  d. 
1279.  This  abbey  of  Cistercian  nuns  was  given 
to  St.  Bernard  by  Marguerite  de  Dampierre, 
A.  D.  1234.     Chronic.  Flinens. 

20.  Dedication  of  the  Church  of  La  Fertd, 
diocese  of  Chalons,  in  Burgundy,  in  honor  of 
Our  Lady.  This  abbey,  the  first-born  of  Ci- 
teaux, was  founded  in  1113,  by  Savaric  and 
Guillaume,  counts  of  Chalons.  Ex  Archiviis 
Ahhat.  Firmitatis. 

21.  Our  Lady  of  Sweat,  at  Salerno,  in  Italy. 
It  is  said  that  this  Madonna  sweat  blood  and 
water  in  1611,  foreshowing  a  great  conflagration 
which  took  place  next  day.  P.  Spinelli  Tract,  de 
exempt,  et  miractU.,  cap.  ultim. 

22.  Our  Lady  of  the  Virgin's  Mount,  near 
Naples.  This  image  preserved  from  the  flames 
the  monastery  and  church  consecrated  to  it. 
Idem,  loco  citato. 

23.  Our  Lady  of  Miracles,  at  St.  Omer,  where 
there  is  one  of  the  Blessed  Virgin's  gloves,  and 
some  of  her  hair.     Chronic.  Bertinens. 

24.  Gregory  XV.,  a.  d.  1622,  issued  a  decree 
forbidding  any  one  to  maintain  the  opinion  con- 
trary to  the  Immaculate  Conception.  It  is  also 
forbidden  by  the  same  decree  to  employ  any 
other  term  than  that  of  Conception  in  the  mass 
or  office  of  the  day.     Balinghem  m  Calend. 

Patronal  Feast  of  Our  Lady  of  Succor,  Mont- 
real, Lower  Canada.  This  shrine  is  famous 
throughout  the  country,  and  is  much  frequented 
by  pilgrims.  It  formerly  contained  aSn  image 
which  had  been  venerated  for  more  than  a  cen- 


*  tury  in  a  domestic  chapel  in  France,  and  was 
sent  to  Montreal — or  Villemarie — by  the  pious 
nobleman  to  whom  it  belonged.  It  was  mir- 
aculously preserved  from  fire  in  1754,  but  was 
stolen  (or  otherwise  disappeared)  in  1831.  It 
was  replaced  by  another  in  1847.  Marvellous 
effects  have  followed  the  invocation  of  Our  Lady 
of  Bon  Secours.  Manuel  du  Pelerin  de  Notre- 
Dame  de  Bon  Secours. 

25.  Our  Lady  the  New,  in  Jerusalem,  built  by 
the  Emperor  Justinian,  a.  d.  530.  Procopius,  de 
JEdific.  imperat.  Justiniani. 

26.  Dedication  of  Our  Lady  of  Vaucelles,  in 
the  diocese  of  Cambrai,  by  Samson,  Archbishop 
of  Eheims.  This  abbey,  of  the  Cistercian  Order, 
was  founded  in  1132.     In  Chronic.  Cisterc. 

27.  Dedication  of  Our  Lady  of  Naples,  styled 
St.  Mary  Major,  by  Pope  John  II.,  a.  d.  553. 
There  is  an  image  of  the  Virgin  preserved  in 
this  church  which  was  said  to  have  been  painted 
by  St.  Luke.     Schraderus,  I.  ii. 

28.  Feast  of  the  Relics  of  Our  Lady,  in  Ven- 
ice, when  there  are  exposed  to  the  veneration  of 
the  faithful  some  pieces  of  the  Virgin's  robe,  her 
cloak,  veil,  and  girdle.  Ex  hist,  ea  de  re,  impressa 
Venitiis. 

29.  Feast  of  Notre -Dame  des  Ardents,  at 
Arras ;  there  is  a  taper  in  the  Cathedral  of 
Arras  said  to  have  been  brought  there  by  Our 
Lady,  a.  d.  1095.  Jacob.  Meyerus,  in  annal.  Fland. 
ad  ann.  1095. 

30.  Dedication  of  the  Church  of  the  Virgin's 
Mountain,  near  Naples,  built  a.  d.  1126,  by  St. 
William,  founder  of  the  Order  of  the  Virgin's 
Mountain,  and  repaired  in  1519.  Jean  Juvenal, 
1.  vii.,  de  Antiq.,  c.  3. 

31.  Our  Lady  of  Suffering,  in  the  Church  of 
St.  Gervase,  in  Paris.  This  image,  which  stood 
at  the  corner  of  the  Rue  des  Rosiers,  was  mu-< 
tilated  by  a  Jew  in  1528  ;  Francis  the  First  had 
it  solemnly  conveyed  to  St.  Gervase,  and  caused 
a  statue  of  the  Virgin  to  be  made  of  gilt  silver, 
which  he  himself  put  up  in  place  of  the  former. 
This  statue  was  stolen  in  1545,  and  was  replaced 

ijc    by  one  of  stone,  which  still  bears  the  name  of 


652 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


Our  Lady  of  Silver.     Du  Breuil,  Theatre  des 
Antiq.t  L  iii 

JUNE. 

1.  Oar  Lad}  of  the  Star,  at  Aqailea,  in  Italy. 
This  church  is  so  named  because  it  is  said  that 
a  star  was  seen  in  daylight  over  the  head  of 
St  Bernardino,  when,  preaching  at  Aquilea,  he 
applied  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  that  passage  of 
the  Apocalypse  where  mention  is  made  of  the 
woman  with  a  crown  of  twelve  stars  on  her 
head.     Surius,  in  ejus  vita, 

2.  Our  Lady  of  Edessa,  in  Asia  Minor.  It  is 
said  that  this  image,  placed  under  the  portal  of 
a  church,  spoke  to  St.  Alexis,  and  made  known 
to  the  people  the  merit  of  that  saint.  Thence 
it  was  transported  to  Rome,  where  it  is  highly 
honored.     Thomas  Bosiics,  1.  ix.,  c  9. 

3.  Our  Lady  of  Sosopoli,  in  Pisidia.  There 
proceeded  from  this  image  a  miraculous  oil,  as 
testified  by  Germanus,  patriai-ch  of  Constanti- 
nople, in  a  letter  read  at  the  second  Council  of 
Nice,  assembled  for  the  defence  of  sacred  im- 
ages.    Act.  4  Condi.  Nicceni. 

4.  Our  Lady  of  the  Hill,  at  Fribourg,  where 
many  miracles  are  wrought.     Trip.  Cour.,  n.  85. 

5.  Chronicles  tell  that  in  the  year  1428,  Our 
Lady  of  Haut,  in  Hainan  t,  restored  hfe  to  a 
child  who  had  been  dead  for  several  days,  in 
order  that  it.  might  receive  Baptism  ;  that  it 
lived  five  hours  after  being  baptized,  then  grad- 
ually melted  away  like  a  snow-ball,  in  presence 
of  seventy  persons.  Juatus  Lipsius,  de  Virg. 
Hallens.,  c.  21. 

6.  Institution  of  the  Nuns  of  the  Visitation  of 
Our  Lady,  founded  at  Annecy,  in  Savoy,  a.  d. 
1610,  by  St.  Francis  de  Sales,  Bishop  of  Geneva, 
and  Jane  Frances  Fremiot  de  Chantal,  who  was 
the  first  member  of  that  order.  Henri  de  Mau- 
pas  du  Tour,  2d  partie,  chap.  i. 

7.  Dedication  of  Our  Lady  of  the  Valley,  of 
the  Cistercian  Order,  seven  leagues  from  Paris, 
under  Louis  XHL,  April  18th,  a.  d.  1G16.  Ex- 
codice  MS. 

8.  Our  Lady  ol  Alexandria,  in  Egypt,  built  by 


*    St.  Peter,  patriarch  of  that  city.     BaroniuK,  ad 
ann.  310. 

9.  Our  Lady  of  Ligny,  near  Bar-le-Duc,  in 
Lorraine.  This  image  is  much  celebrated  be- 
cause of  the  numerous  miracles  which  it  oper- 
ates.    Dnp.  Cour.,  nomb.  57. 

10.  Our  Lady  of  Cranganor,  in  the  East  In- 
dies. This  church  is  said  to  have  been  built  by 
one  of  the  three  Magi.  Oaorins,  t.  i.,  de  Oestis 
Emmam. 

11.  Our  Lady  of  Esquernes,  half  a  league 
from  Lille,  in  Flanders.  This  image  began  to 
work  miracles  about  the  year  11G2.  Buzelinus, 
in  Annal.  Gall.  1.  ii. 

12.  The  Chronicle  mentions  that  on  this  day 
Our  Lady  appeared  to  St.  Herman  of  the  Pre- 
monstratensian  Order,  and  gave  him  a  tress  of 
her  hair.     Surius,  in  ejus  vita. 

13.  Dedication  of  Our  Lady  of  Sichem,  near 
Louvain,  a.  d.  1604,  by  Mathias  Hovius,  Arch- 
bishop of  Maliues.  The  image  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin  seen  in  this  church  was  first  placed  in 
the  hollow  of  an  oak.  Justus  Lipsius,  de  Virg. 
Aspricol.,  c.  4. 

14.  A.  D.  371,  there  fell  from  heaven  a  white 
fleecy  substance  mixed  with  a  thick  rain  ;  the 
fact  is  mentioned  by  St.  Jerome,  who  holds  that, 
the  famine  being  great  in  the  country,  the  in- 
habitants of  Arras  had  recourse  to  the  Virgin, 
who  sent  them  that  heavenly  gift,  commonly 
called  manna,  some  remains  of  which  are  still  to 
be  seen  in  the  church  dedicated  to  her  honor. 
Ex  arch.  Alb.  Truliense. 

15.  Foundation  of  Our  Lady  of  the  Bernar- 
dines,  in  the  diocese  of  Toulouse  and  Rieux, 
A.  D.  1145. 

16.  Our  Lady  of  Aix  -  la  -  Chapelle,  built  by 
Charlemagne,  and  consecrated  by  Leo  III.,  a.  d. 
804;  there  were  present  on  this  occasion  no 
less  than  three  hundred  and  fifty  prelates. 
Charlemagne  gave  to  this  church  two  of  Our 
Lady's  tunics,  a.  d.  810 ;  but  Charles  the  Bald 
took  one  of  them,  sixty-five  years  after,  and 
gave  it  to  the  Church  of  Chartres.     Ferreolua 

^    Locrius,  L  v.,  Marioe  Aug.,  c.  17. 


17.  Our  Lady  of  the  Forest,  near  Boulogne- 
Bur-Mer.  This  little  chapel  is  famous  all  over 
the  country.     Trip.  Cour.,  nomb.  53. 

18.  Apparition  of  Our  Lady  to  St.  Agnes  of 
Mount  Politian,  to  whom  she  gave,  it  is  said,  a 
small  cross,  which  is  now  exhibited,  with  great 
solemnity,  on  the  first  day  of  May.  Chronio.  S. 
Dominici,  part,  i.,  1.  i.,  c.  72. 

19.  At  Treves,  in  Germany,  in  the  Church  of 
St.  John  the  Evangelist,  built  in  333,  there  is 
seen  Our  Lady's  comb,  given  by  Agritius,  arch- 
bishop of  that  city. 

20.  Our  Lady  of  Blaquernes,  on  the  wharf  of 
Constantinople.  In  this  church  is  Our  Lady's 
shroud,  given  by  the  Empress  St.  Pulcheria, 
who  received  it  from  Juvenal,  Bishop  of  Jeru- 
salem.    Niceph.,  1.  XV.,  c.  14. 

21.  Our  Lady  of  Matarieh,  at  Grand  Cairo,  in 
Egypt,  where  there  is  a  miraculous  fountain  ob- 
tained by  the  prayers  of  Our  Lady,  when  she 
retired  thither  with  the  Holy  Family  ;  tradition 
says  that  she  washed  the  clothes  of  the  Infant 
Jesus  at  this  spring.     Trip.  Cour.,  nomb.  5. 

22.  Our  Lady  of  Narni,  in  Italy.  It  is  said 
that  this  image  spoke  to  the  Blessed  Lucy,  to 
whom  she  gave  the  Infant  Jesus  to  hold.  Trip. 
Cour.,  trait.  3. 

23.  Our  Lady  Justiniana,  at  Carthage.  This 
church  was  built  by  the  Emperor  Justinian,  in 
honor  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  to  whom  he  as- 
cribed his  victories  over  the  Vandals.  Baron., 
ad  aim.  534. 

24.  Our  Lady  of  the  Clos-Evrard,  near  Tre- 
ves. This  image  was  fastened  to  an  oak  by  a 
vine-dresser  who  wished  to  honor  it ;  but  Our 
Lady  ordered  him  to  build  a  little  hut  in  her 
honor.  The  miracles  there  wrought  became  so 
numerous  that  the  hut  was  speedily  converted 
into  a  small  chapel,  and  fiu9,lly  a  church  was 
erected  on  the  spst,  and  dedicated  to  the  Bless- 
ed Virgin,  a.  d.  1449,  by  Jacques  de  Rircq,  Arch- 
bishop of  Treves.     Trip.  Cour.,  nomb.  82. 

25.  A.  D.  431,  the  Council  of  Ephesus,  wherein 
it  was  declared  that  the  Virgin  was  entitled  to 
be  called  the  Mother  of  God.     Concil.  Ephes. 


26.  Our  Lady  of  Meliapour,  in  the  East  In- 
dies, where  St.  Francis  Xavier  often  went  to 
pray.     In  vita  S.  Franc.  Xaverii. 

27.  Our  Lady  of  La  Dorade,  near  Toulouse. 
This  place,  formerly  dedicated  to  the  goddess 
Pallas,  was  changed  into  a  church  for  Our  Lady 
when  the  inhabitants  received  the  faith.  ForcaL, 
1.  i.,  de  Gall.  Imperia. 

28.  Dedication  of  the  Church  of  the  Carthu- 
sians, in  Paris,  under  the  title  of  Notre  Dame,  by 
Jean  D'Aubigny,  Bishop  of  Troyes,  in  Cham- 
pagne, A.  D.  1325.  Du  Breuil,  Theatre  des  Antiq., 
1.  ii. 

29.  Our  Lady  of  Buglose,  two  leagues  from 
Acqs,  in  Gascony.  This  image  was  miracu- 
lously found,  A.  D.  1634,  and  conveyed  to  the 
parish  church  of  Buglose.  Trip.  Cour.,  nomb.  36. 

30.  Our  Lady  of  Calais,  built  by  the  English 
while  in  possession  of  that  city,  which  they  oc- 
cupied for  about  two  hundred  and  ten  years  ;  a 
magnificent  chapel  was  added  to  it  in  1631,  by 
Jacques  de  Bolloye,  Vicar  of  Calais.  Davila,  t.  ii. 

JULY. 

1.  Dedication  of  the  Church  of  Jumieges,  in 
Normandy,  a.  d.  1067,  by  Maurice,  Archbishop 
of  Rouen,  at  the  request  of  King  William.  Thos. 
Wahingham. 

2.  Visitation  of  the  Blessed  Virgin.  This  fes- 
tival was  instituted  by  Urban  IV.,  a.  d.  1385,  and 
confirmed  by  Boniface  IX.,  a.  d.  1389.  S.  Ante- 
nin,  iv.  part.,  tit.  xv.,  chap.  24. 

3.  Our  Lady  of  La  Carolle,  in  Paris.  It  is 
said  that  this  image,  placed  at  the  corner  of  the 
Rue  aux  Ours,  being  struck  with  a  knife,  a.  d. 
1418,  shed  a  quantity  of  blood.  In  commemo- 
ration of  this  event,  a  great  fire  is  made  every 
year,  and  a  wax  figure  burned  in  it,  represent- 
ing the  person  who  gave  the  sacrilegious  blow. 
Du  Breuil,  1.  ii. 

4.  Our  Lady  of  Miracles,  at  Avignon,  built  by 
Pope  John  XXIL,  on  the  following  occasion  : 
Two  criminals  were  condemned  to  bt  burned, 
and  one  of  them  having  invoked  the  Blessed 


654 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


Virjfin,  was  respected  by  the  flames,  whilst  his 
ooiupauion  was  wholly  consumed.  Richard  Clu- 
niacin  Joan.  xxii. 

5.  Dedication  of  Our  Lady  of  Cambrai,  a.  d. 
1472,  by  Peter  de  Ranchicourt,  Bishop  of  Arras. 
This  church  was  built  in  honor  of  Our  Lady  in 
624  ;  destroyed  by  the  Normans  in  882  ;  rebuilt 
by  Dossillon,  twenty-first  Bishop  of  Arras,  a.  d. 
890 ;  and  finally,  after  being  burned  down  in 
1064,  and  again  in  1148,  was  restored,  as  we 
now  see  it,  in  1261.  Chronic.  Hannon.,  t.  iii., 
L  ii.,  chap.  23. 

•  6.  Our  Lady  of  Iron,  near  Blois,  district  of 
Dunois.  It  was  in  this  chapel  that,  about  the 
year  1631,  a  child  who  had  been  smothered 
while  struggling  in  its  cradle,  was  restored  im- 
mediately to  life  as  soon  as  its  parents  conse- 
crated it  to  Our  Lady  of  Iron.  Ex  archiv.  hujus 
loci. 

7.  Dedication  of  Our  Lady  of  Arras,  a.  d.  1484, 
by  Pierre  de  Ranchicourt,  bishop  of  that  city. 
This  church  was  built  by  St.  Vaast,  Bishop  of 
Arras,  a.  d.  542,  with  the  donations  of  the  first 
kings  of  France,  according  to  Baronius.  The 
Normans  destroyed  it  in  583,  and,  after  being 
rebuilt,  it  was  consumed  by  Ughtning,  a.  d.  1030, 
and  rebuilt  in  1040.     Locrius,  1.  ii. 

It  is  said  that  in  1410,  Our  Lady  of  Haut,  in 
Hainaut,  restored  life  to  a  child  belonging  to 
Brussels,  who  was  drowned  in  a  welL  The 
child  being  taken  dead  from  the  well,  was  con- 
secrated to  Our  Lady,  and  it  was  instantly  re- 
stored to  life.  Justus  Lipsiv^  de  Virg.  Hcdlens., 
c.  16. 

8.  Our  Lady  of  Peace,  in  the  Capuchin 
Church,  Rue  St.  Honord,  in  Paris. 

9.  Dedication  of  Our  Lady  of  Coutances,  by 
GeoflFroy  de  Mowbray,  in  1056. 

10.  Dedication  of  Our  Lady  of  Boulogne,  near 
Paris,  a.  d.  1469,  by  Chartier,  Bishop  of  Paris. 
The  confraternity  of  Our  Lady  of  Boulogne  is 
so  famous  that  six  of  our  kings  were  amongst 
its  members.     Dy,  Breuil,  Antiq.,  1.  iv. 

11.  Our  Lady  of  Cl^ry,  four  leagues  from  Or- 
leans; this  church  was  rebuilt  by  King  Louis    ^ 


XL,  who  was  buried  there  in  1483.     Locrius,  M. 
Aug.,  1.  iv.,  ch.  68. 

12.  Dedication  of  Our  Lady  of  All  Graces,  in 
the  church  of  the  Friars  Minors,  at  Nigeon, 
near  Paris,  a.  d.  1578.  This  house  was  given,  in 
1476,  by  Anne  of  Brittany,  wife  of  Louis  XII., 
to  St.  Francis  of  Paula,  who  had  instituted  his 
order  a.  d.  1436.     Du  Breuil,  Antiq.  de  Parin. 

13.  One  hundred  years  before  the  birth  of 
Our  Lord,  the  image  of  Our  Lady  of  Chartres 
was  carved  in  a  forest,  on  the  plains  of  Beance, 
by  command  of  Priscus,  king  of  the  Chartrains, 
and  then  placed,  with  the  inscription,  Virgini 
parUurce  ^that  is  to  say,  to  the  Virgin  who  is  to 
bring  forth),  on  the  spot  where  it  now  stands, 
which  was  then  a  Druid  cave.  St.  Potentian, 
second  bishop  of  Sens,  whom  the  Apostle  St. 
Peter  had  sent  into  France,  stopped  at  Char- 
tres, where  he  blessed  this  image,  and  dedicated 
the  grotto  for  a  church,  a.  d.  46.  Seba.4.  RouU- 
lard,  Parthen.,  ch.  4,  nomb.  1. 

14.  Our  Lady  of  the  Bush,  in  Portugal.  This 
image  was  discovered  by  a  shepherd  in  the 
midst  of  a  burning  bush.  Vasquez  Perdigon, 
Bishop  of  Evora,  built  in  this  place,  a.  d.  1403,  a 
church  and  a  monastery,  which  was  given  to  the 
monks  of  St.  Jerome.  VasconcelL,  in  Descript. 
regni  Lusitanice,  ch.  7,  §  5. 

15.  A.  D.  1099,  the  Turks  were  defeated  by 
Godfrey  de  Bouillon,  who,  on  this  day,  took 
Jerusalem,  of  which  he  was  declared  king,  and 
its  festival  was  formerly  celebrated  every  year, 
with  a  double  office  and  an  octave.  Molanus,  ad 
hanc  diem. 

16.  The  Feast  of  the  Scapular.  Tradition 
says  that  she  gave  it  herself,  about  the  year 
1251,  to  the  Blessed  Simon  Stock,  of  England. 
This  devotion  has  spread  all  over  the  world. 
Popes  John  XXII.,  Gregory  XIIL,  Sixtus  V., 
Gregory  XIV.,  and  Clement  VIII.,  granted  in- 
dulgences to  the  members  of  the  confraternity. 
Cartagena,  de  Ortu  ordinis  Carmelitarum. 

17.  In  the  year  1565,  Pius  V.  approves  of  the 
reform  of  the  barefooted  Carmelites,  instituted 
by  St.  Theresa  at  Avila,  in  Spain. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


555 


18.  Our  Lady  of  Victory,  at  Toledo  ;  so  named 
because  of  a  signal  victory  gained  by  Alphonso 
IX.  over  the  Moors,  a.  d.  1202,  after  having 
hoisted  a  flag  on  which  was  the  image  of  Our 
Lady.     In  Hist.  Alphonsi  ad  Innocent  III. 

19.  Our  Lady  of  Moyen-Pont,  near  Peronne. 
This  image  was  found  by  a  shepherd  near  some 
ponds,  where  are  now  the  meadows  of  Amele  ; 
a  church  was  built  there,  and  was  repaired  in 
1612.     Trip.  Gour.,  nomb.  53. 

20.  Our  Lady  of  Grace,  at  Picpus,  Faubourg 
St.  Antoine,  in  Paris.  This  image,  which  is  in 
a  little  wooden  vessel  with  two  angels  at  the 
end,  was  made  in  1629,  of  a  splinter  taken  from 
the  famous  image  of  Our  Lady  of  Boulogne-sur- 
Mer.     Trip.  Gour.,  nomb.  47. 

21.  Our  Lady  of  Verdun,  in  Lorraine,  re- 
nowned for  its  numerous  miracles.  St.  Polich- 
rainus,  fifth  bishop  of  Verdun,  dedicated  this 
church  on  his  return  from  the  Council  of  Chal- 
cedon.     E.r  archiv.  eccles.  Virod. 

22.  Our  Lady  of  Safety,  near  Marseilles.  The 
Queen  of  Heaven  is  highly  honored  in  this 
church,  where,  every  Saturday,  the  Blessed  Sac- 
rament is  exposed  from  midnight  till  noon. 
There  are  in  it  more  than  thirty  large  silver 
lamps,  with  many  branches  of  coi'al  of  extraor- 
dinary size.     Ex  Ghronic.  Massiliens. 

23.  Institution  of  the  Premonstratensian  Or- 
der, by  St.  Norbert,  a.  d.  1120,  on  a  revelation 
from  Our  Lad3^     Bihlioth.  Frcemonstr.,  1.  i.,  c.  2. 

24.  Foundation  of  Our  Lady  of  Cambron, 
near  Mons,  in  Hainaut,  by  Anselm  de  Trasigny, 
lord  of  Peronne.  .  In  MS.  a.  d.  1148.  Hannon 
Ghronic. 

25.  Our  Lady  of  Bouchet,  two  and  a  half 
leagues  from  Blanc,  in  Berry.  A  shrine  which 
attracts  a  great  number  of  pilgrims.  The  image 
of  the  Virgin  is  made  of  the  wood  of  an  old  oak, 
where  the  first  image  was  found.  Ex  monumen- 
tis  hujvi  loci. 

26.  Our  Lady  of  Faith,  at  Cancy,  near  Abbe- 
ville. This  image  having  been  removed  from 
the  oak  where  it  now  is  to  a  chapel  built  for 
it  about  fifty  paces  distant,  was  miraculously 


^    found  again  in  its  former  place.     Des  Archives 
de  Gancy. 

27.  In  the  year  1480,  the  Knights  of  Ehodes 
gained  a  signal  victory  over  the  Turks  by  the 
assistance  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  who  appeared 
on  the  walls  of  that  city  with  a  lance  in  her 
hand ;  the  enemy,  frightened,  retired  in  dis- 
order, with  the  loss  of  the  greater  part  of  his 
forces.     Jacob.  Bosius,  in  hist,  equitum  Rhod. 

28.  Our  Lady  of  Faith,  at  Gravelines.  This 
image  is  renowned  throughout  all  the  country. 
Hist.  Domince  Foyens.  Gravel. 

29.  A.  D.  1546,  it  was  regulated  by  the  Council 
of  Trent,  that,  regarding  the  immaculate  con- 
ception of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  the  decree  of 
Sixtus  IV.  should  be  observed,  under  the  penal- 
ties therein  mentioned.     Balingh.  in  Galend. 

80.  Our  Lady  of  Gray,  near  Besan9on,  in 
Franche-Comtd.  This  image,  made  of  the  oak 
of  Montaigu,  was  much  honored  in  the  country. 
Trip.  Gour.,  nomb,  58. 

31.  Our  Lady  of  the  Slain,  at  Ceica,  near  Lor- 
ban,  a  Cistercian  monastery,  in  Portugal.  It  is 
said  that  this  image  was  brought  from  heaven 
to  the  Abbd  John,  uncle  of  King  Alphonso,  and 
that  it  resuscitated  a  few  persons  who  had  been 
killed  ;  that,  in  memory  of  this  miracle,  they  had 
ever  after  a  red  mark  round  their  neck,  like  that 
which  is  still  seen  on  the  neck  of  the  imaga 
Ghronic.  Gisterc,  1.  vi.,  c.  27  et  28. 

AUGUST. 

1.  A.  D.  1218,  Our  Lady  appearing  on  this  day 
to  St.  Raymond,  of  the  Order  of  St.  Dominic,  to 
James,  King  of  Arragon,  and  to  St.  Peter  of 
Nolasquez,  made  known  to  all  three  separately, 
that  she  wished  them  to  establish  a  religious 
order  for  the  redemption  of  captives.  Surius, 
in  vita  S.  Raymondi. 

2.  Our  Lady  of  the  Angels,  or  the  Portionctde, 
six  hundred  paces  from  the  town  of  Assissium, 
in  Italy.  The  monks  of  St.  Benedict  gave  this 
chapel  to  St.  Francis,  at  his  own  request,  and  it 
was  his  wish  that  the  convent  which  he  built 


556 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


there  should  be  the  chief  house  of  his  order.  It 
was  there  that  the  first  general  chapter  met,  on 
which  occasion  five  thousand  mouks  were  pres- 
ent In  this  chapter  he  i  ^stored  the  spirit  of 
Hie  order,  a.  d.  122G,  being  the  twentieth  after 
his  conversion,  and  the  forty-fifth  of  his  age. 
Chr.  Ord.,  part  i.,  1.  ii.,  c.  1. 

3.  Our  Lady  of  Arches,  in  London.  It  is  on 
record  that  this  image,  having  been  carried  off 
in  a  storm,  with  more  than  six  hundred  houses, 
A^  D.  1071,  fell  uninjured  to  the  ground  with  so 
much  force  that  it  went  through  the  pavement, 
more  than  twenty  feet  into  the  earth,  whence  it 
could  never  be  raised.  William  of  Malmesbury, 
1.  iv.,  in  WUleL,  2. 

4.  Our  Lady  of  Dordrecht,  in  Holland,  erect- 
ed by  St.  Sauterus  on  the  spot,  it  is  said,  which 
an  angel,  sent  by  the  Virgin,  pointed  out ;  the 
saint  afterwards  won  the  crown  of  martyrdom 
in  that  same  church,  and,  in  order  to  honor  her 
memory,  God  was  pleased  after  her  death  to 
make  a  spring  shoot  up  there,  which  cured 
fevers  of  all  kinds.     Molan.  in  SS.  Belg. 

5.  Dedication  of  Our  Lady  of  Snow,  in  Rome, 
called  St.  Mary  Major,  formerly  of  the  Crib,  be- 
cause Our  Saviour's  crib  is  kept  there.  It  was 
built  by  John  Patricius  and  his  wife,  on  the 
place  which  they  found  covered  with  snow,  on 
the  5th  of  August,  367,  and  rebuilt  by  Sixtus 
IIL,  about  the  year  432.  Baron.,  in  Not.  ad 
ann.  367. 

Dedication  of  the  Church  of  Our  Lady  of  the 
Angels,  in  Rome,  by  Pope  Pius  IV.,  a.  d.  1561. 
This  church,  which  was  formerly  a  part  of  the 
baths  of  Dioclesian,  was  erected  into  a  cardinal- 
ate,  endowed  with  several  iiidulgences,  and 
given  by  the  same  pope  to  the  Carthusians. 
Balinghem  in  Gal&id. 

Our  Lady  of  ^Protection,  in  the  Church  of  the 
Bernardines,  Rue  St.  Honore,  Paria  It  was  so 
named  by  the  Queen,  Ann  of  Austria,  a.  d.  1561, 
in  gratitude  for  the  favors  she  had  received 
from  the  Queen  of  Heaven.  Du  Breuil,  Antiq., 
L  iii. 

6.  In  the  year  963,  Our  Lady  of  Chartres  was    ^  ( 


entirely  burned,  with  the  exception  of  the  Vir- 
gin's tunic,  which  is  still  kept  there.  Seba.^t. 
Buuillard,  Parthen.,  c.  7. 

7.  Our  Lady  of  Schiedem,  in  Holland.  Chron- 
icles relate  that  a  merchant  who  stole  this  im- 
age, having  embarked  with  the  intention  of  sell- 
ing it  at  the  Fair  of  Anvers,  could  never  get 
clear  of  the  port.  Frightened  by  this  prodigy, 
he  replaced  the  stolen  image,  which  was  solemn- 
ly conveyed  to  the  Church  of  St.  John  the  Bap- 
tist, where  St.  Ludivine  passed  whole  nights  in 
prayer.     Joan.  Bruchman,  Minorita. 

8.  Our  Lady  of  La  Kuen,  near  Brussels.  This 
church  was  built  by  order  of  Our  Lady,  who  is 
said  to  have  marked  out  its  dimensions  with  a 
cord,  which  is  still  shown.     Auctar.  ad  Molan. 

9.  Our  Lady  of  CEguies,  in  Brabant,  the  birth- 
place of  Mary  of  CEgnies,  who  visited  this  holy 
image  barefoot,  once  a  year,  in  the  depth  of 
winter.     Jacob,  de  Vitriaco,  in  ejus  vita. 

10.  Institution  of  the  Order  of  Our  Lady  of 
Mercy,  at  Barcelona,  a.  d.  1218.  Surius,  in  vita 
Sancti  Raimondi. 

11.  A.  D.  810,  the  Emperor  Nicephorus  and 
the  Empress  Irene  sent  to  Charlemagne  two 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin's  robes ;  he  placed  them 
in  his  church  of  Aix-la-Chapelle,  from  which 
Charles  the  Bald  took  one,  and  gave  it  to  the 
Cathedral  of  Chartres.     Locrius  Anaceph.,  p.  3. 

12.  Our  Lady  of  Rouen,  built  by  Robert,  Duke 
of  Normandy.  Richard  the  First,  King  of  Eng- 
land, made  great  gifts  to  this  church,  and  tho 
kings  of  France  endowed  it  with  many  privi- 
leges.    Merula,  Gosmogr.,  part  ii.,  1.  Hi. 

13.  Death  of  Our  Lady  in  presence  of  all  the 
Apostles,  except  St.  Thomas.  Like  her  Divine 
Son,  she  rose  from  the  dead  and  ascended  to 
heaven  the  third  day  after  her  death.  Suarez, 
t.  ii.,  in  p.  Disp.  21  sect.,  in  fine. 

14.  Vigil  of  the  Assumption,  with  a  fast,  men- 
tioned by  Nicholas  I.,  who  was  Pope  in  858.  It 
is  said  that  on  this  day  the  angels  were  heard, 
near  the  city  of  Soissons,  singing  the  anthem  : 
"FeUx  namque  es,  sacra  Virgo  Maria,  et  omni 
laude  dignissima  quia  ex  te  ortus  est  Sol  justi- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


557 


tise,  Christus  Deus  noster."    Thorn.  Goncep.,  1.  ii., 
part  7. 

15.  The  Assumption  of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 
This  feast  was  instituted,  according  to  Stu  Ber- 
nard, in  the  very  times  of  the  Apostles.  St. 
Bernard,  epist.  174. 

16.  On  this  day  the  Virgin's  sepulchre  was 
opened,  and  as  a  proof  that  Our  Lady  had 
already  ascended  to  heaven,  there  was  seen  in 
it  only  her  shroud,  which  shed  a  delicious  per- 
fume.   Sauiiseyua,  in  Martyr.  Gallic,  die  Assumpt. 

17.  Philip  the  Fair  gained,  on  this  day,  a 
Bignal  victory  over  the  Flemings,  a.  d.  1304, 
after  commending  himself  to  Our  Lady  of  Char- 
tres ;  in  gratitude  for  this  favor,  he  gave  her  in 
perpetuity  the  land  and  lordship  of  Barres,  to- 
gether with  a  perpetual  annuity,  and  all  the  ac- 
coutrements which  he  wore  on  that  memorable 
day.  This  feast  is  celebrated,  in  the  Church  of 
Notre-Dame,  in  Paris,  on  the  following  day,  the 
18th,  and  has  a  double  office.  Sebast.  Rouillard, 
chap.  6. 

18.  A.  D.  1022,  King  Kobert  founded  a  chapel 
in  honor  of  Our  Lady  in  the  court-yard  of  the 
palace,  in  Paris,  on  the  spot  now  occupied  by 
the  Holy  Chapel.     Du  Breuil,  Antiq.  de  Paris. 

19.  Our  Lady  of  Jerusalem,  near  Montecorvo, 
in  Portugal.  There  is  here  a  chapel  built  in 
imitation  of  that  of  Jerusalem ;  it  is  said  that 
the  Virgin  herself  gave  the  plan.  Vasconcell.  in 
Descript.  regni  Lusit. 

20.  In  the  famous  church  of  the  Benedictines 
of  Affighem,  in  Brabant,  there  is  seen  an  image 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  which  is  said  to  have 
spoken  to  St.  Bernard  ;  when  the  saint  saluted 
her  with,  "  Salve,  Maria,"  she  answered,  "  Salve, 
Bernard."     Just.  Lips.,  t.  ii.,  c.  4,  §  4. 

21.  In  the  year  1022  was  instituted  the  Order 
of  the  Thirty  Knights  of  Our  Lady  of  the  Star, 
at  Paris,  by  King  Robert,  who  said  that  the 
Blessed  Virgin  was  the  star  of  his  kingdom.  A. 
Favin,  Hist,  de  Navarre, 

22.  Octave  of  the  Assumption  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  instituted  by  Pope  Leo  IV.,  a.  d.  847. 
Jacob.  Bosius,  num.  2. 


*  23.  On  this  day,  in  the  yeaf  1328,  Philip  of 
Valois,  being  surrounded  by  the  Flemings  near 
Mount  Cassel,  had  recourse  to  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin, who  immediately  delivered  him  from  the 
danger  to  which  he  was  exposed.  In  gratitude 
for  this  service,  on  entering  Paris  he  went 
straight  to  the  Church  of  Notre-Dame,  and, 
going  in  mounted  as  he  was,  he  rode  up  the 
nave  till  he  came  in  front  of  the  crucifix,  where 
he  laid  down  his  arms.  The  picture  of  the  mon- 
arch on  horseback  was  long  seen  in  this  church, 
to  which  he  assigned  a  pension  of  an  hundred 
livres,  to  be  paid  from  his  domain  of  Gatinais. 
Trip.  Cour.,  trait  4,  c.  7,  nomb.  7. 

24.  Dedication  of  Our  Lady  of  Benoiste- 
Vaux,  within  a  league  of  Verdun,  in  Lorraine. 
In  this  chapel  there  is  an  image  of  the  Virgin 
which  is  famous  for  working  miracles  ;  there  is 
also  a  miraculous  fountain,  the  water  of  which 
cures  many  diseases.  Hist,  de  Notre-Dame  de 
Benoiste-  Vaux,  chap.  i.  et  ix. 

25.  Our  Lady  of  Rossano,  in  Calabria.  It  is 
said  that  the  Saracens,  wishing  to  surprise  the 
town  of  Rossano,  and  having  already  planted 
their  ladders  against  the  walls,  were  repulsed 
by  Our  Lady,  who  appeared  clothed  in  purple 
with  a  lighted  taper  in  her  hand ;  this  appari- 
tion frightened  them  so  that  they  fled  precipi- 
tately.    Gabriel  de  Barry. 

26.  Our  Lady  of  the  Arbor,  at  Douai.  It  is 
on  record  that  when  some  children  were  play- 
ing disrespectfully  before  this  image,  it  made  a 
sign  of  displeasure  with  its  hands.  This  mira- 
cle induced  the  people  of  Douai  to  build  a 
chapel  for  it,  a.  d.  1543.  Buzelin,  in  Annul. 
Gallo-Flandr. 

27.  Our  Lady  of  Monstier,  eight  or  ten 
leagues  from  Sisteron,  on  the  way  to  Marseilles, 
There  is  an  old  tradition  that  a  nobleman  of  the 
country,  being  made  pi-isoner  by  the  Turks, 
made  a  vow  to  build  a  chapel  in  honor  of  the 
Virgin,  if  she  would  please  to  deliver  him.  The 
Virgin  heard  his  prayer  ;  an  angel  took  him  on 
his  wings  and  conveyed  him  to  his  home.     The 

^    nobleman  erected  a  magnificent  chapel  to  Cm 


658 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


Ladv,  where  muny  miracles  nere  wrought     Ex 
MS.  eade  re  cowicript. 

28.  Our  Lady  of  Kiovia,  in  Poland,  metropol- 
itan of  Russia ;  there  is  in  this  church  a  large 
alabaster  figure  of  the  Yirgiii,  which  spoke  to 
St.  Hyacinth,  a.d.  1241,  and  told  him  not  to 
abandon  it  to  the  enemy  who  was  besieging  the 
city,  but  to  take  it  with  him,  which  he  did 
without  any  trouble,  the  image  having  lost  its 
weight     In  vita  sancti  ffyacinthL 

29.  Our  Lady  of  Clermont,  ten  leagues  from 
Cracovia,  where  there  is  an  image  made  by  St 
Luke,  and  sent  to  the  Empress  Pulcberia  ;  that 
princess  placed  it  in  the  Church  of  Our  Lady  of 
Guides,  in  Constantinople,  whence  it  was  taken 
by  Leo,  Duke  of  Russia ;  the  Duke  of  Opolia 
wished  to  remove  it  to  his  ^uchy,  iu  1380 ;  but 
when  it  reached  the  mountain  of  Clermont  it 
became  so  heavy  that  it  could  be  carried  no  far- 
ther ;  seeing  by  this  miracle  that  the  Virgin  had 
chosen  that  mountain  for  a  dwelling-place,  a 
church  was  built  there  for  her^  Bzovius,  ad 
ann.  1383. 

30.  Our  Lady  of  Carquera,  on  the  river 
Douro,  in  Portugal.  Egas  de  Monis,  guardian 
of  King  Alphonso  I.,  had  that  young  prince  car- 
ried to  this  ancient  church  that  the  Virgin,  by 
her  intercession,  might  straighten  his  feet,  which 
was  immediately  done.  Vasconcell.  in  Regib. 
Lttait.  Anacephat.  1  et  2. 

31.  Dedication  of  Our  Lady  of  Founders,  in 
Constantinople.  The  Empress  St  Pulcheria 
had  this  church  built,  and  enriched  it  with  .Our 
Lady's  girdle.  A  festival  was  instituted  in  Con- 
stantinople for  this  relic,  under  the  title  of  the 
Deposition  of  Our  Lady's  Girdle.  The  iVench 
having  taken  the  city,  this  precious  treasure 
was  taken  by  Nivellon,  Bishop  of  Soissons,  and 
placed  in  the  famous  Abbey  of  Our  Lady,  with  a 
part  of  the  Virgin's  veil.     Niceph,,  L  iv.,  c  8. 

SEPTEMBER. 

1.  On  the  first  Sunday  of  this  month  there  is 
a  festival  celebrated  in  the  Church  of  St.  Peter, 


^  at  Louvain,  in  honor  of  the  Virgin,  called  the 
Collection  of  the  Feasts  of  Our  Liuly.  Molanus, 
ad  Usuard.  Martyrolog. 

2.  Our  Lady  of  Helbron,  or  Nettles,  in  Fran- 
con  ia,  Germany.  This  image  ))egan  to  work 
miracles  in  1441.     Trip.  Cour.,  nomb.  73. 

3.  Dedication  of  the  Abbey  of  Corneville,  in 
honor  of  the  Assumption  of  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
A.  D.  1147,  by  Hugh,  Archbishop  of  Rouen.  OaU. 
Christ.,  t.  iv. 

4  A.D.  1419,  Our  Lady  of  Haut,  in  Hainaut, 
restored  life  to  a  girl  named  Jeanne  Maillard, 
who,  in  taking  water  from  a  well,  fell  in,  and 
was  drawn  out  quite  dead  ;  her  mother  having 
devoted  her  to  Our  Lady  of  Haut,  she  imme- 
diately gave  signs  of  life.  Just.  Lips,  de  Virgin, 
Hdlens.,  c.  19. 

5.  Our  Lady  of  the  Woods,  near  Arras.  A 
horseman  having  a  mind  to  make  a  stable  of 
this  chapel,  a.  d.  1478,  was  instantly  killed  by 
his  horse.     2Vip.  Cour.,  nomb.  62. 

6.  Our  Lady  of  the  Fountain,  half  a  league 
from  Valenciennes.  Tradition  says  that  the 
Virgin  appeared  to  a  certain  hermit  in  this 
place  when  the  plague  was  ravaging  the  city, 
and  commanded  him  to  tell  the  inhabitants 
that  they  should  fast  next  day  and  spend  the 
night  in  prayer.  That  being  done,  she  was 
seen  coming  down  from  heaven  and  encircling 
the  whole  city  with  a  cord ;  this  cord  is  still 
kept  at  Valenciennes.     Ex  libdlo  de  ea  re  scripto. 

7.  Vigil  of  the  Nativity  of  Our  Lady,  insti- 
tuted by  Gregory  II.,  about  the  year  722.  Ba- 
lingh.  in  Galend. 

8.  The  Nativity  of  Our  Lady,  which  hap- 
pened, according  to  Baronius,  in  the  year  of  the 
world  4007,  on  a  Saturday,  about  the  dawn  of 
day,  fifteen  years  before  the  birth  of  Our 
Saviour.  This  feast  was  instituted  on  the  8th 
of  September  in  the  Greek  and  Latin  Churches, 
A.  D.  436,  according  to  the  same  writer,  and  ia 
France  by  St  Maurillus,  Bishop  of  Angers. 

Dedication  of  the  Church  of  Our  Lady  of 
Liesse,  in  the  diocese  of  Laon,  ten  leagues  from 
Rheims. 


Dedication   of  Our   Lady   of  Montserrat,  in    * 
Catalonia. 

9.  Our  Lady  of  the  Puy,  in  Velay.  St. 
Georges,  who  was  the  first  bishop,  marked  the 
site  for  this  church,  which  was  not  built  till 
about  the  year  221.  The  Virgin  herself  gave  it 
in  charge  to  St.  Evodus,  or  Vosius,  seventh 
bishop  of  the  same  place,  whom  she  ordered  to 
transfer  his  episcopal  see  to  Puy.  St.  Evodus 
obeyed  the  Virgin  ;  but  when  he  came  to  conse- 
crate his  new  church,  he  perceived  that  it  was 
already  consecrated  by  angels  ;  the  doors  open- 
ed of  themselves,  the  bells  rang  of  their  own  ac- 
cord, the  tapers  were  burning,  and  the  holy 
chrism,  which  the  angels  had  used,  appeared 
still  fresh  on  the  altar  and  on  the  walls.  Odo 
GisHcus,  de  Virg.  Aniciens.,  1.  ii.,  c.  7,  8  et  9. 

10.  Our  Lady  of  Tru,  near  Cologne.  This 
church  was  built,  under  Otho  L,  by  St.  Heri- 
bert,  Archbishop  of  Cologne,  on  the  very  spot 
where  idols  were  formerly  worshipped. 

11.  Our  Lady  of  Hildesheim,  in  the  duchy  of 
Brunswick,  in  Germany.  The  image  here  ven- 
erated is  the  same  which  Louis  the  Good  was 
accustomed  to  wear  on  his  person.  One  day 
when  he  chanced  to  forget  it  in  a  wood,  it  be- 
came so  hea,vy  that  it  was  impossible  to  move  it, 
which  induced  the  king  to  build  a  church  for  it 
in  that  place.     Trip.  Cour.,  nomb.  75. 

12.  Our  Lady  of  Healing,  in  Lower  Nor- 
mandy. Many  miraculous  cures  have  been  ef- 
fected in  this  church.     Ex  archiv.  hujus  eccles. 

13.  Our  Lady  of  Guadalupa,  in  Spain.  This 
image,  sent  by  Pope  Gregory  to  St.  Leander, 
Bishop  of  Seville,  was  concealed,  at  the  time  of 
the  Moorish  invasion,  with  the  body  of  St.  Ful- 
gentius,  in  the  cave  of  Guadalupa,  where  it  re- 
mained for  nearly  six  hundred  years,  till  Our 
Lady  revealed  it  to  a  shepherd.  Joann.  Mari- 
ana, 1.  vi.,  de  ReK  Hispan. 

14.  Dedication  of  Our  Lady  of  Fontevrault, 
in  Poitou,  by  Pope  Calixtus  II.,  a.  d.  1129.  Gall. 
Christ. 

15.  Octave  of  the  Nativity  of  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin, instituted  on  the  occasion  of  some  differ-    j)s 


ence  which  occurred  at  the  election  of  the  suc- 
cessor of  Celestine  IV.,  through  the  intrigues  of 
the  Emperor  Frederick  II.,  the  cardinals  had 
recourse  to  Our  Lady,  binding  themselves  by 
vow  to  add  an  octave  to  the  Feast  of  her  Na- 
tivity, if  she  would  vouchsafe  to  give  them  a 
pope.  Innocent  IV.  having  been  elected,  he  in- 
stituted this  octave,  a.  d.  1243,  the  first  year  of 
his  pontificate.  Arnoldus  Wionius.,  1.  v.,  Ligni 
vitce,  c.  22. 

16.  Our  Lady  of  Good  News,  at  Orleans,  built 
by  King  Eobert,  a.  d.  996,  on  the  spot  where  he 
received  the  glad  tidings  that  his  father,  Hugh 
Capet,  had  escaped  death.  Locrius,  Marion  Au- 
gustce,  1.  iv.,  c.  62. 

17.  The  placing  of  the  image  of  Our  Lady  of 
Puy,  in  Velay.  The  holy  king  St.  Louis  gave 
this  image  to  the  Church  of  Puy,  a.  d.  1254,  on 
his  return  from  foreign  parts. 

18.  Our  Lady  of  Smelcem,  in  Flanders. 
Chronicles  tell  that  certain  shepherds  remarked 
that  their  sheep  bent  the  knee  before  this  im- 
age. It  was  for  this  reason  that  Baldwin,  sur- 
named  Fairbeard,  chose  this  place  as  the  site  for 
a  church,  in  gratitude  to  Our  Lady  for  having 
cured  him  of  a  disease  which  he  had  had  for 
seventeen  years.     Trip.  Cour.,  nomb.  63. 

19.  Our  Lady  of  Healing,  near  Mount  Leon, 
in  Gascony,  Geoffroy,  Hist,  de  la  Vierge  de 
Guerison. 

20.  Our  Lady  of  the  Silver-Foot,  at  Toul,  in 
Lorraine  ;  where  there  is  an  image  which,  ac- 
cording to  an  ancient  tradition,  apprised  a  cer- 
tain woman,  in  1284,  of  treachery  meditated 
against  the  city,  and  as  a  sign,  the  image  ex- 
tended its  foot,  which  was  changed  into  silver. 
Trip.  Cour.,  nomb.  57. 

21.  Our  Lady  of  Pucha,  in  the  kingdom  of 
Valencia.  This  image  was  found  a.  d.  1223,  by 
means  of  seven  stars  shining  over  the  place, 
whereupon  the  people  dug  into  the  ground,  and 
found  an  image  of  the  Virgin.  Bernard.  Comes., 
Hist.  Hispan.,  1.  x. 

22.  The  name  of  Mary  given  to  Our  Lady,  by 
her  mother,  St.  Ann.   Fet.  a  Castro,  Hist.  Virg.  c.  2. 


660 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


23.  Our  Lady  of  Vulvancre,  in  Spain.  This 
image  was  found  in  an  onk,  in  the  place  now  oc- 
cupied by  the  magnificent  church  rebuilt  by 
Alphonso  IV.,  King  of  Castile.  Anton.  Yt^pez,  in 
Chronic. 

24.  Our  Lady  of  Roc-Amadour,  or  Roche- 
d'Amateur,  in  the  diocese  of  Cahors,  Quercy. 
This  pilgrimage  is  so  named  because  St.  Ama- 
teur, vulgarly  called  St.  Aniant,  remained  some 
time  on  this  rock,  which  became  famous  about 
the  year  1140.  Hugo  Fardlus,  de  MiraciU.  B. 
Virg.  Rupiramal. 

25.  Our  Lady  of  Passage,  at  Rhodes.  This 
image  being  often  removed  was  always  found 
again  in  the  same  place,  which  caused  a  church 
to  be  built  there.     Trip.  Cour.,  nomb.  53. 

26.  Our  Lady  of  Victory,  at  Tournay.  The 
inhabitants  carried  the  keys  of  the  city  to  the 
Church  of  Our  Lady,  a.  d.  1340,  because  they 
knew  that  it  was  only  the  Queen  of  Heaven  who 
could  deliver  them  from  the  English,  who  were 
forty  days  besieging  the  city.  No  sooner  had 
they  manifested  this  confidence  in  the  Blessed 
Virgin  than  the  siege  was  raised ;  the  inhabit- 
ants at  the  time  had  scarcely  three  days'  provi- 
sions.    Ex  Archiv.  Tornncens. 

27.  Our  Lady  of  Happy  Meeting,  half  a 
league  from  Agde.  This  earthen  image  was 
discovered  miraculously,  a.  d.  1523.  Trip.  Cour., 
nomb.  34. 

28.  Our  Lady  of  Cambron,  of  the  Order  of 
Citeaux,  near  Mons,  in  Hainaut.  It  is  said  that 
this  image,  being  struck  by  a  rufiian,  shed  blood 
profusely.  Hist.  Camberon.,  edita  Duaci,  ann. 
1602. 

29.  Our  Lady  of  Tongres,  in  the  diocese  of 
Cambrai.  This  image  was  taken  in  1081  to  a 
garden,  where  the  Bishop  of  Cambrai  had  a 
church  built.     Trip.  Cour.,  nomb.  1602. 

30.  Our  Lady  of  Beaumont,  in  Lorraine,  be- 
tween Domremy  and  Vaucouleut.  Joan  of  Arc 
often  retired  to  this  church  to  recommend  the 
affairs  of  France  to  the  Queen  of  heaven  and 
earth,  who  ordered  her  to  take  up  arms  to  de- 
liver that  kingdom.     Trip.  Cour.,  traite  3.  ch.  7. 


OCTOBER. 


1.  Foundation  of  Crown  Abbey,*  of  the  Au- 
gustinian  Order,  in  the  diocese  of  Angouleme, 
under  the  title  of  Our  Lady,  by  Lambert,  who 
was  its  first  abbot,  a.  d.  1122.     Gall.  Christ,  t.  iv. 

2.  Our  Lady  of  the  Assumption,  in  Naples ; 
built  by  the  regular  canonesses  of  St.  Augustine, 
in  gratitude  for  the  Mother  of  God  having 
warned  them  to  leave  a  house  which  fell  imme- 
diately after  they  had  quitted  it.  Trip.  Cour., 
nomb.  42. 

3.  Our  Lady  of  the  Place,  in  Rome.  This 
image  having  fallen  into  a  well  near  the  house 
of  the  Cardinal  Capoci,  a.  d.  1250,  the  water 
rose  miraculously,  and  cast  out  the  image,  which 
the  cardinal  then  placed  in  his  chapel.  But 
Pope  Innocent  IV.  obliged  him  to  build  another 
on  the  spot  where  the  miracle  tooii  place.  This 
chapel  being  given  to  the  Servites,  they  built  a 
handsome  church,  inclosing  the  well  within  its 
walls.     Trip.  Cour.,  nomb.  100. 

4  Our  Lady  of  Vaussivieres,  in  the  moun- 
tain's of  Auvergne,  near  Mount  d'Or,  where 
there  was  an  image  which  was  miraculously 
saved  from  the  general  wreck  when  the  English 
ravaged  Vaussivieres,  about  the  year  1374.  This 
image  being  removed  to  the  Church  of  Besse, 
was  found  again  in  its  former  place.  Duchene, 
ch.  9. 

5.  Our  Lady  of  Buch,  in  the  Pine  Moun- 
tains, f  in  Guienne.  The  sea  threw  this  image 
on  shore,  whilst  St.  Thomas,  the  Franciscan, 
was  praying  for  two  vessels  which  he  saw  in 
danger  of  perishing.  He  received  the  image 
with  respect,  and  enshrined  it  in  that  place,  in 
a  little  chapel  built  for  it.  Florimond  Rayraon, 
Hid.  des  Heres.,  1.  i. 

St.  Mary  of  Jersey,  consecrated  a.  d.  1320,  on 
one  of  the  Channel  Islands.  Chartrier  de  Cou- 
tance.%  dit  le  Livre-Noir.     ( The  Black  Book. ) 

6.  Our  Lady  of  La  Plebe,  in  the  marsh  of 
Venice,  built  a.  d.  1480. 


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f  Moutagnes  des  Pms. 


660 


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662 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


%L  Onr  Lady  of  Hermits,  in  Switzerland, 
where  there  was  former  1}  a  little  hermitage  in 
the  midst  of  the  woods,  occupied  by  St.  Mein- 
rad,  till  the  Emperor  Otho  built  a  church  there, 
accordiug  to  an  order  which  he  had  received 
&*om  heaven.  This  church  contains  a  little 
Lady-chapel,  consecrated,  it  is  said,  in  1418  by 
Our  Lord  himself,  accompanied  by  angels  and 
saints,  who  performed  the  functions  of  the  or- 
dinary officers  of  the  church,  in  presence  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin.     Trip.  Cour.,  nomb.  84. 

25.  Dedication  of  Our  Lady  of  Toledo,  in 
Spain,  about  the  year  1075,  by  Bernard,  arch- 
bishop of  that  city.  This  cathedral  has  a  rev- 
enue of  more  than  300,000  livres.  Joann.  Mari- 
ana^ 1.  ix.,  ch.  18. 

26.  Dedication  of  Our  Lady  of  Victory,  near 
SenUs,  A.  D.  1225,  by  Guarin,  Bishop  of  Senlis 
and  Chancellor  of  France.  This  abbey  was 
built  by  Philip  Augustus,  in  gratitude  for  the 
victory  which  he  gained  at  Bouvines  over  the 
Emperor  Otho,  a.  d.  1214.    Carta  Tabular,  de  Vict. 

27.  Our  Lady  of  La  Basilla,  in  Lombardy, 
beyond  the  Po.  This  church  was  built  by  the 
express  command  of  Our  Lady.  Albert.  Lean- 
der,  in  Descriptione  Ilaliae. 

28.  Our  Lady  of  Vivonne,  in  Savoy,  where 
there  is  an  image  which  was  miraculously  found 
by  a  laborer.  This  statue,  having  been  thrice 
removed  to  the  village  church,  always  returned 
to  its  original  place  ;  a  church  was  consequently 
built  there,  and  given  to  the  Carmehtes.  AdoU 
phus,  in  Hist,  univers.  imag.  B.  Virg. 

29.  Our  Lady  of  Orope,  near  Bielle,  in  Savoy. 
This  image,  made  of  cedar  wood,  and  about  six 
feet  high,  is  in  a  chapel  built  by  St  Eusebius, 
Bishop  of  Verceil,  about  the  year  380  ;  the  saint 
often  retired  thither  during  the  troubles  of  the 
Arians.     Trip.  Cour.,  nomb.  112. 

30.  Our  Lady  of  Mondevi,  at  Vic,  in  Pied- 
mont, where  there  is  an  image  painted  by  a  tiler 
on  a  pillar  of  brick  built  by  him  for  that  pur- 
pose. This  pillar  has  been  surrounded  by  a 
church,  where  numberless  miracles  are  wrought. 
Hist,  de  Mondevi,  c.  2. 


31.  In  the  year  1116,  a  choir  boy  having  fallen 
into  the  well  of  Saint  Fort,  which  is  in  the 
Church  of  Chiirtres,  was  saved  by  Our  Lady. 
All  the  time  that  he  was  in  the  well,  he  heard 
the  angels  answering  the  public  prayers  recited 
in  the  church  ;  this  gave  rise  to  that  custom  in 
the  Church  of  Chartres,  of  the  choir  never  sing- 
ing the  response  to  the  Dominus  Vobiscum, 
chanted  at  high  mass  and  in  the  canonical 
hours.     Sebast.  Rouillard.  Farthen.,  c.  6,  n.  14. 

NOVEMBER. 

1.  The  Feast  of  All  Saints,  instituted  art 
Rome,  in  honor  of  Our  Lady  and  all  the  Saints, 
by  Pope  Boniface  IV.,  about  the  year  608,  and 
afterwards  in  all  the  churches  in  Christendom, 
by  Pope  Gregory  IV.,  about  the  year  829,  at 
the  request  of  Louis  the  Good,  who  issued  a 
proclamation  commanding  it  to  be  observed 
throughout  all  his  dominions.  Baron,  ad  Mar- 
tyrolog.  Roman. 

2.  Our  Lady  of  Emmimont,  near  Abbeville. 
This  church  is  much  frequented  by  pilgrims. 
Antiq.  d'Abbev.,  1.  i. 

3.  Our  Lady  of  Rennes,  in  Bretagne.  The 
EngUsh  having  undermined  the  town  to  blow  it 
up,  it  is  said  that  the  tapers  in  this  chapel  were 
miraculously  lighted,  the  bells  rang  of  their  own 
accord,  and  the  image  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  was 
seen  to  extend  its  arm  towards  the  middle  of 
the  church,  where  the  train  was  laid ;  the  dan- 
ger was  thus  discovered,  and  measures  success- 
fully taken  to  avert  it.  Trip.  Cour.,  tract  3. 
c.  7  et  8. 

4  Our  Lady  of  Port  Louise,  in  Milan.  Tra- 
dition teUs  that  this  image  one  day  received  the 
homage  of  two  angels,  who  were  seen  by  several 
persons  bending  the  knee  before  it.  Astolphus, 
ex  hist,  univers.  imag.  B.  Virg. 

5.  Our  Lady  of  Damietta,  in  Egypt.  This 
church  was  consecrated  in  honor  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  a.  d.  1220,  by  Pelagius,  the  Apostolic 
legate,     ^^hnilius,  in  Fhilippo. 

6.  Our  Lady  of  Valfleurie,  seven  leagues  from 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


563 


Lyons.  This  church  is  so  called  because  the 
image  of  the  Virgin  over  the  high  altar  was 
found  by  shepherds  in  some  broom  which  was 
in  full  blossom,  though  the  season  was  mid- 
winter.    Trip.  Cour.,  nomb.  47. 

7.  Our  Lady  of  the  Pond,  near  Dijon.  This 
image,  of  baked  clay,  was  discovered  in  1531,  by 
means  of  an  ox  which  always  stopped  at  that 
spot,  and  although  he  kept  grazing  there  con- 
tinually, the  grass  grew  thicker  and  thicker 
every  day.     Trip.  Cour.,  nomb.  42. 

8.  Our  Lady  of  Fair-Fountain,  in  the  diocese 
of  La  Rochelle.  This  image  has  been  honored 
from  time  immemorial.   Ea:  archiv.  hujus  Abbatce. 

9.  Our  Lady  of  Good  Aid,  in  Perche,  near 
Roumalard.  This  church  is  mach  frequented 
by  persons  in  affliction.     Trip.  Cour.,  nomb.  52. 

10.  A.  D.  1552,  Our  Lady  of  Loretto  cured  a 
Turkish  pacha  of  an  incurable  disease ;  he  had 
been  persuaded  by  one  of  his  slaves,  who  was  a 
Christian,  to  have  recourse  to  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin ;  the  infidel  believed  him,  and  promised  to 
set  him  free  if .  Our  Lady  cured  him.  Having 
recovered  his  health,  he  sent  many  pi'esents 
to  the'  Church  of  Our  Lady  of  Loretto,  and, 
amongst  others,  his  bow  and  quiver.  Tursel., 
Hist.  Laurel.,  1.  iii.,  c.  18. 

11.  On  this  day,  about  the  year  1546,  the  Por- 
tuguese gained  a  great  victoiy  over  the  infidels, 
who  were  before  the  Castle  of  Die,  in  the  East 
Indies,  for  seven  months,  and  would  have  taken 
it  if  Our  Lady  had  not  appeared  on  the  walls ; 
this  apparition  so  terrified  the  enemy  that  the 
siege  was  immediately  raised.  Balinghem  in 
Galend. 

12.  Our  Lady  of  the  Tower,  in  Fri?bourg, 
built  in  a  heretic  country,  on  the  very  spot 
where  an  image  of  Our  Lady  was  found.  Trip. 
Cour.,  nomb.  85. 

13.  Dedication  of  the  Abbey  of  Bee,  in  Nor- 
mandy, A.  D.  1077,  by  Lanfranc,  Archbishop 
of  Canterbury.  This  Benedictine  abbey  was 
founded  about  the  year  1045,  by  Herluin,  who 
was  its  first  abbot.  Guillelm.  Gemiticensis,  1.  vi., 
de  due.  Norman.,  cap.  9. 


14.  Our  Lady  of  the  Grotto,  in  the  diocese  of 
Lamego,  in  Portugal.  This  chapel  was  hol- 
lowed in  the  rock,  on  the  spot  where  an  image 
of  the  Virgin  was  found.  VasconcelL,  in  De- 
script,  regni  Lusitan. 

15.  Our  Lady  of  Pignerol,  built  in  honor  of 
the  Assumption  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  about  the 
year  1098,  by  Adelaide,  Countess  of  Savoy.  Ex 
archiv.  hujxis  loci. 

16.  Our  Lady  of  Chieves,  in  Hainault,  where, 
in  1130,  the  lady  of  the  place,  named  Ida,  built 
a  chapel  near  a  fountain  where  an  image  of  Our 
Lady  was  found ;  many  miracles  have  since 
been  wrought  there.     Trip.  Cour.,  nomb.  62. 

17.  Institution  of  the  Confraternity  of  Our 
Lady  of  Sion,  at  Nancy,  in  Lorraine,  a.  d.  1393, 
by  Ferri  de  Lorraine,  Count  of  Vaud^mont. 
Trip.  Cour.,  nomb.  66. 

18.  Our  Lady  of  Bourdieux,  near  Bourges. 
This  Benedictine  abbey  was  built,  in  928,  by 
Ebbon,  Lord  of  Berry.     Bzovius,  ad  ann.  928. 

19.  Our  Lady  of  Good  News,  in  the  Abbey  of 
St.  Victor,  which  Mary  de  Medici  visited  every 
Saturday.  The  abbey  was  founded  in  1113  by 
Louis  the  Fat.     Ex  archiv.  S.  Victoris  Paris. 

20.  Our  Lady  of  Guard,  near  Bologna,  in 
Italy.  This  image  was  in  the  Church  of  St 
Sophia,  in  Constantinople,  with  the  inscription  : 
"This  picture,  painted  by  St.  Luke,  is  to  be 
taken  to  Mount  Guard,  and  placed  over  the 
altar  of  the  church."  A  Greek  monk  set  out  for 
Italy  towards  the  year  433,  with  the  image  en- 
trusted  to  him,  and  placed  it  on  Mount  Guard. 
Bzovius,  ad  ann.  1433,  n.  379. 

21.  The  Presentation  of  Our  Lady.  This 
feast  was  instituted,  in  the  Greek  Church,  more 
than  nine  hundred  years  ago,  since  St.  Ger- 
manus,  who  held  th«e  see  of  Constantinopie,  in 
715,  composed  a  sermon  on  it.*  Baron,  in  Notis 
ad  Martyrolog. 

22.  Institution  of  the  Confraternity  of  the 
Presentation  of  Our  Lady,  at  St.  Omer,  a.  d. 
1481.  Adalardus  Tassart,in  Chronic.,  ad  ann.  1481. 

"■  It  will  be  remembered  that  this  Calendar  was  drawn 
^     up  in  the  "eign  of  Louis  XIV. 


664 


BISTORT  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


28.  Oar  Lady  of  the  Yaalt,  near  the  town  of 
St  Anastasia,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Florence. 
Ttnp,  Cour.,  nomb.  102. 

24  A.  D.  1535,  Oar  Lady  of  Montserrat  re- 
stored speech  to  a  Savoyard  who  had  been 
damb.     HisL  Montiss. 

25.  Oar  Lady  of  the  Bock,  in  the  territory  of 
Fiezoli,  in  Tascany.  This  image  is  placed  in  a 
rock,  where  two  shepherds  once  retired  to  pray, 
when  Our  Lady  commanded  them  to  baild  her 
a  charch  in  that  place.  Archangd.  Janius,  in 
.AnnaL  PP.  Servitarum. 

26.  Oar  Lady  of  the  Mountains,  between 
Moant  Esqoilin  and  Mount  Yiminal,  in  Italy. 
This  image  was  miraculously  found,  a.  d.  1500. 
Trip.  Cour.,  nomb.  99. 

27.  Dedication  of  the  town  of  Lesina,  in  the 
Gampagna  of  Borne.  This  town  was  given  to 
Our  Lady,  a.  d.  1400,  by  Margaret,  Queen  of 
Poland,  and  mother  of  Ladislas.  Bzovius,  L  ix., 
de  Sign,  eccles. 

28.  Oar  Lady  of  Walsingham,  in  England, 
much  honored  by  Edward  L,  who,  playing  one 
day  at  chequers,  instinctively  rose  from  his 
seat,  and  at  the  same  moment  a  large  stone 
fell  from  the  roof  of  the  vault  on  the  seat 
which  he  had  occupied.  Ever  after,  he  had 
a  particular  devotion  for  Our  Lady  of  Wal- 
singham. Thomas  Waltsingham,  in  Hist.  Ang.  in 
Ed.L 

29.  Our  Lady  of  the  Crown,  at  Palermo ;  so 
named  because  it  was  there  the  kings  of  Sicily 
received  the  royal  crown,  as  holding  it  from  the 
Mother  of  God,  and  being  only  to  wear  it  for 
her.  Thorn.  Fazellus,  L  viiL,  prions  decad.  de  reb. 
Siulis. 

30.  Our  Lady  of  Genesta,  on  the  coast  of 
Genoa,  in  Italy.  A  poor  woman,  named  Pe- 
traccia,  undertook  to  build  this  church,  which 
appeared  utterly  impossible  ;  she,  nevertheless, 
laid  the  first  stone,  saying  she  was  sure  she 
should  not  die  till  Our  Lady  and  St.  Augustine 
had  finished  the  work.  The  result  was,  that  in 
a  little  time  after  the  church  was  foimd  miracu- 
lously finished.     Signinus,  in  Chronic. 


DECEMBEB. 

L  Oar  Lady  of  Batisbon,  in  Bavaria,  founded 
■  by  Duke  Theodore,  after  being  baptized  by  St 
Bupert,  Bishop  of  Salisbury,  and  Apostle  of 
Bavaria ;  the  same  saint  subsequently  conse- 
crated this  church.  Canisitis,  1.  v.,  de  B.  Virg., 
cap.  25. 

2.  Our  Lady  of  Didynia,  in  Cappadocia,  be- 
fore which  St  Basil  besought  the  Blessed  Virgin 
to  remedy  the  disorders  caused  by  Julian  the 
Apostate ;  he  was  favored  there  with  a  vision 
foreshowing  the  emperor's  death.  Baroniun,  ad 
ann.  303. 

3.  Our  Lady  of  Filermo,  in  Bhodes.  This 
image  remaining  amongst  the  ruins  of  the 
Church  of  St  Mark,  of  Bhodes,  was  removed 
to  St  Catherine's  Charch,  and,  at  length,  the 
knights  having  quitted  Bhodes,  it  was  placed  in 
the  Church  of  St  Lawrence.  This  church  was 
afterwards  entirely  burned,  but  the  image  re- 
mained uninjured.     Trip.  Cour.,  nomb.  91. 

4.  Our  liady  of  the  Chapel,  at  Abbeville. 
This  church  was  built  about  the  year  1400,  on  a 
little  hill  where  idols  were  formerly  worshipped. 
Antiq.  d'Abbev.,  L  L 

5.  In  the  year  1584  was  instituted  the  first 
congregation  of  Our  Lady  in  the  Jesuit  College 
in  Bome,  and  hence  the  company's  pious  custom 
of  establishing  it  in  all  their  houses.  Balinghem 
in  Calend. 

6.  Our  Lady  of  Fonrviere,  at  Lyons,  famous 
for  miracles,  and  for  the  extraordinary  con- 
course of  people  who  go  there  from  the  city,  es- 
pecially on  Saturdays. 

7.  On  this  day,  being  a  Sunday,  in  the  year 
1550,  the  canons  of  Our  Lady  of  Paris,  walking 
in  procession  before  the  image  of  the  Virgin, 
which  stands  near  the  door  of  the  choir,  a 
Lorraine  heretic,  forcing  his  way  through  the 
crowd,  sword  in  hand,  attempted  to  strike  the 
image  ;  he  wa?  prevented  by  the  assistants,  and 
on  the  following  Thursday  he  was  executed  in 
front  of  Notre -Dame.  Du  Breuil,  Antiq.  de 
Paris,  L  L 


HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MART. 


565 


8.  The  Conception  of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 
This  feast  commenced  in  the  East  about  the 
seventh  or  eighth  century,  for  St.  John  Damas- 
cene, who  hved  in  721,  makes  mention  of  it.  It 
was  instituted  in  England,  a.  d.  1100,  by  St. 
Anselm,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  then  in  the 
diocese  of  Lyons,  a.  d.  1145,  and  finally  Sixtus 
rV.  decreed,  a.  d.  1576,  that  it  should  be  cele- 
brated throughout  Christendom.  Joann.  Molaru, 
in  Annot.  i.,  ad  Usuard, 

9.  Our  Lady  of  the  Conception,  in  Naples ; 
so  named  because,  in  1618,  the  Viceroy,  with  all 
his  court  and  the  Neapolitan  militia,  made  a 
vow  in  the  Church  of  Our  Lady  the  Great,  to 
believe  in  and  defend  the  Immaculate  Concep- 
tion of  the  Blessed  Virgin.     Trip.  Gour.,  n.  43. 

10.  Institution  of  the  nuns  of  the  Conception 
of  Oar  Lady,  by  Beatrice  de  Sylva,  to  whom 
Our  Lady  is  said  to  have  appeared  in  1484, 
clothed  in  white,  with  a  scapular  of  the  same 
color,  and  a  blue  mantle.  Beatrice,  sister  of  the 
Blessed  Amadeus,  took  this  costume  for  the 
habit  of  her  order,  approved  by  Innocent  VIII., 
according  to  the  Cistercian  rule.  Vasconcell.  in 
DescripL  regni  Lusit. 

11.  Our  Lady  of  Angels,  in  the  forest  of 
Livry,  four  leagues  from  Paris.  Three  Anjou 
merchants  having  been  abused  in  this  forest, 
A.  D.  1212,  by  robbers,  who  left  them  fastened  to 
trees,  so  that  they  might  starve  to  death,  had 
recourse  to  the  Blessed  Virgin,  who  imme- 
diately sent  three  angels  to  liberate  them.  In 
the  course  of  time  several  other  miracles  were 
wrought  there,  which  made  the  chapel  very 
famous.     Des  registres  de  I'Abbaye  de  Livry. 

12.  Our  Lady  of  Good  News,  at  Abbeville. 
This  little  chapel,  in  St.  Peter's  Priory,  has 
always  been  much  frequented.     Antiq.  d'Abhev. 

13.  Our  Lady'  of  the  Holy  Chapel,  in  Paris. 
This  image,  under  the  portal  of  the  lower  Holy 
Chapel,  has  wrought  many  miracles. 

14.  Our  Lady  of  Albe  la  Royale,  in  Hungary, 
was  built  by  St.  Stephen,  King  of  Hungary,  who 
gave  his  kingdom  to  the  Blessed  Virgin.  Joann. 
Bonifacius,  Hid.  Virg.,  1.  ii.,  c.  1. 


*        15.  Octave  of  the  Conception  of  Our  Lady, 
instituted  by  Pope  Sixtus  IV.     Bullarium. 

16.  Institution  of  the  famous  confraternity  of 
Our  Lady  of  Deliverance,  in  the  Church  of  St. 
Etienne  des  Gres,  in  Paris,  about  the  year  1533, 
to  which  Gregory  XIII.  granted  great  indul- 
gences, A.  D.  1518. 

17.  Cathedral  Church  of  Our  Lady  of  Amiens. 
The  first  bishop  of  this  church  was  St.  Firmin, 
^o  received  the  crown  of  martyrdom  during 
the  persecution  under  Dioclesian.  There  is  in 
this  church  a  portion  of  the  head  of  St.  John 
the  Baptist,  brought  from  Constantinople  by 
a  traveller  named  Galon,  a.  d.  1205.  Locrius, 
Marice  Augustoe,  1.  iv.,  c.  59. 

18.  Dedication  of  Our  Lady  of  Marseilles,  by 
St.  Lazarus,  in  presence  of  his  two  sisters,  Mary 
Magdalen  and  Martha,  and  three  holy  prelates, 
Maximus,  Trophimus,  and  Eutropus.  Ganisius, 
1.  v..  Moral. 

19.  In  the  year  657,  while  St.  Ildefonso,  Arch- 
bishop of  Toledo,  was  saying  matins.  Our  Lady, 
it  is  said,  appeared  to  him,  accompanied  by  a 
vast  number  of  blessed  spirits,  holding  in  her 
hand  the  book  he  had  composed  in  her  honor. 
She  thanked  him  for  it,  and,  in  gratitude,  gave 
him  a  white  chasuble.  This  celestial  present  is 
still  preserved  at  Oviedo,  where  Alphonso  the 
Chaste,  King  of  Castile,  had  it  solemnly  removed 
to  the  Church  of  St.  Saviour,  which  he  had 
built.     Baron,  ad  ann.  657. 

Our  Lady  of  Etalem,  in  Bavaria,  built  by  the 
Emperor  Louis  IV.  Albert,  Krantzius,  L  i.,  Me' 
tropol. 

20.  The  Abbey  of  Our  Lady  of  Moleme,  order 
of  St,  Benedict,  in  the  diocese  of  Langres,  was 
founded  on  this  day,  a.  d.  1075,  by  St.  Eobert, 
who  was  its  abbot.     Gall.  Ghrist,  t.  iv. 

21.  Foundation  of  St.  Acheul,  near  Amiens, 
under  the  title  of  Our  Lady,  by  St.  Firmin,  first 
bishop  of  that  city.     Ex  archiv.  S.  Achioli. 

22.  Our  Lady  of  Chartres,  in  Beauce.  This 
church,  which  was  built  in  the  times  of  the 
Apostles,  after  being  several  times  destroyed, 

^    was  put  in  its  present  state  by  Si  Fulbert,  fifty- 


566 


HTSTORT  OF  TEE  DEVOTION  TO   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY. 


fifth  bishop  of  Chartres.     Sdxist.  Rouillard,  Par-    ^ 
then.,  o.  5. 

23.  Our  Lady  of  Ardilliers,  at  Saiimur,  in 
Anjou.  The  name  of  this  church  is  illustrious 
all  over  France,  because  of  the  vast  concourse 
of  people  drawn  thither  by  a  miraculous  foun- 
tain which  cured  many  diseases.  The  image 
represents  Our  Lady  of  Pity,  holding  in  her 
arms  her  dead  son,  whose  head  is  supported  by 
an  angel.     Locrius,  MarUe  AugvMce,  1.  iv.,  ch.  60. 

24.  Celebration  of  the  Chaste  Nuptials  of  Our 
Lady  and  Si.  Joseph,  long  solemnized  as  a  fes- 
tival in  Sens,  and  several  other  churches  of 
France.     Savusseyua,  in  Martyrol.  Oallic. 

25.  On  this  day,  at  the  hour  of  midnight,  the 
Blessed  Virgin  brought  forth  the  Saviour  of  the 
world,  in  the  stable  of  Bethlehem,  where  a  foun- 
tain sprang  up  miraculously  on  the  same  day. 
Baron.,  in  Apparal.  ad  Annal. 

26.  Institution  of  the  Confraternity  of  the 
Conception  of  Our  Lady,  at  the  Augustines  of 
the  grand  convent,  in  Paris,  a.  d.  1443,  to  which 
many  indulgences  were  subsequently  granted 
by  Linocent  IIL     Du  BreuU,  Aniiq.,  L  ii. 

27.  Institution  of  the  order  of  the  Knights 
of  Our  Lady,  a.  d.  1370,  by  Louis  II.,  Duke  of 
Bourbon.  Andr.  Favin,  1.  viii..  Hist,  de  Navarre, 
et  L  iii.,  du  Theatre  d'Honneur. 

28.  Our  Lady  of  Pontoise,  seven  leagues  from 
Paris.  This  image,  standing  in  the  portal  of 
the  suburban  church  of  that  city,  on  the  road 
to  Kouen,  is  famous  for  the  miracles  wrought 
therein.    Ex  archiv.  hujus  ecdes. 


29.  Our  Lady  of  Spire,  in  Germany.  St.  Ber- 
nard, entering  this  church  on  the  29th  of  De- 
cember, 1146,  was  honorably  received  by  the 
canons,  who  conducted  him  to  the  choir,  singing 
the  anthem,  "  Salve,  Regina ;"  the  anthem  fin- 
ished, St.  Bernard  saluted  the  image  of  the  Vir- 
gin in  these  terms,  "O  clemens!  O  pia!  O  dul- 
cis  Virgo  Maria  ! "  and  the  image  is  said  to  have 
answered,  "Salve,  Bernarde."  The  words  of 
the  saint  to  the  image  are  engraved  in  a  circle 
on  the  pavement  of  the  church,  on  the  spot 
where  he  pronounced  them,  and  subsequently 
the  "Salve,  Regina"  was  added;  this  anthem 
was  composed  in  1040,  by  Herman,  surnamed 
Contract,  a  Benedictine  monk.  Angel.  Manri- 
que,  Annal.  Gist.,  ad  ann.  1146,  c.  10,  etc. 

30.  St.  Mary  of  Boulogne,  in  Picardy.  This 
church  was  founded  by  the  monks  of  St.  Augus- 
tine, A.  D.  1159 ;  it  was  destroyed  by  Henry 
VIII.,  King  of  England,  a.  d.  1444,  secularized 
and  made  a  cathedral,  1559,  according  to  Lo- 
crius.    Gall.  Christ.,  t.  iv. 

31.  About  a  hundred  years  before  the  birth 
of  Our  Saviour,  the  image  of  Our  Lady  of  Char- 
tres, consecrated  by  the  Druids  to  the  Virgin 
who  was  to  bring  forth,  restored  to  life  the  son  of 
GeoJBfrey,  king  or  prince  of  Montlh^ry,  who, 
having  fallen  into  a  well,  was  found  dead  ;  in 
gratitude  for  this  favor,  he  made  several  pres- 
ents to  the  image,  as  is  recorded  in  the  his- 
tory of  this  miracle,  represerted  on  the  windows 
of  the  church.  Sebastien  .Aouillard,  Farthenie, 
c.  3. 


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N-Y.D  ScJ.SATLIER. 


T 


A  MONUMENT  TO  THE  GLOEY  OF  MAEY. 


MEDITATIONS 


OS  THB 


LITANY  OP  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


TRANSLATED  FROM  THE  FRENCH  OF  THE  ABB!^  EDOUARD  BARTHE, 

BY 

MRS.    J.    SADLIER. 


PUBLISHED    WITH  THE  APPROBATION  OF   THE  LATE  MOST  REV.    JOHN  HUGHES,   D.  D., 
AND    THE  MOST  REV.   J.  McCLOSKET,  D.  D.,   ARCHBISHOP    OF  NEW   TOBK. 


▲   NEW,    ENLARGED    AND   REVISED   EDITION. 


PUBLISHED  BY  D.   &  J.  SADLIER  &  CO.,  31  BARCLAY  STREET. 

MONTREAL :— CORNER  OF  NOTRE  DAME  AND  ST.  FRANCIS  XAVIER  STS. 


THE  TRANSLATOR  TO  THE  READER. 


^  EADER,  if  you  are  a  Catholic  Christian,  you  are  a  child 
of  Mary,  and  as  such  will  kindly  welcome  this  Monument 
TO  THE  Gloey  of  Maey.  It  comes  to  us,  as  you  see,  with 
high  recommendations ;  and,  even  allo\dng  for  what  it  loses 
in  the  translation,  I  trust  you  will  find  it  fully  deserving  of 
all  that  has  been  said  of  it.  The  distinguished  French  pre- 
lates who  so  warmly  recommend  it  to  the  Faithful,  seem  fully  convinced  that  it  is 
calculated  to  promote  devotion  to  the  Blessea  Virgin  —  one  of  the  strongest 
bulwarks  of  our  holy  faith — and,  if  so,  your  time  and  my  time  will  not  be  lost. 
If  the  perusal  of  this  work  makes  you  in  any  degree  more  devout  to  Mary,  our 
sovereign  lady  and  mistress, — if  it  induces  you  to  have  recourse  to  her  in  all  your 
trials,  temptations,  and  dangers,  it  will  help  to  promote  both  your  temporal  and 
eternal  happiness,  and  Mary  will  give  you  a  portion  of  the  reward  which  she  never 
fails  to  confer  on  those  who  love  and  honor  her.  Hoping  that  you  will  receive  it 
well,  for  Her  sake,  I  now  beg  leave  to  present  it  to  your  notice. 
MoMTBEAL,  August,  1854 


674  INTRODUCTION. 


And  behold  how  faithfully  all  generations  have  accomplished  this  prediction  I  Hear  how 
the  echoes  of  Gathoho  history  for  eighteen  hundred  years  repeat  the  matchless  name  of  Mary, 
and  proclaim,  as  "  with  the  noise  of  a  great  trumpet,"'  the  grandeur,  the  merits,  the  power 
of  that  divine  Mother. 

Going  back  to  the  primitive  Church,  we  find,  from  the  very  beginning,  the  glory  of  Mary 
celebrated  by  the  arts.  Not  to  speak  of  the  picture  attributed  to  the  Evangelist,  St.  Luke, — 
a  picture  formerly  so  highly  honored  in  the  East,  and  whose  authenticity  is  not  altogether  des- 
titute of  scientific  proof,* — we  have,  from  the  second  century,  or  at  least  from  the  third,  a 
painted  likeness  of  Mary,  on  which  the  antiquarian  may  still  feast  his  eyes  in  the  catacombs 
of  Rome.  This  ancient  monument  of  CathoUo  devotion  clearly  proves  that,  no  sooner  was  the 
Church,  in  the  midst  of  persecutions,  established  in  the  world,  than  Christian  artists  began  to 
consecrate  their  pencil  to  the  Blessed  Virgin.  In  the  fourth  century  we  find,  on  many  sar- 
cophagi or  Christian  tombs,  a  group  of  the  Virgin  and  Child,  the  countenance  of  the  Mother 
breathing  at  once  a  radiant  youth  and  a  divine  purity.  This  it  was  that  caused  a  learned 
writer  of  our  day,  M.  Baoul  Bochette,  to  make  that  important  remark,  founded  on  his  knowl- 
edge of  arts  and  monuments:  "It  is  incorrect  to  say,  as  did  the  Protestant  historian  Basnage, 
that  it  was  not  till  after  the  Council  of  Ephesus  that  the  Virgin  began  to  be  represented; 
for,"  he  adds,  "  amongst  the  Christian  sarcophagi  of  the  Vatican,  where  she  is  seen,  there  is 
certainly  more  than  one  anterior  to  that  period."'  The  fifth  century  presents,  in  the  reign  of 
the  Greek  emperor  Anastasius,  imperial  coins,  whose  reverse  bears  the  monogram  of  Mary, 
surrounded  by  stars.  This  mark  of  respect  was  continued  by  a  great  number  of  his  succes- 
sors; amongst  others,  the  empress  Theophania  had  the  figure  of  Mary  stamped  on  her  money, 
her  head  encircled  with  the  nimbo,  with  the  inscription :  QeoToxog,  Mother  of  God.  From  the 
fifth  century  to  our  own  times,  it  is  well  known  how  the  arts  have  multiplied  testimonials  of 
devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin.  It  is  true  that,  at  one  time,  they  fell  into  singular  aberrations 
— for  instance,  inventing  black  statues  of  the  Mother  of  God — but  these  specimens  of  bad  taste 
are  still  so  many  proofs  of  the  faith  and  piety  of  those  times,  now  called  the  Dark  Ages,  which, 
nevertheless,  produced,  in  their  incomparable  stained  windows,  and  their  wonderful  churches 
dedicated  to  God  under  the  invocation  of  Mary,  things  which  our  modern  civilization  has  no 
longer  the  secret  of  fabricating,  and  has  hardly  the  courage  to  undertake. 

Still,  we  are  not  to  suppose  that  churches  dedicated  to  Mary  date  only  from  the  Middle 
Ages :  if  we  would  ascertain  their  origin,  we  must  go  back  to  Pope  Calixtus  I.,  who  built  a 
chapel,  under  the  title  of  Our  Lady,  beyond  the  Tiber,  in  the  most  populous  part  of  Rome,  in 
the  year  224;  nay,  we  must  ascend  still  higher,  for,  even  prior  to  that  time,  there  was  at  Sara- 

» Isaias  xxvii.  13.         «  Annaks  de  Fldlos.  Chret.,  t.  ix.,  p.  74  et  suiv.        a  Ditcours  sur  I' art  du  Chrinlianisme,  p.  34,  note  1. 


INTRODUCTION.  575 


gossa,  in  Spain,  the  church  of  Our  Lady  of  the  Pillar,  and  in  Syria  several  other  churches, 
likewise  dedicated  to  the  divine  Virgin.  Thus  it  is  that,  by  an  uninterrupted  chain  of  monu- 
ments, reaching  from  the  first  ages  of  Christianity  tiU  the  present  time,  ai-chitecture,  inspired 
by  faith  and  piety,  has  united  its  powerful  voice  with  that  of  the  other  arts  to  exalt  the  glo- 
rious name  of  Mary.  What  a  magnificent  sight  would  it  be,  were  it  given  to  man  to  contem- 
plate, in  one  stupendous  whole,  all  the  wealth  of  stone  and  marble,  of  wood  and  precious 
metals,  of  gold  and  azure,  offered  by  the  arts  to  God,  throughout  the  CathoHc  world,  for 
eighteen  centuries,  to  bless  and  glorify  Him  for  the  graces,  the  virtues,  the  power  wherewith 
he  endowed  it  on  behalf  of  men  1  .  .  .  .  What  eye  could  gaze  on  that  ravishing  spectacle !  what 
heart  consider  it  without  emotion!  what  lips  would  not  cry  out,  with  transport — "Glory  be  to 
God,  who  has  made  every  age  so  faithful  in  fulfilling  that  prophecy  of  his  divine  Mother — 
'Behold,  henceforth  all  generations  shall  call  me  blessed  1'" 

But  there  is  a  voice  as  superior  to  that  of  all  the  arts  as  the  moral  order  is  to  the  phys- 
ical— the  voice  of  science,  of  eloquence,  of  genius  by  word  and  pen;  and,  assuredly,  it  has  not 
been  wanting  in  the  fulfillment  of  the  Virgin's  prophecy.  There  remains  to  us  but  very  few 
writings  of  the  first  two  Christian  centuries,  and  yet,  even  in  the  second  century,  we  read  in 
the  words  of  the  illustrious  martyr  St.  Irenseus,  bishop  of  Lyons,  an  eulogy  of  Mary,  most 
expressive  in  its  conciseness.  "Eve,"  says  he,  "allowing  herself  to  be  seduced  by  the  words 
of  the  tempter,  disobeyed  God  and  sought  to  flee  from  his  presence;  the  Virgin  Mary,  acced- 
ing to  the  words  of  the  Angel  Gabriel,  and  obeying  the  orders  of  God,  consented  to  bear 
Christ  in  her  womb,  so  that  by  that  submission,  she  became  the  pattern  of  Eve."'  After  him 
St.  Athanasius,  St.  Basil,  St.  Ephraim,  St.  Gregory  Nazianzen,  St.  Jerome,  St.  Chrysostom,  St. 
Ambrose,  St.  Augustine,  St.  Cyril,  St.  Epiphanius,  St.  John  Damescene,  then  St.  Bernard,  St. 
Anselm,  and  that  great  genius  who  is  called  the  last  of  the  Fathers  of  the  Church,  the  immor- 
tal Bossuet, — in  a  word,  all  the  most  eminent  writers  of  Eastern  and  Western  Christendom  have, 
in  turn,  celebrated  the  glory  of  Mary,  her  dignity,  her  virtues,  her  privileges,  and  the  wonder* 
ful  efficacy  of  her  intercession. 

The  Litany  of  Loretto  forms,  as  we  have  said,  a  full  and  complete  abridgment  of  all  these 
praises,  of  all  these  marks  of  veneration  and  love,  of  devotion  and  confidence;  it  is,  therefore, 
one  of  the  best  acts  of  homage  we  can  render  to  that  divine  Mother.  Hence,  Pope  Clement 
VIII.,  in  1601,  forbade  any  other  to  be  recited  in  her  honor  in  the  public  prayers;  in  1606, 
Paul  v.,  in  his  turn,  granted  sixty  days'  indulgence  to  all  those  persons  who  would  assist 
on  Saturdays  at  the  solemn  chanting  of  those  pious  invocations  in  the  Dominican  churches  ; 
Sixtus  V.   and  Benedict  XIIL,   two  hundred  days  to   all  the  faithful  who   would  recite   them 


•  Omlra  hares.,  lib.  v.,  c.  19. 


878  INTRODUCTION. 


devoatly;  and  Pius  VII.  extended  this  last  indulgence  to  three  hundred  days.  "We  thereby  see 
how  this  Litany  became  so  dear  to  Catholic  piety,  which  has  delighted  to  multiply  its  repeti- 
tion, to  vary  its  mosio,  and  to  embellish  it  with  all  the  charms  of  melody  and  of  the  sweetest 
harmony.  The  art  of  engraving,  which  speaks  to  the  eye  as  singing  does  to  the  ear,  could 
not  fail  to  lend  its  valuable  aid  to  this  pious  tribute  of  musical  art  In  fact,  towards  the  end 
of  the  eighteenth  century  some  famous  German  engravers  published  a  series  of  figures  and 
symbolical  images,  as  ingenious  as  significant,  intended  to  explain  to  the  eye,  in  succession,  all 
the  titles  which  the  Church  bestows  on  Mary  in  the  Litany  of  Loretto. 

May  the  author  of  these  Meditations,  O  Mary,  be  successful  in  the  mission  which  circum- 
stances, in  some  way  providential,  have  given  him!  Undoubtedly  it  will  be  sweet,  and  very 
sweet,  to  me,  to  pour  forth  my  soul  before  thee  and  in  thy  honor,  and  to  exert  myself  to 
make  known  the  holiness,  the  goodness,  the  tenderness,  and  the  glory  of  the  divine  Mother  of 
my  Saviour.  But  how  can  I  speak  of  thee  in  adequate  terms,  after  all  that  has  been  already 
written  by  others  so  much  more  competent?  How  can  I  even  attempt  it,  when  St.  Bernard 
said  that  "  nothing  frightened  him  more  than  having  to  speak  of  thy  greatness  and  glory  ?" » 
I  will,  nevertheless,  attempt  it,  O  Mary,  O  thou  whom  I  delight  to  call  my  good  and  amiable 
mother;  I  will  attempt  it  for  the  sake  of  thy  divine  Son,  who  is  glorified  through  thee;  I  will 
attempt  it  for  thy  sake,  O  masterpiece  of  Almighty  power  1  brightest  image  of  his  adorable 
perfections!  I  will  attempt  it  with  the  confidence  of  a  child  who  works  for  his  mother  and 
before  her  eyes,  and  who  looks  to  her  for  help  and  encouragement.  To  thee,  then,  O  divine 
Mary,  I  give  up  my  mind,  my  heart,  and  my  pen,  and  to  thee  do  I  dedicate  this  feeble  testi- 
mony of  ray  respect,  and  confidence,  and  filial  devotion. 


MEDITATIONS 


ON     THE 


LITANY   OF   THE   BLESSED   VIEGIN. 


MEDITATION  I. 

LORD,     HAVE     MERCY     ON    US.     . 

HY  is  it  that  the 
Church  makes 
us  send  up  to 
God  the  humble 
sigh  of  prayer, 
before  commen- 
cing the  different  invocations  which 
she  afterwards  makes  us  address  to 
Mary  ?  It  is  to  remind  us  of  that 
truth  of  faith  so  forcibly  expressed 
by  the  Apostle  St.  Paul :  "Of  him, 
and  by  him,  and  in  him  are  all 
things:  to  him  be  glory  forever."^ 
Yes,  truly,  the  creature,  even  the 
most  august,  the  most  adorned 
with  virtue,  the  most  resplendent 
in  power  and  in  glory,  is  nothing 
before  him,  nothing  without  him, 
nothing  but  by  him.     K  the  Bless- 


•  Romans  xi.  36. 


*  Exod.  iii.  14. 


ed  Virgin  can  marvellously  assist  us 
by  her  protection,  it  is  to  him  that 
we  owe  that  inestimable  advantage: 
from  him  alone  comes  that  power, 
from  him  alone  come  all  the  graces 
that  flow  on  us. 

The  object  of  the  Church  is  to 
inspire  us  with  a  high  idea  of  the 
supreme  greatness  of  God,  a  deep 
and  lively  sentiment  of  respect,  of 
religious  fear,  of  pious  prostration 
of  all  our  faculties  before  "  Him  who 
is."^  He  alone  owes  nothing  to  any 
one;  all  that  thinks  and  wills,  all 
that  breathes,  all  that  lives,  all 
that  exists,  owes  to  him  alone 
thought,  will,  breath,  life,  being, 
and  the  preservation  of  being.  He 
alone,  existing  by  himself,  "blessed 
and  only  mighty,^  who  only  hath 
immortality,*  who  alone  doeth  won- 
derful things,^  who  is  alone  immor- 
al Tim.  vi.  15.    *  1  Tim.  vi.  16.    »Ps.  Ixxi.  18. 


r 


578 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


tal  hy  Ms  own  essence,^  alone  the  be- 
ginning and  the  end  of  all;^  than 
whom  there  is  no  other  God;"'  He 
alone  merits  the  title  of  Lord  by 
excellence ;  and  by  that  title  the 
Church  wishes  to  excite  our  faith  in 
the  infinite  majesty  of  Him  whom 
we  have  the  immense  honor  of  ad- 
dressing. Oh!  let  us  be  sensible 
of  our  extreme  inferiority  to  him, 
our  inexpressible  littleness  as  crea- 
tures before  his  infinite  greatness  as 
Creator;  and,  imploring  his  mercy, 
let  us  remain  as  supplicants  at  the 
feet  of  his  supreme  majesty,  pros- 
ti'ate  in  profound  respect  and  adora- 
tion. Let  us  acknowledge,  with  all 
the  powers  of  our  soul,  that  we  are 
but  dust  and  ashes;*  that  in  his 
presence  we  are  nothing;^  that  we 
do  not  deserve  to  address  Him  even 
with  the  mute  worship  of  the  heart. 
Why,  once  more,  does  the  Church, 
in  this  first  invocation  of  the  Lord, 
make  us  say,  as  though  crying  out 
in  distress,  Lord,  have  mercy  on  us  I 
....  It  is  because  we  are,  indeed, 
much  to  be  pitied  ;  that  our  misery 
is  great,  profound,  and  almost  im- 
measurable. In  the  body,  weak- 
ness,  infirmity,  pain,   sufiering — at 


f  times,  almost  intolerable.  In  the 
soul,  weariness,  sadness,  poignant 
grief,  devouring  passions ;  darkness 
in  the  understanding,  inordinate  af- 
fections in  the  heart ;  dangers,  de- 
grading inclinations,  and  ignomin- 
ious disorders  in  the  senses.  Within 
and  around  us,  numerous  enemies 
of  our  eternal  salvation.  In  our 
will,  weakness,  indecision ;  often, 
and  very  often,  cowardice,  indo- 
lence, and  even  mortal  lethargy. 
Oh,  yes,  assuredly  we  are  much  to 
be  pitied.  Our  misery  is  inexpres- 
sible. At  every  moment,  we  run 
the  risk  of  losing  all,  irrecoverably ; 
of  incurring  an  endless  and  ir- 
retrievable misfortune.  We  have, 
then,  but  too  much  reason  to  ex- 
claim, with  St.  Theresa,  "  Alas  I 
Lord,  so  long  as  this  mortal  life 
endures,  the  eternal  is  always  in 
danger !  0  life,  so  opposed  to  my 
happiness,  why  am  I  not  permitted 
to  end  thee?  I  bear  with  thee, 
because  my  God  bears  with  thee ;  I 
take  care  of  thee,  because  thou  art 
His.  But  do  not  betray  me,  and  be 
not  ungrateful  to  me.  Alas  !  Lord, 
but  my  exile  is  long !  ....  It  is  true 
that   all  time  is   short  to  gain  thy 


•  2  Mach.  L  24,  25. 


*  Apoc.  xxii.  13.        ^    '  Deut,  xxxii.  39.  *  Gen.  xviii.  27.  *  Ps.  xjcxviii.  7. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


579 


eternity ;  but  a  single  day,  a  single 
hour,  is  too  long  for  those  who  fear 
to  offend  thee,  and  who  even  know 
not  whether  they  do  offend  thee!"^ 
We  have  but  too  much  reason  to 
3ry  out  with  the  Apostles,  beaten 
by  the  tempest,  "Lord,  save  us,  or 
we  perish  ;"^  and  with  the  Churcli, 
our  mother,  Lord,  have  mercy  on  us  ! 
It  is  for  us  ever  to  pronounce  these 
words  with  a  lively  sentiment  of 
our  immense  need  of  Divine  com- 
miseration, of  infinite  mercy,  ex- 
ceeding the  vast  extent,  the  pro- 
found depth  of  our  misery.  Pros- 
trate here,  before  the  infinite  majesty 
of  the  Lord,  let  us  say  to  him,  as 
humble  and  most  wretched  petition- 
ers, as  sick  persons  groaning  in 
mortal  anguish,  as  mariners  who 
have  death  before  their  eyes : — 

Supreme  Being,  Being  by  excel- 
lence. Being  of  beings,  from  the 
height  of  thy  supreme  greatness, 
deign  to  hear  our  voice.  It  is  the 
cry  of  nakedness,  the  cry  of  infir- 
mity, of  pain,  of  peril ;  it  is  the  cry 
of  the  heart  which  invokes,  which 
beseeches  thy  omnipotence  and  thy 
infinite  goodness ;   it  is  the  cry  of 

» Elevation  a  Dieu.  »Matt.  viii.  26. 

3  2  Esd.  ix.  31. 


faith,  which  shows  us  in  thee  the 
"God  of  mercy," ^  at  the  same  time 
that  it  makes  us  say.  Lord,  have 
mercy  on  us.  It  is  the  cry  of  faith, 
which  shows  us  also  in  heaven,  near 
the  throne  of  thy  eternal  glory,  a 
mother  whom  thy  Church  makes  us 
call  Mother  of  mercy  ;^  a  mother 
whose  praises  thou  wouldst  have 
"the  whole  earth"  proclaim  as  it 
proclaims  thine  own  ;^  a  mother  to 
whom  it  is  so  sweet  to  send  up  our 
accents  "  of  benediction,"  which  fall 
back  on  our  heads  as  a  dew  of  grace 
and  of  divine  blessing;^  a  mother 
who  prays  for  us,  and  with  whom 
we  unite  in  saying  to  thee — 

Lord,  have  mercy  on  us  I 

Kyrie  eleison  I 


MEDITATION  E. 

CHRIST,  HAVE    MERCY    ON   US. 

THE  soul  that  is  deeply  sensible 
of  its  misery,  and  impressed 
with  the  majesty  of  the  Lord,  from 
whom  alone  it  can  expect  relief, 
strength,    and    salvation,    implores 

*  Salve  Begina,  etc.  »  Habac.  iii.  3. 

•  Numb.  xxiv.  9. 


580 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


\  him  but  with  fear  and  ti-embling. 
It  remains,  as  it  were,  annihilated 
in  presence  of  his  infinite  greatness. 
The  Church  encourages  it  in  the 
second  invocation,  where  she  veils, 
in  some  degree,  the  infinite  distance 
between  God  and  the  creature,  and 
makes  it  consider  Him  to  whom  the 
invocation  is  addressed  under  the 
most  accessible  point  of  view,  and 
in  the  way  best  calculated  to  excite 
hope.  And  what  does  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ  say  to  the  ear  of  Catho- 
lic faith  ?  "  The  Word  made  flesh," 
which  "  dwelt  among  us,  fujl  of 
grace  and  truth  ;"^  the  one  Mediator 
of  God  and  men ;  ^  the  Lamb  of  God, 
who  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the 
world,^  who  was  tempted  in  all 
things  like  as  we  are,  yet  wdthout 
sin,*  who  was  in  all  things  made 
like  unto  us,^  so  that  he  might  com- 
passionate us  as  a  brother,  having 
compassion  on  our  sad  state,  having 
been  man's  companion  in  misfor- 
tune ;  "  the  great  High-priest,  who 
hath  penetrated  the  heavens,  who 
hath  the  key  of  David  ;°  He  that 
openeth,  and  no  man  shutteth."^ 


'  St.  John  i.  14. 
•  1  Tim.  ii  5,  6. 


»  St.  John  i.  29. 
*  Heb.  iv.  15. 


» Heb.  iL  17. 


In  placing  on  our  lips  the  name 
of  that  divine  Pontiff,  the  Church, 
then,  proposes  to  us  the  motive  most 
proper  to  dilate  our  hearts,  com- 
pressed with  fear  ;  she  invites  them, 
in  the  most  effectual  manner,  to  give 
themselves  up  to  the  sentiment  of 
Christian  hope,  which  holds  the  soul 
duly  balanced  between  despair  and 
presumption.  How^  can  we  presume 
on  the  goodness  of  God,  when  we 
believe  that,  to  "  blot  out  the  hand- 
writing of  the  decree  which  was 
against  us,"  it  w^as  necessary  that 
Christ  should  "fasten  it  to  the 
Cross  ?"^  How  can  we  despair  of 
obtaining  strength,  or  the  forgive- 
ness of  our  sins,  how  enormous  so- 
ever they  may  be,  when  we  believe 
that  "  God  so  loved  the  world  as 
to  give  his  only-begotten  Son,  that 
whosoever  believeth  in  him  may  not 
perish,  but  may  have  life  everlast- 
ing?"^ Ah!  we  do  not  justly  ap- 
preciate this  faith  in  Jesus  Christ ; 
we  are  not  sufficiently  sensible  of  its 
advantages.  It  is  a  supernatural 
gift,  which  surpasses  not  only  all 
human  strength,  but  all  human  un- 


«  Heb.  iv.  14 
">  Apoc.  iiL  7. 


'  Colos.  ii.  14. 
»  St.  John  iii.  16, 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


581 


derstanding,  and  all  the  desires 
which  our  nature  is  capable  of 
forming.  It  is  a  gift,  without  which 
it  is  impossible  to  obtain  everlast- 
ing happiness ;  for,  "  without  faith, 
it  is  impossible  to  please  God,"^  and 
how  can  any  one  who  is  not  pleas- 
ing to  God  be  judged  worthy  of  a 
share  in  his  eternal  bliss  ?  It  is  a 
gift  worth  nothing  less  than  eternal 
life,  the  eternal  possession  of  the 
sovereign  good  ;  for  the  divine  Mas- 
ter has  said,  "This  is  life  everlast- 
ing," to  "know  thee,  the  only  true 
God,  and  Jesus  Christ,  whom  thou 
hast  sent."^  ....  And  even  in  this 
world,  is  it  not  the  only  true  happi- 
ness ?  "He  that  heareth  my  word, 
and  believeth  him  that  sent  me," 
says  the  Man-God  once  again,  "  is 
passed  from  death  to  life."^  It  fol- 
lows that  the  life  of  those  who  have 
not  faith  in  Christ  is  death.  In  fact, 
to  be  a  slave  of  "the  Prince  of  Dark- 
ness ;"  *  to  be  destitute  of  infallible 
light,  amid  the  cruel  uncertainty  of 
the  understanding  as  to  the  duties 
of  man  and  his  destiny ;  to  be  with- 
out a  guide,  without  a  pilot  amid 
the  shoals  of  life,  without  consola- 


•  Heb.  xi.  6. 

«  St.  John  xvii.  3. 


s  St.  John  V.  24 
*  Ephes.  vi.  12. 


tion  amid  the  sorrows  of  this  world, 
without  strength  against  the  assault 
of  the  passions,  misfortune,  and 
afflictions ;  to  be  deprived  of  the 
calm,  pure  truth  of  the  teachings  of 
the  Incarnate  Word,  the  incompar- 
able force  of  his  example,  the  inex- 
haustible resources  of  his  merits,  the 
magnificent  hopes  founded  on  his 
word,  what  a  fate  would  that  be ! 
what  a  deplorable  condition!  and 
what  obligation  do  we  not  owe  to 
the  Saviour,  who  has  endowed  us 
with  the  priceless  treasure  of 
faith ! 

0  Jesus  !  0  eternal  Priest !  ador- 
able Pontiff!  divine  victim  of  our 
salvation,  it  is  thou  who  hast  given 
us  our  faith  in  thee ;  be  thou  for- 
ever blessed  by  every  pulsation  of 
our  hearts!  What  thanksgivings 
can  ever  equal  the  favors  he  has 
conferred  upon  us,  for  "  he  hath  not 
done  in  like  manner  to  every  na- 
tion,^ many  of  whom  are  still  seated 
in  the  darkness  and  shadow  of 
death  !"^  ....  Ah!  vouchsafe  to 
"  confirm  what  thou  hast  wrought  in 
us  ;^  deign  to  fructify  the  gift  which 
we  have  received  from  thy  infinite 

<*  Ps.  cxlviL  20.  « St.  Luke  i.  79. 

» Ps.  Ixvii.  29. 


6» 


KKDirATTONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


libeiulity."  Help;  "increase  our 
faith,"*  80  that  it  may  "work  by 
charity."*  It  is  true,  we  are  very 
ungrateful,  very  culpable;  but  are 
we  not  "thy  brethren/"  for  whom 
thou  hast  shed  all  thy  blood  ?  Be- 
hold, moreover,  between  thee  and 
us,  thy  divine  Mother,  "  under  whose 
protection  we  take  refuge"*  in  our 
distress.  Is  not  the  voice  of  Mary 
still  more  powerful  over  thy  heart 
than  was  that  of  Bethsabee  over 
the  heart  of  King  Solomon?  And 
if  that  prince  said  to  his  mother, 
"  Ask,  for  I  must  not  turn  away  my 
face,"*  how  much  more  wilt  thou 
grant  to  the  entreaties  of  her  at 
whose  request  thou  didst  work  thy 
first  miracle  ?®  She  here  interposes 
her  prayer  to  defend  us  from  those 
"dreadful  arrows"^  which  thine 
adorable  heart  desires  so  much  to 
see  changed,  by  our  compunction, 
into  the  bm-ning  dai-ts  of  divine 
love,  as  she  formerly,  in  her  appari- 
tion to  St.  Dominick,  showed  you 
that  faithful  servant  uniting  his  zeal 
with  that  of  St.  Francis  of  Assis- 
sium,  and  thus  appeased  thine  out- 
raged  justice.     Full  of  confidence 

•  St.  Mark  ix.  23  ;  St  Lake  xviL  5.      *  Gal.  v.  6. 
» St  John  XX-  17.    *  Sub  tuum.    »  3  Kings  ii  20. 


*  in  her  maternal  intercession,  we 
venture  to  say  to  thee,  "from  the 
depths"*  of  our  nothingness — 

Christ,  have  mercy  on  us  I 

Christe  eleison  I 


MEDITATION  in. 

lord,  have  mercy  on  us. 

AFTER  having  penetrated  our 
hearts  with  the  sentiment  of 
Christian  hope,  exciting  our  faith 
in  the  divine  Mediator,  the  Church 
makes  us  repeat,  Lord^  have  mercy 
on  us!  It  is  that,  the  adorable 
name  of  Jesus,  once  piously  in- 
voked, the  name  of  Lord  given  to 
God  need  no  longer  inspire  us  with 
terror.  K  the  Man-God  vouchsafes 
to  cover  us  with  his  infinite  merits 
as  with  a  shield,  why  should  we 
henceforth  tremble  before  the  su- 
preme Majesty?  Why  should  we 
imitate  Adam,  when,  after  his  fall, 
he  was  so  afraid  of  God  that  he 
became,  in  some  degree,  senseless  ? 
for  he  sought  to  hide  himself  from 
his  presence,^  as   though  he  knew 


«  St.  John  ii.  3,  4 
'  Job  vi  4. 


•  Ps.  cxxix.  1. 

•  Gen.  iii.  10. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


583 


not  that  "  there  is  no  creature  invis- 
ible in  his  sight;  but  all  things 
are  naked  and  open  to  His  eyes,^ 
to  whom  darkness  is  not  dark,  and 
night  as  the  light  of  day."^  ....  Ah, 
why  should  we  not,  rather,  speak  to 
the  Sovereign  Master,  in  the  name 
of  that  sweet  Saviour,  with  filial 
confidence,  since  it  was  he  who 
"  sent  his  Son,  that  we  might  re- 
ceive the  adoption  of  sons,  and 
who  sent  the  Spirit  of  his  Son  into 
our  hearts,  crying,  Abba,  Father?"^ 
Prodigious  honor,  prodigious  favor 
conferred  on  guilty  man!  That 
God,  from  whom  we  deserved  only 
condemnation,  is  not  content  with 
redeeming  us,  with  restoring  us  by 
his  only  Son;  he  would,  moreover, 
"  that  we  should  be  named,  and 
should  be  the  sons  of  God."* .... 
"Behold,"  then,  "what  manner  of 
charity  the  Father  hath  bestowed 
upon  us;"^  behold  what  we  owe  to 
the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ.  They 
have  so  admirably  "  reconciled  all 
things"'^  that  they  have  made  man, 
reprobate  man,  doomed  to  hell  by 
the  infinite  justice  of  God,  the  be- 
loved child  of  God  himself. 


>  Heb.  iv.  13. 
*  Ps.  cxxxviii.  12. 


'  Gal.  iv.  4,  5,  6. 
*  1  John  iii.  L 


It  is  true,  we  have  lost  sight  of 
that  high  dignity  conferred  upon  us 
by  baptism;  it  is  true  we  have 
diminished,  by  faults  "which  are 
not  unto  death,"^  or  have  even  for- 
feited, by  mortal  sin,  the  rights 
appertaining  to  that  fair  title.  But, 
however  that  may  be,  we  are  still 
entitled  to  rely  on  the  merits  of  the 
Saviour,  to  recover,  by  the  means 
which  himself  has  provided  for  us, 
the  high  position  from  which  we 
may  have  fallen.  Yes,  that  infinite 
treasure  of  his  mortal  life,  his  suffer- 
ings and  his  immolation  on  Calvary, 
Jesus  Chi'ist  has  irrevocably  placed 
in  our  hands.  He  has  given  it  to 
us ;  he  has  made  it,  as  it  were,  our 
inalienable  property;  and,  till  our 
latest  moment,  we  may  use  it  to  im- 
plore the  Lordy  and  to  obtain  the 
graces  of  which  we  stand  in  need. 
For  Jesus  himself  has  said,  "  If  you 
ask  the  Father  anything  in  my 
name,  he  will  give  it  to  you."^  Oh, 
with  what  honor,  riches,  and  power, 
it  has  pleased  God  to  endow  the 
Christian  soul!  And  what  faithful 
heart  will  not  be  happy  to  borrow 
here  the  sublime  words  of  the  holy 


»  1  John  iii  1. 
«  Colos.  i.  20. 


'  1  John  V.  16. 
•  St  John  xvi.  23. 


6S4 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


man  Job,  "  Wliat  is  man,  that  tliou  f 
shouldst  magnify  kjm  ?"^ 

In  repeating  to  God,  Lord^  have 
mercy  on  us  I  let  us  then  internally 
prostrate  ourselves  before  him  ;  let 
us  be  seized  with  admiration  and 
motionless  surprise,  that  we  may, 
at  any  moment,  speak  to  a  God  so 
great,  and  that  a  God  so  great 
should  deign  to  lend  an  ear  to  creat- 
ures so  degraded  by  sin.  But  at 
the  same  time  let  us  expand  our 
hearts,  and  pour  them  forth,  as  it 
were,  into  the  bosom  of  a  father  who 
cannot  help  cherishing  a  tender  love 
for  his  children.  For  when  we  unite 
with  Jesus,  and  appear  before  God 
in  the  adorable  person  of  his  Son, 
it  is  impossible  that  this  cry  of 
the  heart  calling  on  him  for  mercy 
should  not  be  graciously  heard. 
Om*  voice,  united  with  that  of  our 
divine  Mediator,  changes  its  nature, 
if  we  may  say  so;  it  loses  its  hu- 
man qualities,  its  weakness  and 
unworthiness,  and  its  great  defile- 
ment, to  participate  in  the  strength, 
the  purity,  the  divine  sanctity,  the 
divine  efficacy  of  the  voice  of  Jesus. 

Lord,   it    is    in   the    name,   and 


•  Job  vii.  17. 
»  Ps.  cxli.  3. 


3  Gal.  iv.  7. 
*  Heb.  X.  19 


through  the  infinite  merits  of  the 
Mediator  whom  thou  hast  had  the 
ineifablc  charity  to  give  us ;  it  is  in 
him  and  by  him  that  we  pour  out 
our  prayer  in  thy  sight,  and  before 
thee  declare  our  trouble,^  crying, 
Have  inercy  on  us !  "  We  are  no 
more  servants,  but  sons,  and  if  sons, 
heirs  also,"^  "through  Christ,  by 
whose  blood  we  have  a  confidence 
in  the  entering  into  the  sanctuary."* 
We  are  "  his  brethren,  he  is  the 
first-born  amongst  us,^  but  we  are 
joint  heirs  with  him.'"*  "We  go, 
then,  with  confidence  to  the  throne 
of  grace,  that  we  may  obtain 
mercy,"  ^  and  that  we  may  entreat 
thee  to  have  mercy  on  us  as  thou 
wouldst  have  mercy  on  himself,  if 
it  were  possible  that  he  could  be  in 
the  state  of  necessity  and  of  danger 
in  which  we  are.  Ah,  Lord,  it  is 
no  longer  we  who  address  thee ;  it 
is  He  himself,  our  divine  brother, 
who  says  to  thee,  by  our  heart  and 
tongue.  Have  mercy  on  us  I  and, 
with  him,  his  august  Mother,  that 
cherished  daughter  of  heaven,  who 
tells  thee  she  is  "our  sister;"^  that 
she   is  "our  kinswoman   according 


•  Rom.  viii.  29. 

*  Eom.  viiL  17. 


'  Heb.  iv.  16. 
•  Gea.  xii.  13. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED    VIRGIN. 


585 


to  the  flesh  ^  in  which  Jesus  Christ 
came"^ — Jesus  Christ,  "the  lion  of 
the  tribe  of  Juda,"^  who  triumphed 
over  death  by  his  resurrection,  over 
the  corruption  of  the  world  by  his 
admirable  purity  and  infinite  sanc- 
tity, over  the  devil  by  the  glory  and 
power  of  the  Cross.  In*  the  name 
of  that  divine  Saviour,  and  in  union 
with  Mary,  we  once  more  cry  out  to 
thee — 

Lord,  have  mercy  on  us  I 

Kyrie  eleison  ! 


MEDITATION   lY. 

CHRIST,  HEAR  US  I 

THE  more  we  unite  our  heart 
and  voice  with  the  heart  and 
voice  of  Jesus,  to  implore  the  divine 
goodness  and  mercy,  the  more  our 
prayer  ascends  towards  the  throne 
of  the  Eternal  as  "an  odor  of  sweet- 
ness."^ Here,  then,  in  order  to  ex- 
cite a  more  lively  faith  and  confi- 
dence in  that  "  Mediator  of  the  New 
Testament,^  who  is  able  also  to  save 
forever  them  that   come  unto  God 


'  Rom.  ix.  3. 
^  1  John  iv.  2 


3  Apoc.  V.  5. 
*  Ephes.  V.  2. 


* 


by  himself;"^  in  order  to  enter  in- 
timately into  the  admirable  disposi- 
tions of  his  adorable  heart,  praying 
solemnly,  on  the  eve  of  his  death, 
"for  those  who  should  believe  in 
him,"  ^  let  us  once  more  address  our- 
selves to  Him,  beseeching  him  to 
liear  us.  Not  that  his  ear  is  ever 
closed  against  us,  or  that  his  heart 
is  not  ever  disposed  to  hear  those 
whom  he  loved  more  than  himself ; 
but  we  entreat  him  to  hear  us,  as  a 
good  father  hears  his  poor  children^ 
or  a  kind  mother  the  cherished  fruit 
of  her  womb,  however  ungrateful  we 
may  have  hitherto  been.  We  ask 
him  to  hear  us  with  that  ear  of  the 
heart  which  listens  with  tender  in- 
terest to  a  beloved  voice,  which 
answers  that  voice  with  overflowing 
kindness  and  affection,  and  estab- 
lishes between  himself  and  the 
Christian  soul  an  ineffable  com- 
munion of  sentiments  worthy  the 
admiration  of  the  angels  themselves. 
Ah,  blessed  is  the  soul  which,  pos- 
sessing the  inestimable  gift  of  sanc- 
tifying grace,  can  speak  thus  to 
Jesus  as  friend  to  friend,  as  the 
Spouse  in  the  Canticles  to  her  be- 

»  Heb.  ix.  15.  «  Heb.  vii.  26. 

»  St.  John  xvii.  20. 


686 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


loved,  her  adorable  Spouse!  Blessed 
are  they  who  can  say,  with  a  just 
confidence,  "  My  beloved  to  me,  and 
I  to  him,"^  and  who  deserve  to  hear, 
in  their  intimate  connection  with 
the  divine  Jesus,  those  words  so 
consoling,  so  full  of  heavenly  sweet- 
ness, "Let  thy  voice  sound  in  my 
ears,  0  my  love,  for  thy  voice  is 
sweet^  .  .  .  ." 

But,  alas!  our  want  of  fidelity, 
our  want  of  zeal,  our  want  of  faith 
and  charity,  often  deprive  us  of 
these  delightful  communings  with 
God.  We  admit  a  third  party  be- 
tween him  and  us;  we  divide  a 
heart  which  is  his  by  so  many 
titles.  We  persist  in  fostering  in- 
clinations, passions,  small,  it  is  true, 
but  still  displeasing  to  him,  and  in- 
fringing on  the  absolute  right  which 
he  has  to  be  preferred  to  all  with- 
out reserve;  and  he  punishes  us 
but  too  justly  by  the  privation  of 
those  favors  whose  value  neither 
men  nor  angels  can  estimate,  or 
describe  in  adequate  terms. 

Yet  we  must  not  be  discouraged, 
though  our  infirmity  leaves  us  little 
hope  of  always  maintaining  with 
Jesus  this  inefiable  connection,  the 


'  Cant.  u.  16. 


lot  of  predestined  souls.  Wliatever 
we  are,  we  may  and  should  aspire 
to  go  far  enough  into  the  privacy 
of  his  adorable  heart  to  enjoy  his 
friendship,  to  persevere  in  his  grace, 
to  live  and  die  in  his  holy  love.  .  .  . 
Ah,  let  us  studiously  avoid  all  that 
might  break  or  even  loosen  the  sa- 
cred bond  which  unites  us  to  that 
divine  Saviour.  Let  us,  on  the  con- 
trary, do  all  we  can  to  strengthen  it 
every  day,  every  hour,  so  that  we 
may  die  in  that  holy  exercise  of  the 
truly  Christian  heart. 

0  Jesus !  0  thou  who  "  knowest 
so  well  how  to  be  a  friend,"^  who 
art  so  admirable  in  thine  efi'usions 
of  love  to  hearts  that  thou  findest 
void  of  creatures  and  of  self,  be  glo- 
rified on  earth  as  in  heaven,  for  that 
thou  vouchsafest  to  cherish  in  so 
marvellous  a  manner  souls  so  little 
worthy  of  thee.  Let  those,  espe- 
cially, who  have  the  happiness  of 
"  tasting  and  seeing  how  sweet  thou 
art"^  in  thy  divine  favors,  unite  to 
sing  with  transport  the  name  and 
heart  of  their  adorable  Spouse.  .  .  . 
But  let  those  who  can  only  admire 
from  afar  the  ineffable  mysteries  of 
thy  love,   celebrate,  at  least,   with 


»  Cant.  ii.  14.        ^        '  Life  of  St.  Theresa,  ch.  xxv.     *  Ps.  xxxiii.  9. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


687 


a  lively  sentiment  of  gratitude, 
the  incomparable  goodness  which 
prompts  thee  to  hear  the  voice  of 
their  supplication.  0  good  and 
gracious  Jesus,  it  seems  as  though 
we  heard  thee  say  from  the  highest 
heavens,  "I  have  heard  the  groan- 
ing of  the  children  of"  the  new  "Is- 
rael ;  ^  I  will  hear  them,  and  forgive 
their  sins."^  We  entreat  thee,  with 
all  the  fervor  of  our  hearts,  to  pre- 
serve us  from  ever  displeasing  thee, 
especially  so  as  to  lose  thy  grace. 
And  if  we  had  that  misfortune,  we 
beseech  thee  beforehand  to  save  us 
from  the  fatal  consequences  which 
so  often  follow  the  loss  of  thy  divine 
love.  How  great  is  the  favor  which 
we  thus  ask  of  thee !  But  it  is 
Mary,  our  mother,  who  bears  to  the 
throne  of  Thy  mercy  the  humble 
supplications  of  her  children,  pre- 
sented by  our  angels  to  her  who 
is  their  Queen.  Oh,  preserve  us, 
through  her,  from  all  sin ;  preserve 
us  from  the  just  severity  of  thy 
slighted  and  outraged  love;  pre- 
serve us  from  the  unclean  spirit, 
from  all  that  dishonors  man  in  thy 
sight ;  preserve  us  from  all  the  dis- 
eases of  the  soul,  and  from  all  the 


*  bodily  ills  that  might  injure  the 
soul ;  preserve  us  from  the  bolts  of 
thy  justice,  from  a  sudden  and  un- 
provided death.  Vouchsafe  to  grant 
us  the  grace  of  "being  always  thine, 
whether  we  live  or  whether  we 
die."^  Sweet  Lord  Jesus,  we  be- 
seech thee  hear  us. 

Christ,  hear  us  I 
Christe,  avdi  nos. 


>  Exod.  vi.  5. 


»  2  Paral.  vii.  14. 


MEDITATION   Y. 

CHRIST,    GRACIOUSLY    HEAR    US  I 

IT  is  not  enough  to  have  said  to 
Jesus,  Hear  us ;  the  Church  re- 
peats the  adorable  name  of  Christ, 
and  adds,  Graciously  hear  us.  And 
why  do  we  repeat  a  name  which  has 
been  just  pronounced  ?  It  is  that  a 
name  so  sweet  and  precious,  a  name 
of  help  and  consolation,  a  name  of 
benediction  and  of  salvation,  can 
be  uttered  again  and  again,  with- 
out danger  of  weariness  or  disgust. 
On  the  contrary,  the  oftener  it 
reaches  the  ear  and  the  heart,  the 
more  unction,  the  more  sweetness 
does  it  bring  wiv/h  it.     It  is,  more- 

»  Eom.  xiv.  8. 


688 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


over,  that  wretched  degraded  chil- 
dren, as  we  all  are  from  the  fall 
of  our  first  father,  unhappy  exiles, 
voyagere  on  an  ocean  so  exposed  to 
tempests,  so  full  of  quicksands,  so 
fruitful  in  shipwrecks,  we  can  never 
have  recourse  too  often  to  a  name 
BO  powerful.  Ah,  when  we  know 
and  believe  that  "■  there  is  no  other 
name  given  to  men  whereby  they 
may  be  saved ;"^  that  "in  that 
name  every  knee  should  bow  of 
those  that  are  in  heaven,  on  earth, 
and  in  hell;"^  that  by  that  name 
the  Apostles  wrought  the  most  stu- 
pendous miracles;^  that  even  yet, 
in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  the 
most  marvellous  effects  are  every 
day  produced  by  the  sacraments, 
effects  which,  though  invisible,  are 
none  the  less  admirable  prodigies — 
knowing  and  believing  all  this,  we 
must  find  happiness  in  pronouncing 
and  invoking  that  divine  name.  We 
derive  from  that  invocation  a  pro- 
found sentiment  of  joy  and  relief,  a 
mild  light  which  guides  us  securely 
through  the  shades  of  this  life,  a 
firm  courage,  a  persevering  energy 
in  defending  ourselves  from  the  en- 


'  Acts  iv.  12. 


»  PhU.  ii.  10. 


3  Acts  iii.  6. 


t  emies  of  our  salvation.  For  the 
name  of  the  Spouse  in  the  Canticles 
"is  as  oil  poured  out;"*  "it  lights," 
says  St.  Bernard,  "  it  nourishes  and 
softens,  it  strengthens,  it  even  saves 
the  soul  from  despair."* 

But  why  say  to  Jesus  Christ, 
Graciously  hear  us  ?  Had  not  Hear 
us,  as  we  have  seen,  its  sweetness 
and  its  charm?  "Would  it  lose, 
then,  in  being  repeated?  .  .  .  Un- 
doubtedly not;  but  the  Church 
hereby  insinuates  to  us  that  Jesus 
may  sometimes  hear  us,  without 
being  disposed  to  answer  our  pray- 
ers. In  fact,  he  defers,  in  certain 
circumstances,  granting  us  the  ob- 
ject of  our  petitions,  how  humble 
and  fervent  soever  they  may  be,  in 
order  to  excite  our  faith  more  and 
more,  to  inflame  our  ardor  and  our 
zeal,  and  to  procure  for  us  the  great 
merit  of  perseverance.  And  as  we 
are  tempted  too  often  to  be  discour- 
aged by  such  trials,  we  entreat 
Jesus  to  free  us  from  that  danger. 
Ah,  let  us,  then,  earnestly  beseech 
that  Mediator,  so  good,  so  benefi- 
cent, so  devoted  to  oui  interest,  to 
"make  haste  iq,  help   us."®     Yet, 

*  Cant.  i.  2.  *  Serm.  xv.  super  Gantica. 

e  Ps.  Ixix.  2. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  YIROIN. 


589 


nevertheless,  if  it  please  his  ador- 
able Providence  to  subject  us  to  the 
holy  probation  of  delay,  in  regard 
to  our  demands,  let  us  entreat  him 
no  less  earnestly  to  grant  us  the 
precious  grace  of  perseverance  in 
prayer.  Discouragement  is,  in  fact, 
injurious  to  the  infinite  goodness 
and  mercy  of  God,  the  truth  of  his 
promises,  the  infinite  merits  of  Je- 
sus, the  efiicacy  of  which  we  seem 
to  doubt  when  we  cease  to  implore 
the  Lord  if  we  do  not  immediately 
obtain  what  we  ask.  Perseverance, 
on  the  contrary,  in  fidelity  to  prayer, 
even  when  it  pleases  God  to  appear 
deaf  to  the  groaning  of  our  hearts, 
is  a  beautiful  homage  rendered  to 
his  perfections.  It  makes  us  adore 
his  goodness,  his  mercy,  his  infalli- 
bility, even  when  they  seem  to  hide 
from  us — his  wisdom,  his  provi- 
dence, when  their  ways  are  the 
most  inscrutable — with  as  much 
faith  as  though  they  were  clearly 
visible  in  the  success  of  our  de- 
mands. It  makes  us,  besides,  place 
all  our  hopes  in  the  infinite  merits 
of  the  Saviour,  even  when  they 
seem  to  have  lost  their  efiicacy  in 
our  behalf,  with  as  much  firmness 


'  1  John  ii.  1. 


« 1  Cor.  xiL  3. 


as  though  we  felt  their  powerful 
effects. 

0  Jesus,  who,  to  manifest  the 
plenitude  of  thy  mercy,  made  thy- 
self "our  advocate  with  the  Fa- 
ther,"^ permit  not  that  we  should 
ever  cease  to  implore  thy  love,  al- 
though our  prayers  appear  useless. 
Grant,  rather,  through  thine  all- 
powerful  grace,  without  which  we 
cannot  even  "pronounce  thy  name,"^ 
that  we  may  redouble  our  confidence 
and  fervor,  when  thou  seemest  not 
to  hear  our  voice.  0  thou  whose 
tenderness  has  vouchsafed  to  rep- 
resent itself  to  us  under  the  touch- 
ing figure  of  "  the  hen  gathering  her 
chickens  under  her  wings,"  ^  our  filial 
confidence  makes  us  pour  forth  into 
thine  adorable  heart  our  pains  and 
our  sorrows,  our  woes  and  our  sup- 
plications. Oh !  that  we  may  ever 
persevere  in  that  holy  confidence, 
through  the  intercession  of  thy  di- 
vine Mother !  It  is  by  her  sacred 
hands  that  we  present  all  our  de- 
mands ;  it  is  through  her  that  we 
hope  to  obtain  grace  to  pray  with- 
out ceasing,  till  she  is  moved  to  say 
to  our  angels :  "  The  Lord  has  heard 
me"*  on  behalf  of  my  faithful  sup- 


3  St.  Matt,  xxiii.  37. 


*  Deut.  ix.  19. 


690 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


plicants;  "go,  ye  swift  angels,"^  con- 
vey the  blessing  of  my  Son  to  those 
who  unceasingly  say  to  him  : 

Christ,  graciously  hear  us. 

ChristBj  eocavdi  nos. 


MEDITATION  YI. 

GOD,  THE  FATHER  OP  HEAVEN,  HAVE 
MERCY  ON  us. 

RESTING  on  the  infinite  merits 
of  Jesus  Christ,  and  closely 
united  with  him,  as  our  divine  Me- 
diator, by  the  preceding  supplica- 
tion, we  may  and  ought  to  implore, 
with  new  confidence,  the  most  Holy 
and  most  August  Trinity. 

The  Church  makes  us  successively 
invoke  the  three  divine  persons,  and 
first  of  all  she  teaches  us  to  say: 
Gody  the  Father  of  Heaven,  have  mercy 
(must 

God,  the  Father  of  Heaven  ....  Is 
not  the  Deity  on  earth,  then,  as  well 
as  in  heaven  ?  Does  he  not  fill  the 
universe  with  the  majesty  of  his 
presence?  Did  not  the  prophet- 
king,  soaring  on  the  wings  of  faith 
and  love,  find  him  equally  present, 

'  Is.  xviiL  2. 


*  equally  adorable,  "in  heaven,  in 
hell,  in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
sea,  in  the  light  of  day,  and  in  the 
darkness  of  night  ? "  ^ .  .  .  .  Ah  I  un- 
doubtedly, God  is  everywhere.  He 
is  everywhere  by  his  knowledge,  for 
he  knows  and  sees  all  things;  by 
his  power,  for  in  any  place  what- 
soever he  has  but  to  will,  and  his 
will  is  instantly  done :  even  nothing 
itself  hastens  to  obey  him.  He  is 
everywhere  by  his  essence,  for  he  is 
infinite,  and  the  infinite  knows  nei- 
ther measure  nor  distance,  nor  any 
bounds.  "  In  him  we  live,  and  we 
move,  and  we  are."^  He  surrounds 
us,  he  penetrates  us  with  his  knowl- 
edge, his  power,  his  invisible  es- 
sence, as  the  sun  surrounds  and 
penetrates  the  crystal  with  his  im- 
palpable rays.  "Wo,  then,  to  us,  if 
we  banish  him,  in  thought,  to  heav- 
en, as  to  a  distant  palace,  far  away 
from  the  voice  of  our  supplication  I 
"We  should,  thereby,  commit  a  griev- 
ous mistake,  and,  by  detaching  God 
from  this  sad  world,  render  our  un- 
happy lot,  as  children  of  Adam, 
worse  than  it  really  is. 

No,  truly,  God  is  not  far  from  us : 
he  is  in  us,  and  we  are  in  him.    It 


•  Ps.  cxxxviii.  8,  9,  12. 


3  Acts  xvii.  28. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


59] 


needs  no  effort  to  send  up  to  him 
the  sighs  and  supplications  of  our 
exile :  he  whose  mercy  we  solicit  is 
more  present  to  us  than  we  are  to 
ourselves.  May  we  never  forget 
that  saving  truth ! 

Why,  then,  once  more,  the  words 
Father   of  heaven  f  .  .  .  .  Ah !   it   is 
that  in  heaven  God   has   prepared 
for  his  elect  a  delightful  dwelling, 
an    everlasting    home,    an    eternal 
kingdom,  where,  without  being  any 
more  present  than  he  is  elsewhere, 
he  manifests  his  adorable  presence 
to  the  angels  and  saints.     There  he 
shows  himself  to  them,  for  it  is  writ- 
ten, "We  shall  see  him  as  he  is,"^ 
that  is  to  say,  in  his  beauty,  in  his 
truth,  in  his  goodness,  in  his  power, 
in   his  love,  in   all  his  perfections. 
Here   below   nothing   could    satisfy 
our  desires,  however  fortunate   our 
life    might    be,    according    to    the 
world  ;  however  multiplied,  however 
varied   might  be    our    enjoyments, 
still  the  banishment  made  itself  felt 
in  one  way  or  another.     And,  more- 
over, is  not  the  whole  life  long,  for 
the  greater  part  of  mankind,  but  one 
tissue  of  fatigue,  weariness,  disgust, 
grief,  suffering  of  every  kind  .... 

» 1  John  iii.  2. 


*  Hence,  we  all  sigh,  more  or  less, 
and  all  eat  the  bread  of  bitterness, 
moistened  even  with  tears.  Were, 
then,  the  gratuitous  goodness  of 
God  to  offer  us  only  a  natural  hap- 
piness in  the  world  to  come,  we 
ought  to  praise  and  bless  him  for- 
ever, and  to  seek  that  happiness 
with  the  greatest  eagerness.  To  be 
eternally  exempt  from  the  ills  of 
this  world,  to  be  eternally  sheltered 
from  indigence,  disease,  pain,  mourn- 
ing, from  all  trouble,  from  all  sad- 
ness, would  not  even  that  be  too 
much  for  such  miserable,  guilty 
creatures  ?  .  . .  .  But,  0  prodigy  of 
goodness  I  God  is  so  generous  as 
to  call  us  to  a  supernatural  bliss,  to 
a  bliss  with  which  our  nature  has 
no  proportion,  which  is  immeasur- 
ably beyond  all  the  aspirations  of 
our  heart,  all  the  dreams  of  our 
imagination,  to  a  bliss  which  is 
nothing  less  than  a  participation  in 
the  divine  nature.^  How  can  we 
but  esteem  and  ardently  desire  such 
happiness  ?  how  can  we  esteem  and 
desire  it  without  the  liveliest  appre- 
hension of  not  fultilling  as  faithfully 
as  we  should  the  conditions  neces- 
sary to   obtain   it?    Let  us,   then, 

» 2  Peter  i.  4. 


592 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LIT  ANT  OF  TEE  BLESSED  VIIiOIN. 


beseech  God,  with  all  the  fervor  of  f 
our  soul,  to  have  mercy  on  us  I 

0  God,  t/ie  Father  of  IveaveUy  have 
mercy  on  us,  0  Father,  "  who  hath 
predestined  us  unto  the  adoption  of 
children,  through  Jesus  Christ,"  ^  and 
who  hast  loved  us  so  as  to  make  us 
thy  "  heirs  and  co-heii's,"  ^  vouchsafe 
"  to  enlighten  the  eyes  of  our  heart, 
that  we  may  know  what  is  the  hope 
of  thy  calling,  and  what  are  the 
riches  of  the  glory  of  thine  inherit- 
ance in  the  saints."^  May  the  sight 
of  that  inheritance  wherein  ''thou 
shalt  make  them  drink  of  the  tor- 
rent of  thy  pleasure,"*  inspire  us 
with  the  ardor,  the  courage,  the 
strength  required  "to  run  in  the  list 
so  that  we  may  obtain  the  prize,"  ^ 
and  "  the  crown  of  life,  promised  to 
those  who  love  thee."^  And  thou, 
0  Mary  I  show,  by  the  effects  of  thy 
protection,  "whose  daughter  thou 
art."  ^  We  delight  to  offer  thee  that 
homage  of  the  faithful  heart !  Hail, 
daiighter  of  God  the  Father!  Such 
thou  art  by  a  title  infinitely  more 
precious  than  the  other  daughters 
of  Eve,  0  thou!  mother  of  the 
^'Word   made  flesh;"®    and   whilst 

>  Ephes.  i.  5.     «  Rom.  viii.  17.     »  Ephes.  i.  18. 
*  Ps.  3JU.V.  9.  •  1  Cor.  ix.  24. 


thou  wert  still  on  earth  thou  couldsl 
say  to  him,  with  a  thousand  times 
more  confidence  than  we,  his  adopt- 
ed children :  Our  Fatlier  who  art  in 
heaven.  Grant,  then,  0  Mary  1  that, 
by  thy  powerful  intercession,  we  may 
address  him  in  this  humble  prayer: 
God,  the  Father  of  h^javen,  have 

MERCY  ON  us. 

Pater  de  coelis,  Dens,  miserere  nobis. 


MEDITATION  YII. 

GOD,  THE  SON,  REDEEMER  OF  THE  WORLD, 
have  MERCY  ON  US. 

THIS  invocation  of  the  Son  of 
God,  "  consubstantial  to  the 
Father,  true  God  of  true  God,"^  re- 
minds the  Christian  soul  of  the 
great,  the  ineffable  mystery  of  the 
world's  redemption :  a  mystery  in- 
effable in  itself,  ineffable  in  its  mar- 
vellous effects. 

It  is,  then,  true  that,  from  the 
Redemption  wrought  on  Calvary, 
the  salvation  of  man  is  purchased 
by  the  death  of  a  God.  He  who 
feared   not  to   humble   himself  by 


«  St.  James  L  12. 
'  Gen.  xxiv.  23. 


8  St.  John  i.  14. 
•  Nicene  Creed. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIBGIN 


593 


being  "  made  flesh,"^  thought  not  that  * 
he  made  too  great  a  sacrifice  by 
suffering  and  dying  for  us  the  most 
ignominious  and  cruel  death.  Oh! 
but  we  "  are  bought,"  then,  "  with  a 
great  price !"^  and  what  a  high 
vahie  we  should  set  on  our  souls! 
How  important  we  should  consider 
all  that  can  increase  its  dignity 
before  God,  and  contribute  to  adorn 
its  immortal  crown !  and  how  care- 
ftilly,  how  anxiously  should  we  avoid 
all  that  may  impede  its  salvation  ! 

We  were  lost,  lost  forever:  in 
consequence  of  the  guilty  fall  of  the 
first  man,  we  were  all  struck  with 
an  eternal  anathema.  An  expia- 
tion was  required,  and  an  expiation 
of  infinite  value,  to  satisfy  the  in- 
finite majesty  of  God  outraged  by 
sin.  But  who  was  capable  of  mak- 
ing this  atonement  ?  Was  it  men  ? 
Certainly  not.  Was  it  angels  ?  No ; 
they  are  pure,  elevated,  sublime ; 
but  there  is  between  them  and  the 
Infinite  an  infinite  distance.  Our 
misfortune  was,  therefore,  without 
remedy,  without  hope  ....  Yes,  if 
the  eternal  Son  of  God  became  not 
"our  victim  of  propitiation."^     He 


'  St.  John  i.  14. 
» 1  Cor.  vi.  20. 


» 1  John  ii.  2. 
*  Is.  liii.  6. 


i» 


clothed  himself  with  our  nature, 
and,  entering  into  the  world,  said  to 
the  Most  High:  Behold  me  ready 
for  the  sacrifice ;  he  took  "  upon 
himself  all  our  iniquities;"*  he  gave 
himself  up  to  be  "  wounded  for  our 
iniquities,  and  bruised  for  our  sins,"^ 
in  order  that  justice  and  peace 
might  kiss^  "in  his  person."  He 
even  went  so  far  as  to  desire,  with 
unequalled  ardor,  to  suffer  and  to 
die  for  us  ;  ^  and  that  burning  desire 
was  accomplished  in  his  passion. 
Oh !  yes,  accomplished :  what  is  the 
Saviour's  passion  but  one  continued 
series  of  suffering  of  mind  and  heart 
— a  succession  of  unheard-of  pains 
and  sacrifices  for  worthless  and  un- 
grateful sinners  ?  .  .  .  . 

In  presence  of  a  devotion  so  ca- 
pable of  exciting  our  devotion,  and 
of  making  our  hearts  throb  with  the 
liveliest  gratitude  and  the  most  ten- 
der affection,  let  us  first  pause  a 
moment,  while  we  adore,  in  the  si- 
lence of  admiration,  that  mystery 
which  entrances  the  angels.  Let 
us,  then,  contemplate  that  "great 
mystery  ;"^  let  us  study  and  fathom, 
as  far  as  our  limited  reason  can,  the 


*  Is.  liii.  5. 

«  Ps.  Ixxxiv.  11. 


»  St.  Luke  xii.  50. 
8  Tim.  iii.  16. 


69i 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


Becret  depths  of  the  love  and  mercy  f 
of  our  God.     Immei*sed  in  that  bot- 
tomless and  shoreless  ocean,  let  us 
give  up  our    hearts  to    the  pious 
transports  wherewith  it  may  please 

God    to   animate   them And 

then  we  shall  admire  "the  abundant 
riches  of  his  grace,"  ^  of  which  re- 
demption is  the  source. 

Sanctifying  grace !  sublime  and 
supernatural  gift  I  It  marvellously 
unites  our  soul  to  God,  communi- 
cates to  it  a  divine  life,  a  life  which 
is  the  beginning  of  the  life  of  heav- 
en, for  St.  Paul  says  that  "  the  grace 
of  God  is  life  everlasting."^  And 
this  divine  life  of  our  soul,  which 
the  sacraments  are  intended  to  give, 
to  maintain,  to  increase,  to  restore, 
when  we  have  had  the  misfortune 
of  losing  it,  this  divine  life  imparts 
to  all  our  acts  an  admirable  power, 
that  of  meriting  an  eternal  reward, 
and  of  constantly  increasing  our 
eternal  happiness  and  glory.  Yes, 
by  sanctifying  grace  we  may  make 
of  our  smallest  actions  works  so 
precious  that  each  of  them  is  pre- 
ferable to  all  the  treasures  of  the 
earth ;   we  may,  in  one  moment,  do 


» Ephes.  ii.  7. 


» Eom.  vL  23. 


•  Ps.  xci.  6. 


more,  by  a  single  secret  act  of  the 
will  which  loves  God,  than  all  men 
together  could  do,  in  thousands  of 
ages,  by  all  their  natural  force. 

"  Wonderful !  wonderful ! "  is  all 
that  we  can  say,  0  adorable  Son  of 
the  eternal  Father,  when  we  con- 
sider the  ineffable  work  of  our  re- 
demption by  thy  blood,  and  the 
precious  fruits  that  we  daily  gather 
from  it.  Oh!  how  justly  does  the 
apostle  St.  Paul  tell  us  that  thon 
hast  loved  us  to  excess!  and  how 
well  may  we  exclaim :  "  The 
thoughts  "  of  thy  love  "  are  exceed- 
ing deep;"^  too  deep  for  our  lim- 
ited understanding;  thy  greatness 
is  far  beyond  our  praise ;  thou  art 
greater  than  our  imagination  can 
conceive,  "greater  than  our  heart!"* 
it  cannot  repay  such  love  as  thine, 
even  by  giving  all  its  love.  ""We 
know  that  thou  livest,  divine  Re- 
deemer, and  this,  our  hope,  is  laid 
up  in  our  bosom,^  for  thou  livest  to 
make  intercession  for  us."^  Let  not 
thy  blood,  the  merits  of  which  flow 
incessantly  on  the  earth,  become 
useless  through  our  fault.  The 
voice  of  that   precious  blood  says 

*  1  John  iii.  20.  "  Job  xix.  25,  27. 

•Heb.  vii.  25. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


595 


to  thy  Father  :  "  Save  my  people,"  ^ 
my  "pm-chased  people  ;"^  and  Mary 
says  with  thee :  ^'  My  people  for 
which  I  request."^  Ah!  suffer  us 
not,  by  the  abuse  of  thy  grace,  to 
paralyze  the  efficacy  of  thy  media- 
tion and  the  intercession  of  her 
whom  we  happily  hail  as  "  Mother 
of  tJie  Son  of  God!'' 

0  God,  the  Son,  Redeemer  of  the 
World,  have  mercy  on  us. 

Fili  Redemptor,  Mundi  Deus,  mis- 
erere nobis. 


MEDITATION  YEI. 

god,  the  holy  ghost,  have  mercy 
on  us. 

GOD  is  love,"  says  St.  John,* 
The  Father,  then,  is  love,  the 
Son  is  love,  the  Holy  Ghost  is  love. 
But  the  works  of  divine  love,  con- 
sequently the  operations  of  grace, 
whether  on  the  mind  or  on  the 
heart,  are  attributed  to  the  Holy 
Ghost,  although  they  belong  equally 
to  the  three  persons.     The  reason  is 


»  Esther  vii.  3. 
» 1  Peter  ii.  9. 
3  Esther  vii.  3. 


«  1  John  iv.  16. 
»  St.  John  iii.  5. 
«  St.  John  Tii.  38,  39. 


*  that  the  Holy  Ghost  proceeds  from 
the  Father  and  from  the  Son  by 
love,  and  that  he  is  the  substantial 
and  reciprocal  love  of  both. 

Hence  Jesus  told  his  disciples 
that  "  unless  a  man  be  born  again 
of  water  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  he 
cannot  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
God;"^  that  the  graces  of  that  di- 
vine Spirit  should  be  like  unto  "riv- 
ers of  living  water  "^  flowing  from 
the  hearts  of  the  faithful.  And  the 
great  Apostle  teaches  that  "the 
charity  of  God  is  poured  out  into 
our  hearts  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  who 
is  given  to  us;"^  that  he  "is  the 
Spirit  of  wisdom  and  of  revelation  f 
that  it  is  he  who  renews  us,^  who 
helpeth  our  infirmity,"  and  "asketh 
for    us,   with    unspeakable    groan- 


"10 


mgs 

Ignorant  and  impotent  as  we  are, 
how  ardently  should  w^e  beg  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  that  "burning  and  shin- 
ing lamp  "  ^^  which  dispels  the  dark- 
ness of  the  understanding,  and  in- 
flames and  enlivens  the  heart.  How 
fervently  should  we  beseech  him  to 
make  us  judge  all  things  "not  in 


'  Kom.  V.  5. 
» Ephes.  i.  17. 


»  Titus  iii.  5. 
«>  Eom.  viii.  26. 


"  St.  John  V.  35. 


696 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN 


carnal  wisdom,"^  but  in  the  wisdom 
of  the  Gospel ;  to  direct  and  sup- 
port our  will ;  to  render  our  whole 
conduct  supernatuial.  For  this  is 
the  distinctive  character  of  the  true 
child  of  God,  the  true  Christian; 
and  this  it  is  that  places  the  dis- 
tance from  heaven  to  earth  between 
his  thoughts,  his  affections,  his 
views,  his  desires,  his  actions,  and 
the  thoughts,  the  affections,  the 
views,  the  desires,  the  actions  of 
the  worldling. 

The  true  Christian,  in  fact,  thinks 
of  God  as  his  centre ;  of  heaven,  as 
his  home ;  of  salvation,  as  "  the  one 
thing  necessary."^  If  he  regard 
creatures,  it  is  in  God  and  for  God ; 
to  Him  alone  he  attaches  himself  as 
his  sovereign  good,  as  the  rock 
which  can  alone  withstand  the  tem- 
pestuous waves  of  time.  The  world- 
ling, on  the  contrary,  thinks  of 
creatures,  forgets  heaven  and  salva- 
tion; he  seeks  his  interest  or  his 
pleasure  in  all  the  various  attach- 
ments which  divide  his  heart.  He 
desires,  he  covets  that  which  disap- 
pears in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye ; 
he    madly    pursues    fragile    goods, 

>  2  Cor.  L  12.  *  St.  Luke  x.  42. 

» Fun.  o7at.  on  Anne  de  Gonzague,  by  Bossuet. 


*  "  which  elude  his  grasp  like  frozen 
water,  melting  away,  and  leaving 
only  defilement  on  the  hand  that 
held  it."^ 

The  true  Christian  and  the  slave 
of  the  world  often  do  the  same 
works,  transact  the  same  business, 
meet  with  the  same  accidents,  but 
with  intentions  and  dispositions  so 
dissimilar,  and  in  a  manner  so  dif- 
ferent, nay,  so  opposite,  that  in  the 
hand  of  one  they  are  pure  gold  for 
eternity,  in  that  of  the  other  vile 
lead,  which;  far  from  enabling  him 
"to  lay  up  treasure  in  heaven,"* 
can  only  "drown  him  in  perdi- 
tion."^ 

The  one  "  lives  in  the  Spirit,  and 
walks  by  the  Spirit;"''  his  whole 
life  has  something  noble,  elevated, 
grand,  pertaining  to  heaven,  to  God. 
The  other  lives  but  in  his  own  low, 
corrupt  nature,  in  connection  with 
the  spirit  of  evil  and  his  dreary 
doom. 

Ah!  then,  let  us  once  more  en- 
treat the  Holy  Ghost  to  make  us  act 
in  all  things  in  a  supernatural  man- 
ner, and  never  to  permit  us  to  be  sc 
unfortunate   as   to  "extinguish  the 

*  St.  Matt.  vL  20.  »  1  Tim.  vi  9. 

•Gal.  V.  25. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


697 


Spirit''^  within  us,  or  even  "to 
grieve  Him."^  Let  us  say,  with  a 
sincere  resolution  of  faithfully  cor- 
responding to  His  grace: 

"  Oh  !  Holy  Spirit, 
Fount  of  life,  and  fire  of  love, 
And  sweet  anointing  from  above  ; "' 

"lead  us  into  the  right  land,  and 
quicken  us  in  thy  justice  ;"'^  main- 
tain us  even  in  that  charity  which 
is  "  from  a  pure  heart,  a  good  con- 
science, and  an  unfeigned  faith."  ^ 
"We  even  venture  to  beg  of  thee  that 
our  charity  "may  more  and  more 
abound  in  knowledge,  and  in  all 
understanding,  that  we  may  be  re- 
plenished with  the  fruit  of  justice,*^ 
going  from  "virtue  to  virtue,"  till 
"  the  God  of  gods  shall  be  seen  in 
the  heavenly  Sion."^  Vouchsafe  to 
grant  us  this  grace  through  Mary, 
whom  we  honor  and  respect  as  thy 
divine  spouse.  She  could  say  at 
the  accomplishment  of  the  august 
mystery  of  the  Incarnation,  "  God 
hath  endowed  me  with  a  good  dow- 


"8 


ry.""  Thou  couldst  say  of  her: 
Thou  art  "full  of  grace  ;^  one  is 
my   dove,   my  perfect  one ;  ^^  how 


'  1  Thes.  V.  19. 
'^  Ephes.  iv.  30. 
3  Hymn,  Veni  Creator. 


*  Ps.  cxlii  10,  11. 
» 1  Tim.  i.  5. 
« Phil.  i.  9,  11. 


beautiful  art  thou," "  and  how  justly 
did  her  mother  call  her  "  blessed  of 
the  Lord!"^^  In  the  name  of  that 
favored  Virgin,  we  beseech  thee, 

God,  the  Holy  Ghost,  have  mercy 
ON  us. 

Spiritus  SanctCj  Detis,  miserere 
nobis. 


MEDITATION  IX. 

holy  trinity,  one  god,  have   mercy 

ON    us. 

rr^HE  adorable  mystery  of  the 
J-  Holy  Trinity,  "one  and  indi- 
visible,"^^ is  the  foundation  of  our 
religion,  the  source  of  all  the  other 
mysteries,  and  of  all  the  divine  mer- 
cies. Hence  it  is  that  the  Church, 
after  making  us  successively  invoke 
the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy 
Ghost,  makes  us  say.  Holy  Trinity, 
one  God,  have  mercy  on  us. 

A  day  shall  Gome,  if  we  remain 
faithful,  when  we  shall  see,  without 
obscurity,  what  we  now  believe, 
and  the  adorable  Trinity  will  reveal 


'Ps.  Ixxxiii.  8. 
8  Gen.  XXX.  20. 
•St.  Luke  i.  28, 


'  Cant.  vi.  8. 


»  Cant.  iv.  1. 
'« Kuth  iii.  10. 
"  Brev.  Bom. 


S08 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  UTANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


to  US  its  ineffable  secrets.  We  * 
shall  tbeu  comprehend  how  the 
Father,  knowing  himself  from  all 
eternity,  necessarily  begets  "  his 
own  image," ^  who  is  the  Son; 
how,  this  knowledge  being  absolute 
and  indivisible  as  well  as  his  sub- 
stance, he  communicates  the  latter 
to  the  Son  unreservedly  and  undi- 
videdly.  We  shall  understand  how 
it  is  that  from  the  eternal  union  of 
the  Father  and  the  Son  necessarily 
proceeds  their  mutual  love,  who  is 
the  Holy  Ghost;  how,  that  union 
being  equally  absolute  and  indivisi- 
ble, "  the  Holy  Ghost  proceeds  from 
it  with  the  same  perfection  that  the 
Son  receives  from  his  Father."* 

But  the  light  of  heaven  is  not 
made  for  earth :  home  can  never  be 
found  in  the  land  of  exile.  "Till 
the  day"  of  eternal  happiness 
"breaks,  and  the  shadows  retire,"* 
till  a  holy  death  comes  to  rend  the 
veil  of  faith,  and  "  we  shall  know 
God  even  as  he  knows  us,"*  let  us 
humbly  adore,  with  our  whole  mind, 
the  mystery  which  he  has  been 
pleased  to  reveal  to  us;  let  us 
praise  and  bless  him  with  all  our 

'  2  Cor.  iv.  4.  *  Cant  iv.  6. 

'  Sermon  on  the  Hdy  Trinity,  by  BossoeL 


hearts,  for  that  he  has  vouchsafed 
to  make  us  sharers  in  the  divine 
knowledge,  and  to  admit  our  poor 
understanding  even  to  the  eternal 
sanctuary  of  his  "  light  inaccessi- 
ble."* What  an  inlinite  honor  has 
he  conferred  upon  us  by  imparting 
to  us,  in  this  place  of  probation,  in 
the  darkness  of  our  exile,  a  truth 
which  dazzles  the  angels,  and  gives 
us  reason  to  pine  for  "  the  courts  of 
the  Lord,"^  where  we  shall  enjoy 
a  spectacle  so  glorious !  Unity  in 
trinity.  Trinity  in  unity:  how  mar- 
vellous !  how  incomprehensible  ! 
Unity  of  nature  in  a  tiinity  of  per- 
sons, trinity  of  persons  in  a  unity 
of  nature,  what  admirable  concord, 
what  ravishing  harmony!  "Yes," 
says  St  Augustine,  "  in  God  there 
is  number,  in  God  there  is  no  num- 
ber: when  you  reckon  the  three 
persons,  you  behold  a  number;  when 
you  ask  what  it  is,  you  find  no  num- 
ber :  the  answer  is,  that  it  is  one 
only  God.  Because  they  are  three, 
there  is  number;  when  you  seek 
to  examine  their  nature,  the  num- 
ber escapes;  you  find  only  simple 
unity."^ 


*  1  Cor.  liiL  12. 
» 1  Tim.  vL  16. 


•Ps.  IxxTciii.  3. 

^In  Joan.  IhicL  xzix.  No.  4. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


599 


0,  unity  so  inviolable  that  num- 
ber cannot  divide  it!  0,  number 
so  well  arranged  that  unity  cannot 
confuse  it !  How  magnificent  is  the 
hope  of  one  day  seeing  thee  "  face 
to  face!"^  And,  meanwhile,  it  is 
sweet  to  be  able  to  adore  thee  with 
the  divine  certitude  of  faith,  and  to 
bless  thee  for  the  supernatural  con- 
nection with  thyself  which  thou 
givest  us  in  Christianity ! 

The  Father,  by  his  adoption, 
raises  us  to  the  sublime  quality  of 
children  of  God ;  the  Son,  by  the 
Incarnation  and  Redemption,  mar- 
vellously associates  us^  with  the 
divine  nature;  the  Holy  Ghost,  by 
the  efi'usion  of  his  charity  into  our 
hearts,^  establishes  an  admirable 
communication*  between  God  and 
us.  Ah !  may  we  estimate,  at  their 
just  value,  these  divine  revelations, 
and  esteem  ourselves  according  to 
the  nobility  and  grandeur  of  our 
dignity!  May  we  well  understand 
that,  God  having  raised  us  so  high, 
all  that  is  not  God  is  beneath  us ; 
that,  having  the  inestimable  honor 


'  1  Cor.  xiii.  12. 
» 1  John  i.  3. 
»  Eom.  V.  5. 


*  2  Cor.  xiii.  13. 
'  1  John  iii.  1. 
« St.  John  XX.  17. 


f  of  being  the  sons  of  God,®  the 
brethren  of  the  Son,^  the  temples  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,^  we  should  ever 
respect  ourselves  as  belonging  to  a 
chosen  generation,  a  royal  priest- 
hood, that  we  may  declare  his 
virtues,  who  hath  called  "  us  out  of 
darkness  into  his  admirable  light!  "^ 
"  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost, 
who  art  but  one  and  the  same  sub- 
stance,"^ to  thee,  "the  only  God,  be 
glory  and  magnificence,  both  now 
and  forever ; "  ^°  to  thee  who  hast 
honored  us  with  the  revelation  of 
thine  eternal  essence,  to  thee  who 
hast  raised  us  to  a  superhuman  dig- 
nity, the  completion  of  which  shall 
be,  in  heaven,  a  transformation  into 
thy  Divine  image.^^  Ah!  before 
"the  breadth,  and  length,  and 
height,  and  depth  "^^  of  thy  love  for 
us,  what  can  we  do  but  stammer 
like  the  prophet  ^^  the  accents  of 
praise  and  admiration,  in  union 
with  Mary,  who,  astonished  herself 
at  the  great  things  thou  hast  done 
in  her,^*  contemplates  thee  in  trans- 
ports of  gratitude  and  love.     We 


'  1  Cor.  vi.  19. 


8 1  Peter  ii.  9. 
« 1  John  T.  7. 
»  St.  Jude  25. 


»  2  Cor.  iii.  18. 
»  Ephes.  iii.  18. 
"  Jerem.  i  6. 


M  St.  Luke  i.  19. 


600 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


adore  thee  as  "the  Alpha," ^  the 
eternal  origin  of  all ;  we  reverence 
her  as  the  fii-st  of  thy  creatures,  and 
the  nearest  to  thee  by  the  perfec- 
tions thou  gavest  her,  and  by  the 
sublime  ties  of  daughter,  mother, 
and  spouse,  wherewith  thou  hast 
honored  her.  Grant  that,  beseech- 
ing thee,  by  her  pure  lips,  to  keep 
us  always  faitliful,  always  worthy 
of  thee  and  of  our  magnilicent  title 
of  Christians,  we  may  say  to  thee : 

Holy  Trinity,  one  God,  have  mer- 
cy ON  us. 

Sancta  TrinitaSy  unus  DeuSj  mis- 
erere nobis. 


MEDITATION  X. 

HOLY    MARY,    PRAY    FOR    US. 

THE  first  title  of  honor  which 
we  give  to  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
when  invoking  her,  is  her  own 
name  of  Mary  —  a  name  which, 
after  that  of  Jesus,  is  the  delight 
of  pious  souls. 

What  more  sweet  than  the  name 
of  a  mother,  and  of  a  mother  as  ten- 
der, as  august!    A  mother !    Is  there 


>  Apoc  i  8. 


»  St.  Luke  i.  42. 


any  thing  so  precious  in  nature,  any 
thing  which  dilates  the  heart  like 
her  presence,  any  thing  so  moving 
as  her  memory  ?  A  mother  I  Ah ! 
God  has  created  nothing  in  this 
world  to  be  compared  to  her  in 
kindness,  in  pure  and  sweet  affec- 
tion, in  devotion,  in  sublime  hero- 
ism of  heart.  When  we  have  the 
happiness,  then,  of  being  animated 
by  a  lively  faith,  when  we  firmly 
believe  that  Jesus  is  our  divine 
brother,  that  Mary  his  mother  is 
also  ours,  that  she  necessarily  ex- 
tends to  us  that  inexpressible  ten- 
derness with  which  she  is  filled  for 
the  "blessed  fruit  of  her  womb,"^ 
for  that  Jesus  who  has  so  loved  us, 
what  pious  emotions,  what  exqui- 
site feelings,  should  not  the  name  of 
such  a  mother  excite  within  us. 

But  what  joyful  admiration  should 
the  mysterious  meaning  of  that 
blessed  name  inspire.  It  signifies 
at  once  Sovereign,  Radiant  Star, 
Queen  of  the  Sea^  .  .  .  and  to  whom 
could  these  touching  titles  apply 
but  to  Mary?  Sovereign,  has  she 
not  the  honor  of  having  brought 
forth  "the  King  of  kings,  and  the 
Lord  of  lords,"*  to  whom  belongs 


»  Lexic.  bibl.  Weitenader. 


*  1  Tim.  vi.  15. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIBGIN. 


601 


"magnificence,  power,  glory,  and  * 
victory,"^  and  who,  by  glorifying 
lier  in  heaven,  gave  her  a  power 
of  intercession  like  to  none  other? 
Radiant  Star,  is  it  not  she  who  has 
given  to  the  world  "the  true  Light"^ 
of  men,  "the  Sun  of  justice,"^  whose 
divine  disk,  without  dawn  or  twi- 
light, east  or  west,  unceasingly  dis- 
plays the  fullness  of  his  inexhausti- 
ble rays  ?  Is  it  not  she  who  shines 
in  the  splendor  of  the  purest,  the 
most  perfect  virtue — in  the  splen- 
dor of  a  miraculous  virginity,  and 
of  a  glory  which  eclipses  that  of  the 
angels  and  saints  ?  Queen  of  the 
Sea,  is  it  not  she  whose  admirable 
example,  like  a  heavenly  beacon, 
surmounts  the  troubled  waters  of 
this  life,  and  guides  into  the  port  of 
eternal  bliss  those  who  keep  its  be- 
neficent light  in  view?  Is  it  not 
she  whoJias  received  from  God,  so 
to  say,  the  power  of  appeasing  at 
will  the  storms  and  tempests  which 
so  often  beat  on  our  frail  bark, 
when  the  invocation  of  her  all-pow- 
erful name  stills  the  winds  and  the 
waves  ? 

Undoubtedly,  the  name  of  Mary 

» 1  Paral.  xxix.  11,  12.  »  St.  John  i.  9. 

»  Mai.  iv.  2. 


is  not  "strong  and  mighty"*  in  com- 
parison with  that  of  Jesus,  except 
in  that  inferior  degree  which  neces- 
sarily distinguishes  the  creature, 
even  the  most  perfect,  from  its  Cre- 
ator and  its  God ;  moreover,  it  has 
no  virtue  except  through  Jesus  him- 
self. But  it  has  pleased  that  divine 
Son  to  manifest  his  glory  by  his 
august  mother,  and  to  communicate 
the  admirable  efficacy  of  his  own 
name  to  that  of  Mary.  Like  that 
of  Jesus,  the  name  of  this  divine 
Virgin  consoles  and  strengthens. 
"  Invoke  it,"  says  St.  Bernard,  "  in 
your  dangers,  your  doubts,  your  an- 
guish, let  it  be  incessantly  on  your 
lips  and  in  your  heart.  Then  there 
will  be  no  more  wandering,  no  more 
despair,  no  more  error,  no  more  fall- 
ing, no  more  fear,  no  more  fatigue, 
but  a  sweet  experience  of  the  pro- 
found meaning  of  those  words  of 
the  Gospel,  '  The  name  of  the  Virgin 
was  Maryy^  Like  that  of  Jesus, 
this  name,  so  dear  to  our  hearts, 
puts  the  spirit  of  darkness  to  flight. 
"If  the  wind  of  temptation  assail 
yoii,"  says  the  same  holy  doctor, 
"call  Mary  to  your  aid."^     It  was 

*  Ps.  xxiii.  8.  *  Rom.  ii.  sxiper  Mvisus  est, 

«  Kom,  ii.  super  Missus  esi. 


601 


MEVii.iii^.y-'   ^'A    I  HE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


of  her  that,  in  the  beginning,  God  * 
said  to  the  tempter  of  Adam  and 
Eve  those  energetic  wonis,  "She 
bhall  crush  thy  head,"^  and  that 
prediction  resoonds  anew,  like  a 
cmsh  of  thunder  for  Satan,  as  often 
as  the  Christian  soul  invokes  the 
name  of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 

0  Mary!  blessed  be  the  Lord 
who  "  hath  so  magnified  thy  name 
that  thy  praise  shall  not  depart  out 
of  the  mouth  of  men."'  Ah,  tell 
us  by  what  name  thou  art  called  ; ' 
make  us  feel  and  comprehend  its 
dignity,  its  sweetness,  and  its  pow- 
er; penetrate  us  with  the  respect, 
the  confidence,  and  the  love  which 
it  merits.  It  is  to  the  pious  heart 
"  a  plentiful  olive-tree,  fair,  fruitful, 
and  beautiful;"^  it  is  precious  as  a 
vase  exhaling  sweet  perfumes.  So 
powerful  do  we  esteem  it^  that  when 
invoking  it,  we  think  we  see  the 
fallen  angel  taking  flight  with  the 
forced  cr}*,  '*  Terrible  is  the  name  of 
the  Virgin!"  0  Mary!  may  that 
sacred  name  be  ever  terrible  to  hell 
in  our  behalf^  may  it  be  "terrible  as 
an  army  set  in  array"*  to  all  the 


>  Q«a.  iiL  la. 
*Q«a.  zxziL  29. 


*  Judith  xiiL  25. 

*  Jar.  xL  16. 


•Cant  via 


enemies  of  our  salvation.  May  we 
never  separate  it  in  our  heart  from 
the  adorable  name  of  thy  divine 
Son,  and  may  it  be,  after  that  of 
Jesus,  our  refuge  and  our  shield,  our 
strength  and  our  consolation.  It  is 
with  the  hope  of  obtaining  this 
grace  that  we  say  to  thee  with  the 
Church — 

Holy  Maet,  prat  for  us. 

Samda  Maria,  ora  pro  nobis. 


MEDITATIOX  XL 

HOLT  MOTHER  OF  GOD,  PRAT  FOR  US. 

A   SIMPLE    virgin   of   the  tribe 

J\.   of  Juda,  Motker  of  God! 

How  wonderftd!  What  greatness 
and  majesty  is  contained  in  that 
title,  what  honor  and  glory,  what 
incomparable  magnificence  I 

In  the  general  opinion  of  men. 
the  disnitv  of  the  mother  is  com- 
puted  by  that  of  her  son.  What 
must  then  be  the  dignity  of  Mary, 
who  brought  forth  the  adorable 
humanity  of  the  eternal  Son  of 
God! 

K  she  had  given  birth  to  an  illus- 
trious saint,  even  that  would  make 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY   OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


603 


her  very  honorable  in  our  eyes ;  she 
would  be  still  more  honorable  if 
she  had  brought  into  the  world  an 
incarnate  angel ;  and  much  more  so 
had  it  pleased  God  that  "  one  of  the 
chief  princes"^  of  heaven  "was  made 
flesh  "^  in  her  chaste  womb.  But, 
Mary,  Mother  of  God !  who  can  ever 
estimate,  or  comprehend,  or  express 
the  dignity,  the  elevation  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  ?  And  who  is  there 
that,  penetrated  with  a  lively  faith, 
will  not  cry  out  with  the  Angel  of 
the  Schools,  that  "this  title  has 
made  her  something  infinite,  be- 
cause of  the  infinite  good  which  is 
in  her  Son,"^  and  with  the  blessed 
Peter  Damian :  "  But  we  have  rea- 
son to  remain  mute  with  astonish- 
ment and  admiration,  nor  dare  to 
raise  our  eyes  before  the  immense 
glory  of  such  a  dignity  !"* 

God  is  infinitely  powerful :  what 
wonders  soever  he  may  produce,  he 
can  always  produce  others  greater 
still.  And  yet  we  need  not  fear  to 
say  that,  all-powerful  as  he  is,  he 
could  not  make  Mary  either  greater 
or  more  noble  than  he  has  made  her 
in   her  dignity   of  Mother  of  God. 

'  Dan.  X.  13.  *  S.  Thomas,  3  p.  q.  25,  a.  6,  ad  L 

2  St.  John  i.  14.     ■•  Serm.  de  NcUiv.  B.  M.  V. 


f  Could  he,  in  fact,  give  her  a  Son 
greater  or  more  noble  than  he  who, 
"  without  robbery,  is  equal  to  God,"^ 
and  who  says,  "I  and  the  Father 
are  one?"^  Could  he  give  her  a 
Son  superior  to  himself?  Mary  en- 
joys, then,  by  her  divine  maternity, 
all  the  dignity  possible  for  a  mother 
to  have ;  and  even  as  the  Creator 
could  not  make  a  man  greater  than 
the  Man-God,  so  neither  could  he 
make  a  mother  more  august  or  hon- 
orable than  her  who  can  say  to  that 
Man-God,  "Thou  art  my  Son."^ 

0,  let  us  admire,  praise,  exalt  this 
masterpiece  of  the  Almighty  power, 
of  the  adorable  wisdom  of  the  Most 
High.  He  could  bring  about  the 
ineffable  mysteiy  of  the  Incarnation 
without  giving  a  mother  to  the  hu- 
manity of  his  Son.  But  was  it  not 
fitting  that  the  Divine  Repairer  of 
man's  fall  should  be  "  the  Son  of 
man,"®  at  least  by  his  mother,  so 
that  it  might  be  one  of  ourselves 
who  made  for  us  all  the  infinite 
satisfaction  due  to  eternal  justice? 
And  then,  Adam  and  Eve  having 
both  transgressed,  and  having  both, 
by  their  fall,  involved  their  whole 


»  Phil.  ii.  6. 

«  St.  John  X.  30. 


1  Heb.  L  5. 

•  St.  Luke  xix.  10. 


604 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


posterity  in  the  same  ruin,  does  it  | 
not  seem  that  each  sex  ought  to 
liave  its  share  in  the  restoration  and 
salvation  of  mankind  ?  Divine  "Wis- 
dom, then,  admirably  provided  for 
the  work  of  redemption  by  creating 
a  Mother  of  God.  By  Mary,  Eve's 
sex  has  given  to  the  world  its  Sa- 
viour, and  by  that  Saviour,  that  of 
Adam  has  redeemed  the  world. 

But  God  has  done  still  more.  He 
has  favored  us  all  "with  a  continual 
and  perpetual  extension  of  the  mys- 
tery of  the  Incarnation.  Thus  speak 
the  Fathers  of  the  Church."  *  By  our 
participation  in  the  mystery  which 
supposes  all  others,  the  adorable 
Eucharist,  have  we  not  the  infinite 
honor  of  contracting  that  union 
with  God  which  approaches  the 
nearest  to  that  of  Mary  with  her 
Son  Jesus,  and  that  of  the  Word 
with  his  humanity,  since  "we  are 
therein  really  incorporated  with  the 
divine  flesh  of  Christ."^  And  Jesus 
himself  has  said,  "He  that  eateth 
my  flesh  and  drinketh  my  blood, 
abideth  in  me,  and  I  in  him."^  Ah ! 
let  us  here  humble  ourselves  before 

■  Bourdalone,  sur  le  Tres- Saint  Sacrament. 
•  S.  Chrys.,  Homil.  63,  ad  popvil.  Antioch. 
>  St.  John  vi.  57. 


the  Lord,  for  that  a  favor  so  pro- 
digious  leaves   us    cold,   tepid,   in- 
different, instead   of  inflaming   our 
hearts,  and  filling  us  with  a  bound 
less  zeal  and  devotion ! 

0  Mary!  we  are  happy  to  pro- 
claim, with  the  Church,  that  thou 
art  truly  the  Mother  of  God.  We 
joyfully  acknowledge  that  it  was 
thou  who  "brought  forth"*  the  first- 
born by  excellence,  called  by  St. 
Paul  "the  first-born  amongst  those 
who  are  conformable  to  his  image  ;"^ 
that  it  is  thou,  and  thou  alone,  who 
art  entitled  to  the  literal  applica- 
tion of  those  sacred  words,  "  He  that 
made  me  rested  in  my  tabernacle  ;"*' 
and  that,  as  the  Eternal  Father  says 
to  his  Son,  "Before  the  day-star"  of 
time  "  I  begot  thee,"  ^  as  thou  canst 
thyself  say  to  him,  "And  I  also  be- 
got thee,  in  tiTne  ! "  We  venerate, 
then,  and  honor  with  all  our  heart 
thy  divine  maternity ;  we  offer  thee 
all  the  homage  due  to  thine  incom- 
parable dignity.  Obtain  for  us,  0 
Mary !  to  appreciate  the  admirable 
participation  in  thy  glory  and  the 
glory    of    his    adorable    humanity, 


*  St.  Matt.  i.  25. 
» Kom.  viii.  29. 


*  Eccles.  xxiv.  12. 
1  Ps.  cix.  3. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


605 


which  thy  divine  Son,  in  the  sacra-  * 
ment  of  his  love,  vouchsafes  to  give 
us : 

Holy  Mother  of  God,  pray   for 
us. 

Sancta  Dei  Genitrix^  ora  pro  nobis. 


MEDITATION  XII. 

holy  virgin  of  virgins,  pray  for  us. 

VIRGIN"  OF  Virgins  I  what  title 
could  be  more  suitable  to  her 
who  hrst  consecrated  the  love  of 
holy  virtue  by  the  seal  of  a  perfect 
vow !  A  vow  so  precious  in  the 
eyes  of  Mary,  that  she  only  accept- 
ed the  ineffable  glory  of  the  divine 
maternity,  after  the  Angel  had  as- 
sured her,  on  the  part  of  God,  that 
this  glory  should  be  nowise  incom- 
patible with  the  sacred  engagement 
she  had  contracted  with  the  Most 
High  !  Virgiii  of  Virgins  !  what 
title  could  better  express  the  pious 
admiration  of  the  Church  for  her 
miraculously  perpetual  virginity  ! 
So,  also,  what  emblem  could  be 
more  illustrative  of  Mary's  favorite 
virtue  and  this  magnificent  privi- 
lege than  that  lily-stem,  whose  triple 


flower  tells  us  so  well  that  she  was 
a  virgin  while  bearing  the  divine 
Jesus,  a  virgin  before  and  after  that 
august  mystery. 

The  lily !  What  flower  is  there 
of  sweeter  perfume,  of  purer  beauty, 
of  more  delicate  white?  There  is, 
therefore,  no  more  perfect  symbol 
of  the  fairest,  the  most  exquisite 
virtues ;  of  that  angelic  virtue, 
whose  triumph  is  manifested  in 
the  Virgin  of  Virgins  on  the  day  of 
the  Incarnation  of  the  Word,  when 
the  angel  said,  to  reassure  her: 
"  The  Holy  Ghost  shall  come  upon 
thee,  and  the  power  of  the  Most 
High  shall  overshadow  thee!"^ 
Hence,  the  Scripture  represents  to 
us,  under  the  figure  of  a  girdle  of 
lilies,^  the  inviolable  chastity  of  the 
Spouse  of  the  Canticles,  and  the 
predilection  of  the  heavenly  Bride- 
groom for  virginal  purity,  by  telling 
us  that  he  is  "  the  lily  of  the  val- 
leys," and  goes  to  his  garden  "to 
gather  lilies."^ 

These  charming  figures  have  each 
a  sweet  and  expressive  lesson  for 
us.  It  is,  that  Jesus  loves  to  rest 
with  "the  clean  of  heart  ;"'^  that  he 


'St.  Lukei.  35. 
« Cant.  vii.  2. 


3  Cant,  ii  1  ;  vi.  1 
«St.  Matt.  V.  8. 


€oe 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  TEE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


loves  to  abide  in  liearts  whose  pure 
thoughts,  pure  desires,  pure  affec- 
tions, pure  emotions,  are  for  him 
like  "  a  bed  of  aromatical  spices."^ 
And,  consequently,  we  may  perceive 
what  delight  our  divine  Saviour 
must  take  in  Mary,  whose  spiritual 
purity,  truly  perfect,  was  enhanced 
by  another  miraculous  purity,  so 
that  the  very  name  of  this  twofold 
virtue  has  become  her  own  name, 
and  she  alone  is,  by  excellence, 
called  the  Virgin  ! 

But  let  us  sound  our  own  hearts, 
and  are  we  a  holy  object  of  compla- 
cency to  the  divine  Lamb  who  is 
followed  by  virgins  "whithersoever 
he  goeth?"^  Alas!  even  without 
falling  into  the  slough  of  vice,  do 
we  never  permit  ourselves  to  do 
aught  that  might  displease  him? 
How  many  imprudent  or  even  dan- 
gerous looks  !  How  many  liberties 
which,  without  exceeding  the  strict 
bounds  of  virtue,  are  yet  incom- 
patible with  the  holy  integrity 
of  a  chaste  delicacy!  How  many 
thoughts,  how  many  remembrances, 
perhaps  even  regrets,  how  many  de- 
sires, how  many  projects,  how  many 

•  Cant.  vL  1.  •  Apoc.  xiv.  4. 

» 2  Cor.  ii  16. 


*  dreams  of  the  imagination,  which 
are  far  from  having  for  their  em- 
blem the  dazzling  whiteness  of  the 
lily!  How  many  words  which  are 
far  from  breathing  "  the  good  odor 
of  Christ,"^  the  Son  of  a  virgin,  and 
the  tender,  intimate  friend  of  St. 
John,  because,  as  the  Church  tells 
us,  the  latter  "  wore  the  spotless 
crown  of  virginity  ?"*  Finally,  how 
many  affections,  of  which  God  is 
neither  the  beginning  nor  the 
end  ;  how  many  attachments  formed 
(though  we  will  hardly  acknowledge 
it  to  ourselves) ,  not  so  much  by  the 
spirit  as  by  the  flesh !  .  .  .  Ah !  let 
us  courageously  banish  from  our 
hearts,  not  merely  anything  that 
might  offend  the  divine  Son  of 
Mary,  but  anything  that  might  not 
be  pleasing  to  him.  Let  us  respect 
our  bodies  as  being  "  the  members 
of  Christ,"^  and  never  convert  them 
to  any  but  a  holy  use.  Let  us  re- 
member that  where  the  eye  of  man 
cannot  penetrate,  the  eye  of  God 
sees  and  judges !  for  "  hell  itself  is 
naked  before  him,  and  there  is  no 
covering  for  destruction!"^  Let  us 
remember  that  his  eyes,  sweet  "  as 

*  Brev.  Bom.  *  1  Cor.  vi.  15. 

•  Job  xxvi.  6. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGLN. 


607 


those  of  the  dove"^  for  virgin  souls, 
are  "  as  a  flame  of  fire  "  ^  for  those 
who  attempt  before  their  Creator 
what  the  mere  look  of  a  mortal 
would  make  them  avoid  as  repre- 
hensible. Ah!  would  that  we  un- 
derstood this  better,  and  would 
always  keep  it  in  mind ! 

0  Virgin  of  Virgins !  living  mir- 
acle of  purity!  who  wast  on  earth 
Christ's  "  dove,"  his  perfect  one ; 
the  daughters  of  Sion  saw  thee  and 
declared  thee  most  blessed.  Num- 
berless are  the  "young  maidens"^ 
whom  thy  powerful  example  has  in- 
duced to  renounce  the  world  and 
all  its  most  seductive  charms,  to 
consecrate  themselves  to  God  in 
solitude,  to  serve  Jesus  with  inex- 
pressible love  in  the  person  of  the 
poor,  or  to  follow  thy  footsteps, 
even  amid  the  cares  of  the  world ! 
"  Queens "  themselves,  amid  the 
splendor  of  their  courts,  have 
"praised  thee"*  by  the  sublime 
virtues  which  they  practised  after 
thine  example,  and  under  thine 
auspices  1 

Glory  be  to  thee,  0  Mary!  incom- 
parable model  of  that  virtue  which 


*  makes  man's  life  like  to  that  of  the 
angels,  as  though  his  soul  were  not 
connected  with  corruptible  organs. 
Ah!  make  us,  by  thy  protection, 
thy  faithful  imitators,  and  zealous 
lovers  of  the  holy  virtue  of  purity. 
It  is  that  we  may  always  resemble 
thee,  and  thus  merit  the  favor  of 
thy  divine  Son,  that  we  may  say  to 
thee. 

Holy  Virgin  of  Virgins,  pray  for 
us. 

Sancta  Virgo  Virginum^  ora  pro 
nobis. 


■  Cant.  V.  12. 
'  Atdoc.  i.  14. 


3  Cant.  vi.  7, 
*  Cant.  vi.  8. 


MEDITATION   XIE. 

MOTHER  OF  CHRIST,  PRAY  FOR  US. 

TO  say  of  Mary  that  she  is  the 
Mother  of  God,  is  to  reveal  to 
us,  all  at  once,  the  full  extent  of  her 
greatness  and  glory.  But  this  the 
human  mind  could  not  comprehend 
unless  it  could  embrace  infinite  maj- 
esty. Hence  it  is  that  the  Church, 
after  making  us  invoke  Mary  under 
that  title,  here  presents  her  to  us 
in  a  way  that  we  can  more  easily 
understand. 

Is  it  not  ti'ue  that  a  mother  ap- 


pears  to  us  the  more  honorable  in 
proportion  as  her  son  is  distin- 
guished by  more  eminent  qualities, 
and  does  greater  things  for  the 
haopiness  of  his  fellow-creatures? 
What  admirable  glory  reverts,  then, 
to  the  Blessed  Virgin  as  the  Mother 
of  Christ?  Does  not  Jesus  pos- 
sess, even  as  man,  all  the  peifec- 
tions  suitable  to  our  nature  ?  "  God 
anointed  him  with  the  Holy  Ghost,"  ^ 
who  is  personally  united  to  him. 
"In  him  are  all  the  treasures  of 
wisdom  and  knowledge;"^  in  him 
all  the  treasures  of  goodness,  meek- 
ness, humility,  patience,  compas- 
sion, charity  the  purest  and  most 
devoted;  in  him  the  plenitude  of 
feelings,  the  noblest,  the  most  ele- 
vated, the  most  delicate,  the  most 
generous,  the  most  captivating  to 
the  human  heart.  .  .  .  But  who  may 
tell  what  he  has  done  for  the  happi- 
ness of  those  whom  he  was  pleased 
to  make  his  brethren?^  Not  to 
speak  of  the  salvation  which  he 
prepared  for  us  with  his  own  life, 
how  numerous  are  the  blessings 
which  he  has  otherwise  conferred 
upon  us?  What  improvement  both 
moral  and  intellectual,  has  he  not   | 

^  Acta  X.  38.       *  Colos.  ii  3.      »  Heb.  ii.  17.        i 


brought  into  the  world !  What  a 
prodigious  transfo-i-mation  has  he  not 
wrought  in  it!  Even  now  Chris- 
tianity prevents  more  evil  in  one 
day  than  all  human  laws  could  re- 
press; it  produces,  in  one  day,  more 
acts  of  virtue,  often  sublime,  than 
the  pompous  maxims  of  philosophy 
could  ever  achieve. 

To  whom  is  due  the  restoration 
of  woman,  who  was  in  olden  times 
considei'cd  and  treated  as  a  mere 
thinff  in  the  family — is  it  not  to  the 
Son  of  Mary  ?  .  .  .  To  whom  is  due 
th©  respect  for  childhood,  the  mod- 
eration of  paternal  authority,  for- 
merly so  arbitrary  and  tyrannical — • 
is  it  not  to  the  Son  of  Mary  ?  From 
whom  came  the  abolition  of  sla- 
very ?  who  has  invested  the  servant 
with  a  sacred  and  august  character 
in  the  eyes  of  the  Christian  master, 
and  taught  us  to  regard  all  men  as 
our  brethren — is  it  not  the  Son  of 
Mary?  .  .  .  Whence  proceed  all  the 
helps,  all  the  consolations,  all  the 
good  and  admirable  works  of  which 
our  holy  religion  is  the  soul  and  the 
inexhaustible  source — is  it  not  from 
the  Son  of  Mary  ?  .  .  . 

Ah!  even  if  the  Blessed  Virgin 
were  not  the  Mother  of  God,  were 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN 


609 


Christ,  lier  adorable  Son,  nothing 
more  than  the  greatest  of  men,  the 
most  signal  benefactor  of  humanity, 
his  Mother  would  be  the  noblest, 
the  most  august,  the  most  honor- 
able of  mothers. 

And,  in  the  supernatural  order, 
where  is  the  good  of  which  Jesus 
is  not  the  author?  Without  him, 
fallen  man  would  have  neither  sanc- 
tifying grace,  nor  merit  for  heaven, 
nor  any  of  those  actual  graces  so 
necessary  to  our  weakness.  With- 
out him,  either  before  or  since  his 
appearance  on  earth,  there  would 
be  no  connection  of  love,  of  favor, 
between  God  and  man,  none  of  the 
consolations  of  piety,  none  of  the 
guiding  lights  of  faith,  no  beacon 
of  hope  for  eternity. 

But  how  blind  and  ungrateful  we 
are  to  enjoy  all  these  blessings,  and 
yet  love  their  author  so  little !  Each 
step  of  ours  is  marked  by  some  fa- 
vor of  Christianity,  and  we  heed  it 
not.  At  the  sight  of  these  precious 
gifts  our  hearts  should  b'e  more  and 
more  inflamed  with  love  for  the 
divine  Son  of  Mary,  but  far  from 
that  being  the  case,  we  refuse  him 
that  time  which  so  justly  belongs 
to  him,  we  employ  it  in  violating 


*  his  holy  laws,  in  gainsaying  his 
example,  in  wilfully  offending  him. 
What  ingratitude  is  ours !  .  .  .  Ah ! 
if  we  have  ever  so  little  tenderness 
of  heart,  let  us  endeavor  to  repair 
by  our  own  repentance  this  base 
ingratitude,  and  henceforward  to 
live  unceasingly  for  him  who  un- 
ceasingly pours  down  his  blessings 
upon  us. 

0  Mary!  who  could  say  to  this 
adorable  benefactor,  "Thou  art  my 
Son,"^  I  bore  thee  in  my  womb,  I 
gave  thee  suck,  and  nourished  thee."^ 
What  must  have  been  thy  feelings 
when  thou  hadst  "  to  wrap  up  "  the 
delicate  limbs  "  of  that  divine  child," 
the  "first-born"^  of  all  those  who 
by  their  divine  adoption  were  to  be- 
come "his  brethren."^  Ah!  doubt- 
less thou  didst  pour  forth  thy  heart 
in  expressions  of  love  and  admira- 
tion, thou  wert  happy  to  give  him 
continual  proofs  of  devotion,  of  con- 
secration, of  entire  self-abandon- 
ment. The  most  amorous  words  of 
the  Spouse  in  the  Canticles  hardly 
sufficed  to  express  the  sacred  trans- 
ports of  thy  love  while  thou  saidst, 
"  My  beloved  is  mine,  he  shall  abide 


>  Heb.  i.  5. 

»  2  Mach.  vii.  27. 


'  St.  Matt.  i.  25. 
*  Eom.  viiL  29. 


610 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


between  my  breasts."^  Obtain  for 
us,  then,*0  Mary!  a  share  in  thy 
admiration,  thy  gratitude,  thy  love 
for  Jesus,  who  never  ceases  to  load 
us  with  favors.  Permit  us  not  to 
remain  ungrateful,  at  least  so  far  as 
to  deliberately  offend  so  liberal  a 
benefactor.  Yes,  we  beseech  thee 
with  all  the  fervor  of  our  souls, 
repeating  with  the  Church — 

MoTUER  OF  Christ,  pray  for  us. 

Mater  Christi,  ora  pro  nobis. 


MEDITATION  XIV. 

MOTHER     OF     DIVINE     GRACE,    PRAT    FOR 

us. 

HAIL,  full  of  grace  !^  said  the 
heavenly  ambassador  sent  by 
the  Most  High  to  announce  to  Mary 
the  sublime  mystery  of  the  Incar- 
nation. These  are  words  of  such 
profound  meaning,  that  no  human 
intellect  could  understand,  no  hu- 
man lips  explain  it.  Full  of  grace  I 
Who,  then,  can  estimate  the  quan- 
tity, or  appreciate  the  value  of  this 
treasure?  K  it  be  true  that  more  or 
less  grace  is  the  effect  of  the  great- 


t  er  or  lesser  love  which  the  Lord  has 
for  a  soul,  what  soul  could  ever 
receive  as  much  as  Mary,  the  spe- 
cially beloved  of  God  ?  .  .  .  .  Full  of 
grace!  "Perfect  expressions,"  says 
St.  Sophronius,  "  for  grace  is  given 
to  others  as  it  were  by  shares;  to 
Mary,  it  is  given  in  its  plenitude."' 
Mary  alone,  of  all  mankind,  was 
called  to  the  triple  dignity  of  be- 
loved Daughter  of  the  Father,  be- 
loved Mother  of  the  Son,  beloved 
Spouse  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  and  it 
also  required  an  incomparable  sanc- 
tity to  correspond  with  that  incom- 
parable dignity;  to  produce  that 
unprecedented  sanctity  an  unpre- 
cedented supply  of  grace  was  requi- 
site, nay,  even  the  plenitude  of  grace. 
Hence,  the  angel,  willing  to  express 
this  marvellous  sanctity  which  dis- 
tinguishes Mary  amongst  all  creat- 
ures, called  her  not  by  her  name, 
although  that  name  is,  as  we  have 
seen,  rich  in  admirable  significa- 
tion; he  saluted  her  with  the  very 
title  of  "full  of  grace,"*  as  it  were 
to  designate  her  by  that  which  is 
her  special  characteristic  before  the 
Most  High. 

But  she  is,  moreover,  the  Mother 


>  Cant  L  12. 


»  St.  Luke  i.  2& 


'  Serm.  de  Assump.  V. 


*  St.  Luke  i.  28. 


N  >':  I  )<H-.I.S;i.lliciH  C... 


11 


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MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  Bi^ESSED   VIRGIN 


611 


of  him  who  is  "  the  God  of  all  * 
grace,"  ^  and  of  whom  St.  Paul  says 
that,  in  his  person,  "the  grace  of 
God  hath  appeared  visibly  to  all 
nien."^  Why  should  not  she  who 
gave  birth  to  such  a  Son  be  called 
the  Mother  of  Divine  grace,  especial- 
ly she  to  whom  that  same  Son  has, 
if  we  may  say  so,  confided  the  dis- 
tribution of  his  favors  ?  For  Jesus, 
from  the  Cross,  gave  his  mother  to 
us  in  the  person  of  St.  John,  who,  as 
the  only  disciple  present,  represent- 
ed all  the  faithful;^  and  what  the 
great  Apostle  said  of  the  gift  made 
us  by  the  Eternal  Father  of  his  own 
Son,  we  may,  in  due  proportion,  say 
of  the  gift  which  the  ^njassi^iff^B 
of  his  divine  Mother.  ▼How  hath 
he  not  also,  with  her,  given  us  all 
things."*  Thus  it  is  that  the  holy 
doctors  of  the  Church  are  prodigal 
in  their  expressions  of  praise  and 
homage  towards  this  favored  creat- 
ure. "  Be  mindful  of  us,  0  blessed 
Virgin !"  exclaims  St.  Athanasius, 
"  and  in  return  for  the  feeble  praise 
we   offer  thee,  grant   us  rich  gifts 

>  1  Peter  v.  10.  *  Titus  ii.  11. 

^Bossuet,  Sermon  for  the  Feast  of  the  Holy 
Rosary. 

*  Rom.  viii.  32.  "  Serm.  in  Annuntiat. 


from  the  treasury  of  thy  graces."^ 
"  In  thee,  our  patroness  and  media 
trix  with  the  God  who  was  born  of 
thee,"  cries  St.  Ephraim,  "in  thee 
the  human  race  places  all  its  joy ; 
in  thee  alone  is  found  the  refuge 
and  the  surety  of  those  who  trust  in 
God;"^  and  in  another  prayer,  he 
says:  "After  the  Trinity,  thou  art 
mistress  of  all ;  after  the  Paraclete, 
another  Paraclete ;  after  the  Media- 
tor, mediatrix  of  the  entire  world."  ^ 
"Because  thou  art  the  only  hope 
of  sinners,"  says  St.  Augustine, 
"through  thee  we  hope  for  pardon 
of    our    crimes ;    through    thee,    0 

jssed  one!  we  expect  the  heav- 
enly reward."^  "  Mary  is  the  ocean 
of  grace,"  says  St.  Peter  Chrysolo- 
gus,'-*  St.  John  Damascene/"  and  St. 
Bonaventure.^^ 

She  is  the  fountain  through  which 
all  graces  are  poured  forth  on  the 
world  like  a  spring  of  living  water  : 
"the  fountain  of  gardens," ^^  destined 
to  "water  the  torrent  of  thorns," ^^ 
that  is  to  say,  to  change  our  hearts, 
to  make  all  virtues  grow  in  them ;  a 

«  Op.  groeco-lai.,  t.  iiL  >"  Oral.  i.  de  Nativit. 

^  Op.  grceco-lat.,  t.  iii.  "  In  specul  v. 

«  Serm.  de  Annuntiat.  "^  Cant.  iv.  15. 

»  Serm.  cxlvi.  "  Joel  iii  18. 


614 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


stances,  is  always  a  violation  of  the  * 
moral  oi-der — a  real  disorder  which 
God  must  necessarily  abhor,  because 
he  is  himself  order  by  his  essence, 
order  substantial,  necessary,  immut- 
able. Sin  is  a  revolt  against  God, 
tliat  sovereign  power,  that  supreme 
power,  that  eternal  power  who  for- 
bids it,  and  who  cannot,  in  justice 
to  himself,  leave  unpunished,  in  his 
universal  empire,  one  single  act  of 
rebellion.  Sin  is  an  ingratitude 
towai'ds  the  first,  the  greatest  of 
benefactors ;  an  ingratitude  so  much 
the  blacker,  in  that  we  voluntarily 
ojBfend  Him  who  preserves  our  life, 
at  the  very  moment  we  are  employ- 
ing it  against  himself,  and  that  it  is 
impossible  to  offend  him  without 
turning  one  of  his  own  blessings 
against  him.  How  could  it  be  that 
God  would  not  hate  ingratitude 
with  an  infinite  hatred,  since  even 
men  brand  it  as  odious  and  dis- 
graceful ? 

Ah  I  let  us  not  pass  lightly  over 
truths  so  proper  to  inspire  us  with 
a  holy  horror  for  all,  even  the  slight- 
est violations  of  the   adorable  will 


•  Ps.  XXXV.  4. 
» Ps.  XXXV.  13. 


'  Prov.  L  7. 
*Eocle8.  vii  14. 


» Eccles.  vii.  19. 


of  God,  80  capable  of  exciting  our 
zeal,  our  vigilance,  our  endeavora  to 
shun  even  the  smallest  evil.  Like 
him  who  "  would  not  understand 
that  he  might  do  well,"  ^  we  should 
be  in  danger  of  being  "  cast  out "  ^ 
by  the  Lord;  or  like  those  fools  who 
"despise  wisdom,"^  we  should  de- 
serve to  be  ourselves  despised  by 
the  Most  High,  and  given  up  to  a 
reprobate  sense.*  Let  us  rather 
reflect  seriously  on  these  saving 
truths,  and  try  to  derive  therefrom 
"  that  pious  fear  which  neglecteth 
nothing,"^  having  always  in  view 
that  great  maxim  of  the  divine 
Master :  "  He  that  is  faithful  in  that 
which  is  least,  is  faithful  also  in 
that  which  is  greater."^ 

0  thou  whose  admirable  sanctity 
renders  thee  "fair  as  the  moon,"^ 
from  the  depth  of  our  hearts  do  we 
say  to  thee:  "Thou  art  all  fair,  0 
Mary,  and  there  is  not  a  spot  in 
thee,"^  0  thou  house  of  the  Lord 
which  holiness  becometh,^  and  thou 
tabernacle  of  the  Most  High  which 
himself  hath  sanctified."^"  Yes,  we, 
thy  cherished  children,  are  rejoiced 

•  St.  Luke  xvi.  10.  •  Cant.  iv.  7. 

'Cant.  vL  9.  »Ps.  xciL  6. 

*Pb.  xlv.  5. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


615 


to  contemplate  in  our  august  and 
tender  Mother,  that  glorious  privi- 
lege before  which  the  Church,  ever 
guided  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  has  sol- 
emnly bowed  down,  proclaiming  to 
the  Catholic  world  that  she  did  not 
include  thee  amongst  sinners.^  Ob- 
tain for  us,  0  Mary,  a  sensible  feel- 
ing of  the  hatred  which  God  neces- 
sarily has  for  sin,  whose  disorder 
never  troubled  the  repose  or  marred 
the  beauty  of  thy  spotless  soul; 
what  horror  we  should  feel  for  that 
act  of  rebellion  and  ingratitude, 
even  though  it  did  not  go  so  far  as 
to  produce  that  deadly  division  be- 
twixt God  and  us  which  it  effects, 
alas !  too  often.  Vouchsafe,  by  thy 
intercession,  to  preserve  us  from  it ; 
deign  to  hear  those  who  address 
thee  in  that  pious  invocation : 

Mother  most  pure,  pray  for  us. 

Mater  purissima,  ora  pro  iwhis. 


MEDITATIOJSr  XYI. 

mother  most  chaste,  pray  for  us. 

Is  there  anything  greater  or  more 
noble   than    the    virtue   which 
leaves  the   mind    its    freedom   for 


*  good,  disengaging  it  from  the  sla- 
very, and,  as  it  were,  from  the  weight 
of  the  body,  which  it  constantly 
maintains  in  the  path  of  duty  ?  So 
it  is  that,  in  all  ages,  and  amongst 
all  nations,  the  most  civilized  and 
the  most  debased  by  Paganism, 
chastity  has  been  honored.^  One 
would  say  that,  by  a  sort  of  instinct, 
Memphis,  Athens,  Rome,  and  the 
savage  tribes  of  America,  were  sen- 
sible of  the  pre-eminence  of  that 
virtue  which  raises  man  above  his 
own  nature,  almost  to  a  level  with 
the  pure  spirits. 

But  see  the  marvellous  splendor 
of  chastity  in  the  divine  Mother  of 
Jesus.  Although  connected,  like 
all  the  children  of  Adam,  with  a 
passible  and  mortal  body,  Mary, 
who  had  been  preserved  from  orig- 
inal sin,  was  also  preserved  from  the 
humiliating  consequences  of  that 
birth-stain.  Would  it  have  been 
expedient  or  proper  that  the  Lord, 
excepting  her  from  the  transmission 
of  the  sin  of  Eve,  should  still  leave 
her  that  unhappy  concupiscence 
which  was  unknown  to  Eve  herself 
in  her  state  of  innocence He 

'  Con.  Trid.  Sess.  v.  et  vi. 

«  The  Pope,  by  de  Maistre,  v.  ii.  ch.  3. 


616 


MEDITATIONS  ON  TEE  LIT  ANT  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


would,  then,  have  made  Mary  a 
creature  inferior  to  the  companion 
of  the  fii-st  man  in  her  primitive 
condition,  and  the  Mother  of  God 
would  have  had  to  send  up  to  heav- 
en that  comphiint  of  the  Christian 
soul :  "  Unhappy  that  I  am,  who 
will  deliver  me  from  this*  body  of 
death ?"^  Ah!  what  truly  pious 
heart  would  not  reject  such  thoughts 
as  injurious  alike  to  the  Son  and 
the  Mother.  "  I  would  be  horrified 
to  say,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "that 
that  sacred  flesh  which  had  furnish- 
ed the  virginal  body  of  Christ  was 
delivered  to  worms  after  death."  ^ 
But  if  it  were  freed  from  the  cor- 
ruption of  the  grave,  which,  after 
all,  is  not  out  of  order,  how  much 
more  must  it  have  been  preserved 
by  the  Lord  from  all  tendency  to 
moral  disorder. 

Mary  was,  therefore,  in  her  body, 
as  far  as  matter  can  be  compared 
to  spirit,  what  she  was  in  her  soul, 
all  pure  and  all  holy.  Of  her  may 
be  said,  literally,  what  St.  Augus- 
tine said  figuratively  of  virginity, 
that  "she  had  in  her  flesh  some- 
thing not  of  the  flesh,"  ^  something 

'  Bom.  viL  24.        *  De  Assumpt.  t.  ix.,  n.  23. 
•  De  Sancta  Virginit.  n.  12,  t.  vL 


which  belonged  to  the  angelic  na- 
ture rather  than  to  ours,  something 
superhuman,  which  caused  the  King 
of  glory  to  "  not  abhor  the  Virgin's 
womb."* 

But  we  must  beware  of  thinking 
that,  altliougli  Mary  had  no  combat 
to  sustain,  the  glory  of  her  chastity 
was  at  all  diminished.  How  honor- 
able soever  danger  may  be  when 
crowned  by  victory,  whatever  glory 
there  may  be  in  succeeding  in  a 
struggle  of  which  God  is  the  wit- 
ness, the  prize  and  the  crown,  it 
w^as  assuredly  much  more  honorable 
to  be  respected  by  that  unclean 
spirit  w^hose  assaults  have  harassed 
the  greatest  saints,  so  that  he  never 
dared  to  make  even  the  slightest 
attempt.  Such  was,  by  nature,  the 
prerogative  of  the  adorable  Jesus; 
such  was,  by  grace,  the  privilege  of 
his  Mother,  whose  "  eye  hath  always 
been  able  to  look  down  upon"^  the 
infernal  powers  overcome  by  the 
Cross  of  her  divine  Son.^ 

For  us  who  experience  but  too 
ofen  "the  evil  which  is  present  with 
us,"^  and  the  combats  arising  from 
it,  let  us  apply  with  filial  confidence 


*  Hymn  Te  Deunu 
»  Ps.  liii.  9. 


«  Col.  ii.  15. 
'  Bom.  vii.  21. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


617 


to  the  maternal  protection  of  Mary. 
Let  us  remember  that  how  weak 
soever  we  may  be,  "  we  can  do  all 
things  hy  the  grace  of  God  that 
strengtheneth  us,"^  and  that,  by  the 
intermediation  of  his  Mother,  we 
may  hope  never  to  want  that  grace. 
But  let  us  not  count  on  her  protec- 
tion without  using  the  means  and 
taking  the  precautions  pointed  out 
by  faitli ;  that  would  be  attempt- 
ing to  render  Mary  the  accomplice 
of  our  presumption  and  of  our  cul- 
pable imprudence.  Let  us  "  watch 
and  pray."  ^  Let  us  watch  narrow- 
ly over  our  senses,  our  imagination, 
and  the  motions  of  our  heart;  let 
us  shun  even  the  appearance  of  dan- 
ger ;  it  is  only  by  flight  that  chas- 
tity secures  the  victory.  Let  us  pray 
"  at  all  times,"  ^  let  us  pray  espe- 
cially at  the  moment  of  danger,  "that 
we  enter  not  into  temptation."* 

0  Mary,  we  bless  the  Lord  for 
that,  from  the  moment  of  thy  con- 
ception, "  thy  heart  and  thy  flesh 
rejoiced  in  the  living  God;"^  we 
bless  him  for  that  in  thee  are  re- 
alized,   in    an    admirable    manner, 


^  those  words  of  the  great  Apostle, 
that  "  the  fruit  of  the  spirit  is  con- 
tinency  and  chastity."^  What  con- 
tinency  can  ever  be  compared  to 
thine  ?  Where  is  the  chastity  that 
is  not  eclipsed  before  that  which 
God  preserved  from  all  the  attacks 
of  concupiscence,  and  to  which,  by 
the  power  of  "  the  lion  of  *  the  tribe 
of  Juda,"^  he  gave  the  glory  of  a 
perpetual  triumph  ?  ^  Alas  !  but 
our  lot  is  very  different;  and  how 
inimical  to  us  and  to  our  eternal 
welfare  are  "  the  carnal  desires 
which  war  against  the  soul,"^  and 
"the  spirits  of  wickedness "^"^  by 
whom  we  are  surrounded.  In  the 
name  of  thy  glory,  0  Mary,  suffer 
not  those  who  implore  thine  assist- 
ance, and  who  fight  in  the  shadow 
of  thy  tutelary  power,  even  to  fail 
in  the  combat.  Pray  for  us  that 
"  the  God  of  Peace  may  crush  Satan 
under  our  feet,"  ^^  and  that  "  by 
the  Spirit  we  may  mortify  the  deeds 
of  the  flesh."  ^^  Once  more,  then,  we 
beseech  thee — 

Mother  most  chaste,  pray  for  us. 
Mater  castissiTna,  ora  pro  nobis. 


•  Phil.  iv.  13. 

*  St.  Mark  xiv.  38. 
» Ephes.  vi.  18. 


*  St.  Mark  xiv.  38. 

*  Ps.  Ixxx.  iii.  3. 
«  Gal.  V.  23. 


">  Apoc.  V.  5. 
8  2  Cor.  ii.  14 
9 1  Peter  ii  11. 


»  Ephes.  vi.  12. 
>'  Rom.  xvi.  20. 
»  Rom.  viii.  13. 


618 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


MEDITATION  XVII. 

MOTHER   INVIOLATE,  PRAY   FOR   US. 

WHEN  God  revealed  to  the 
prophet  of  old,  seven  centu- 
ries before  its  accomplishment,  the 
miracle  of  the  Virgin-Mother,  Isaiah 
said  to  Mary's  ancestors :  "  Hear  ye, 
therefore^  0  house  of  David ;  ....  a 
virgin  shall  conceive  and  bear  a 
Son.  and  his  name  shall  be  called 
Emmanuel."^  This  is,  in  fact,  one 
of  those  prodigies  which  God  draws 
from  the  treasures  of  his  power 
when  he  wishes  to  strike  men  with 
awe  and  admiration,  and  this  is  also 
what  the  Church  wishes  us  to  praise 
and  honor  by  the  invocation,  "  Moth- 
er inviolate,  prai/for  tcs  /" 

"0  prodigy!  0  ineffable  wonder!" 
exclaims  St.  Augustine,  "a  Virgin 
has  become  a  Mother !  '  Yes,  she  is 
a  Mother,  but  still  a  Virgin !  She 
has  a  son,  but  he  has  no  father  ac- 
cording to  the  flesh ;  she  has  brought 
forth,  but  her  purity  remains  un- 
touched."^ St.  Bernard  outdoes  the 
immortal  bishop  of  Hippo :  "  If," 
says  he,  "  I  wish  to  extol  her  virgin- 
ity, many  virgins  present  themselves 

'  Is.  vii.  13, 14  *  Serm.  xiii.  de  tempore. 

*  Serm.  iv.  de  Assumpt.  B.  M.  V. 


to  my  mind  as  partakers  in  the 
glory  of  that  virtue.  If  I  set  about 
praising  her  humility,  I  find  many 
of  the  faithful  who,  at  the  bidding 
of  her  divine  Son,  became  meek  and 
humble  of  heart.  If  I  undertake  to 
laud  the  abundance  of  her  mercy, 
are  there  not  men  of  great  mercy, 
and  women  who  are  models  of 
compassionate  goodness?  But  in 
this  no  one  either  before  or  after 
could  ever  be  compared  with  her  I 
In  this  she  stands  alone,  viz.,  in  the 
union  of  the  joys  of  motherhood  with 
the  glory  of  virginity.  Yes,  this  is 
Mary's  exclusive  privilege;  no  other 
creature  can  ever  be  so  honored."^ 

Doubtless,  this  prodigy  is  beyond 
all  the  laws  of  nature.  But  if  our 
first  father  came  into  the  world  by 
a  simple  act  of  the  will  of  God,  was 
it  any  more  difficult  for  that  omnip- 
otent will  to  unite,  in  a  mortal,  the 
flower  of  virginity  and  the  divine 
fruit  "  of  the  Holy  Ghost?"*  And; 
moreover,  does  not  the  image  re- 
ceived and  reflected  by  "the  un- 
spotted mirror"^  give  us  a  suffi- 
ciently clear  idea  of  how  "  the 
splendor  of  the  glory  of  God  "^  could 

*  St.  Matt.  i.  20.  •  Wisdom  vii.  26. 

« Heb.  i.  3. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


619 


come  and  manifest  itself  in  the 
world  in  a  manner  as  admirable 
as  it  is  astonishing  ?  .  .  .  For  the 
rest,  it  would  seem  that  the  Lord 
wished  gradually  to  prepare  the 
human  mind  for  believing  this 
prodigy,  the  object  of  our  faith; 
for  the  solemn  prophecy  which 
announced  it  so  long  beforehand 
amongst  God's  own  people,  found  an 
echo  amongst  nearly  all  the  pagan 
nations  of  antiquity  ;  their  religious 
traditions  all  agreed  in  expecting  a 
liberator  in  the  Son  of  a  Virgin.^ 
It  would  also  seem  that  the  mystery 
of  a  Man-God  being  in  itself  an  un- 
paralleled miracle,  its  glory  was  to 
be  manifested  in  his  birth,  as  well 
as  in  his  conception. 

Let  us  here  praise  the  Lord  for 
the  admirable  prodigies  wherewith 
he  dignified  the  mystery  of  his  anni- 
hilation in  human  nature ;  let  us 
bless  him  for  the  glorious  favors 
which  he  bestowed  on  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  and  endeavor  to  penetrate 
ourselves  more  and  more  with  a 
high  esteem,  a  generous  love  for 
the  virtue  which  he  honored  in  Mary 
Dy  such  great  marvels.  Ah !  if  we 
only  knew  how  pleasing  this  virtue 


*  is  to  that  God  who  "  is  a  spirit," 
and  who  "  must  be  adored  in  spir- 
it,"^ and  how  our  flesh  participates, 
in  its  own  way,  as  far  as  it  possibly 
can,  in  the  elevation,  the  dignity, 
the  purity  of  that  adoration !  .  .  .  . 
What  tmceasing  efforts  should  we 
make  to  practise  that  chastity  of 
the  senses  which  refrains  even 
from  that  which  is  permitted,  for 
fear  of  exceeding  the  prescribed 
limits ;  that  chastity  of  the  heart 
which  excludes  all  excessive  affec- 
tion, even  when  legitimate;  that 
chastity  of  the  imagination,  which 
repels  even  the  passing  thought  of 
any  irregularity  or  of  any  dangerous 
object!  And  how  carefully  should 
we  regulate  our  whole  exterior  so 
as  to  inspire  others,  by  our  modesty 
and  reserve,  with  love  and  esteem 
for  a  virtue  which  can  alone  render 
our  homage  worthy  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin. 

0  Mother  inviolate,  styled  by  the 
Apostle  St.  John  "a  great  wonder,"^ 
we  love  to  contemplate  thee,  with 
him,  "  clothed  with  the  sun,  having 
the  moon  under  thy  feet,  and  on 
thy  head  a  crown  of  twelve  stars."  * 
The   sun   surrounds   thee   with  his 


'  JLetter  of  M.  Drach. 


^  St.  John  iv.  23. 


'  Apoc.  xiL  1. 


♦  md. 


620 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN 


dazzling  radiance — a  figure  of  the 
divine  "Sun  of  justice,"^  whom 
thou  didst  bear  in  thy  chaste 
womb,  and  who  rendered  thy  purity 
as  unalterable  as  his  brilliant  rays. 
Twelve  stars  compose  thy  diadem, 
their  living  splendor  an  image  of 
thy  miraculous  purity.  Thou  hast 
the  moon  under  thy  feet,  emblem- 
atical of  the  triumph  of  thy  virgin- 
ity over  all  inconstancy,  all  imper- 
fection, represented  by  that  ever- 
changing  planet.  Let  us  join  in 
the  pious  transports  of  St.  Ambrose, 
who,  on  the  feast  of  Christmas, 
made  all  his  people  sing,  "The 
whole  world  admires  the  miracu- 
lous childbearing  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin.  Such  must  be  the  birth  of 
aGod!"2 

We  ardently  desire  to  honor  in 
thee,  0  Mary !  the  wonderful  works 
of  the  Lord,  by  our  fidelity  in  im- 
itating thy  superhuman  purity,  as 
far  as  is  consistent  with  our  weak- 
ness. That  we  may  obtain  that 
grace. 

Mother  inviolate,  pray  for  us. 

Mater  inviokUaj  ora  pro  nobis. 

■  Malac.  iy.  2. 

*  Quoted  by  Pope  St.  Celestine,  Epist.  decretal. 
Roman.  Fonlif. 


MEDITATION  XVm. 

MOTHER  UNDEFILED,  PRAY  FOR  US. 

TflO  be  worthy  of  God,  the  splen- 
J-  dor  of  the  miracle  of  the  Vir- 
gin-Mother must  necessarily  be 
unalterable,  and  the  chaste  womb 
wherein  "the  Word  was  made  flesh" 
must  remain  forever  incorruptible, 
as  a  sanctuary  "  shut  for  the  Prince 
of  Peaces  ^  So  it  is  of  faith  that 
Mary  was  always  a  virgin,  that 
nothing  ever  tarnished  "the  flower 
of  purity  in  her  so  admirably  united 
with  the  fruit  of  honor  and  riches,"^ 
and  that  this  same  flower,  at  the 
close  of  its  mortal  existence,  was 
as  fair  and  spotless  as  at  its  first 
opening.  Furthermore,  the  Church 
tells  us  in  her  sacred  liturgy  that, 
far  from  losing  aught  of  its  perfec- 
tion, the  virginity  of  Mary  "received 
through  the  miraculous  birth  of  the 
^  Saviour,  as  it  were,  a  divine  conse- 
cration."^ 

This,  then,  is  the  "fountain 
sealed  up,"^  this  is  truly  that 
"garden  enclosed,"^  which  is  the 
inaccessible  dwelling  of  the  divine 

»  Ezec.  xliv.  2.  •  Cant.  iv.  12. 

*  Eccles.  xxiv.  23.  '  Cant.  iv.  12. 

;        *  Miss.  Eom.  in  Concept.  B.  M.  V, 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


621 


Majesty,  guarded  "  by  the  cherubim  - 
^\ith  a  flaming  sword."  ^ 

Even  if  we  had  not  on  this  head 
the  certainty  given  by  the  infallible 
teaching  of  the  Church,  where  is 
the  Christian  who  does  not  under- 
stand that  Mary,  by  her  divine  ma- 
ternity, became  the  true  temple  of 
the  eternal  Son ;  that  the  uncreated 
Word,  having  dwelt  for  nine  months 
in  her  virginal  womb,  it  thereby 
became  the  purest  and  most  august 
of  sanctuaries ;  that  if  "  the  place 
where  his  feet  stood  "^  was  of  old 
considered  worthy  of  solemn  vener- 
ation, this  living  sanctuary  of  the 
Divinity  was  incomparably  more 
so  ?  .  .  .  But,  on  the  contrary,  who 
could  suppose  without  horror,  that 
God  would  have  permitted  the  prof- 
anation of  that  dwelling  which  he 
had  chosen  for  his  Son,^  that  Mary 
could  for  a  single  moment  cease  to 
respect  what  God  had  made  so 
venerable,  or  that  she  could  ever 
have  forgotten  that  sacred  contract 
which  she  mentioned  to  the  Angel 
Gabriel  as  "a  treasure  which  she 
would  not  have  resigned   even  for 

'  Gen.  iii.  24.  *  Ps.  cxxxi.  7. 

»  Ps.  cxxxi.  13. 

*  St.  Greg.  Nys.,  horn,  in  Nativ.  Ghr. 


the  sublime  maternity  announced 
to  her?"* 

Ah !  far,  very  far  from  us  be  such 
thoughts — thoughts  which  would  be 
not  only  contrary  to  faith,  but 
which  would  accuse  Mary  "  of  a 
sacrilege  degrading  to  her,  and  a 
profanation  degrading  to  Jesus 
Christ  himself."^  Let  us  rather 
unite  with  the  holy  doctors  who 
have  celebrated  the  untouched  pu- 
rity of  the  Virgin  by  excellence. 
Let  us  say  with  St.  Jerome,  "She 
remained  ever  holy  both  in  soul 
and  body,  eternally  a  virgin ; "  ^  and 
with  St.  Ambrose,  "Mary  is  the  mis- 
tress of  virginity,  whose  glory  was 
never  eclipsed  in  her ; "  ^  and  with 
St.  Peter  Chrysologus,  "By  her 
bearing  of  the  Man-God  her  purity 
did  but  increase,  her  chastity  as- 
sumed a  new  lustre,  her  virginity 
became  but  the  more  inviolable."^ 

But  from  this  truth  let  us  draw  a 
useful  lesson  for  our  soul.  The  holy 
and  adorable  Eucharist,  as  we  have 
already  seen,  gives  us  a  connection 
with  Jesus  so  close,  so  honorable, 
as  to  have  a  wonderful  similitude 

*  Elev.  sur  les  mysv^res,  par  Bossuet. 

«  Ep.  X.  ad  Eus.  de  ass.     In  Ezech.  1.  xiii. 

">  De  Instit.  Virg.  »  Serm.  cxlii. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


with  that  which  existed  between 
Mary  and  the  Eternal  Son  of  the 
Most  High.  "Why,  then,  is  it  that 
we  do  not  gather  from  that  ineffa- 
ble union,  from  that  immense  honor, 
a  steady  and  persevering  love  of 
virtue,  an  invincible  strength  against 
the  seduction  of  the  senses?  .  .  .  Ah  I 
it  is  that  before  communion  we  do 
not  sufficiently  estimate  the  value 
of  the  grace  conferred  upon  us  by 
God,  and  that,  after  communion,  we 
too  soon  forget  the  incomparable 
favor  we  have  received.  When  be- 
lieving "  with  the  heart,"  ^  how  can 
any  one,  before  participating  in  the 
sacred  banquet,  say  to  himself  with- 
out emotion,  "  A  house  is  prepared 
not  for  man,  not  for  an  angel,  but  for 
God?"^  And  after  being  so  closely 
united  with  the  Man-God,  how  is  it 
that  w^e  do  not  "  live  in  God,  par- 
ticipating in  the  divine  feelings  ?  "  ^ 
After  being  nourished  "with  that 
virginal  body,  that  body  conceived 
and  born  of  a  Virgin,"*  how  can 
we  consent,  with  the  remembrance 
of  such  a  favor  before  our  minds, 
ever  to   be   other   than    pure   and 

•  Rom.  X.  10.  *  1  Paral.  zxiz.  1. 

'  Medit.  sur  I'Eu.,  by  BosBuet. 

*]lnd. 


*  spotless,  even  for  a  single  moment  ? 
0  Mary  I  "  new  paradise  where  pu- 
rity puts  forth  her  fairest  flowers,"^ 
in  what  terms  shall  we  praise  the 
glory  of  thine  inviolate  and  per- 
petual virginity  ?...."  Unheard-of 
miracle,"  shall  we  say  with  St.  Eph- 
raim,  "  inexplicable  prodigy,  incom- 
bustible bush,  golden  censer  exhal- 
ing a  delicious  perfume,  alone  pure 
in  soul  and  body,  alone  above  all 
integrity,  all  innocence,  and  all  vir- 
ginity?"^ Ah!  let  us,  hencefor- 
ward, through  thy  protection,  de- 
light in  that  virtue  which  was  so 
precious  in  thy  sight,  let  us  "love 
that  chastity"  for  which  "thou  shalt 
be  blessed  forever."^  "  As  the  hart 
panteth  after  the  fountains  of  wa- 
ter,"^ so  may  we  sigh  after  that  ado- 
rable mystery  wherein  we  taste 
"the  corn  of  the  elect,  and  wine 
springing  forth  virgins."^  Above 
all,  when  we  have  had  the  infinite, 
the  inexpressible  happiness  of  par- 
ticipating therein,  may  we  ever  pre- 
serve the  remembrance  of  it,  and 
lead  a  "holy  and  a  blameless"  life, 
under  the  patronage  of  her  to  whom 

»  St.  Basil,  Orat.  xxx. 

•  Sancti  Eph.,  Opera  grceco-lat.,  t.  iii.,  p.  524-552 

'  Judith  XV.  11.       «  Ps.  xlL  2.       »  Zach.  ix.  17 


MEDITATIONS  ON  TEE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


623 


we  address  this  supplication,  weak 
and  helpless  as  we  are : 

Mother  undefiled,  pray  for  us. 

Mater  intemerata,  ora  pro  nobis. 


MEDITATION  XIX. 

mother  most  amiable,  pray  for  us. 

THE  sacred  canticle  wherein  the 
Holy  Ghost  typifies  the  union 
of  the  Incarnate  Word  with  his 
Church,  is  also  a  magnificent  paint- 
ing of  all  the  qualities  which  secure 
to  Mary  the  title  of  Amiable  Mother. 
In  that  divine  picture  the  heavenly 
Spouse  represents  her  in  the  most 
varied  colors,  and  under  the  bright- 
est and  most  captivating  figures: 
flowers  and  fruits,  and  the  rarest 
plants  ;  perfumes  the  most  precious 
that  art  or  nature  can  produce ; 
comparisons  fuU  of  grace  and  sweet- 
ness ;  delicate  and  graceful  orna- 
ments of  the  rarest  beauty.  But  all 
that  belongs  to  earth  is  too  much 
beneath  the  Ainiahle  Mother;  and 
hence  it  is  that  she  is  saluted  by 
the  mouth  of  the  virgins  of  Jerusa- 

•  Cant.  vi.  9. 

•  Serm.  de  laudib.  Virg. 


*  lem  with  that  cry  of  admiration: 
"  Who,  then,  is  she  that  cometh  forth 
as  the  morning  rising,  fair  as  the 
moon,  bright  as  the  sun?"^  Yes, 
her  loveliness  has  the  brilliant  hues 
of  the  early  dawn,  the  mild  radiance 
of  the  moon,  the  gorgeous  splendor 
of  the  orb  of  day ;  and  justly  did  St. 
Epiphanius  say  to  her  with  pious 
enthusiasm:  "After  God,  thou  art 
the  first  beauty :  that  of  the  cheru- 
bim, that  of  the  seraphim,  and  of 
all  the  angelic  choirs,  is  effaced  be- 
fore thine."  ^  How  much  more,  then, 
does  it  exceed  the  charms  of  Rachel 
and  Rebecca,  the  winning  grace  of 
Esther,  the  stately  beauty  of  Judith, 
all  honorably  mentioned  in  Holy 
Writ!^ 

But  let  us  not  stop  at  the  terres- 
trial ideas  conveyed  by  the  senses ; 
this  beauty,  this  loveliness  of  the 
favored  daughter  of  the  King  of 
kings,  "is  entirely  from  within,"^ 
and  from  the  inestimable  gifts 
wherewith  the  Lord  has  adorned 
her.  If  men  were  capable  of  seeing 
a  soul  in  possession  of  sanctifying 
grace,  they  would  find  it  of  ravish- 
ing  beauty;   and  if  it  be  so  with 

3  Gen.  xxiv.  16  ;   Gen.  xxix.  17  ;   Esth.  ii.  7  ; 
^   Jud.  viii.  7.  *  Ps.  xliv.  14 


624 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


any  soul  which  enjoys  that  precious 
treasure,  how  great  must  be  the 
beauty  of  those  who,  by  their  fidel- 
ity, their  zeal,  their  fervor,  merit 
every  day,  and,  if  one  might  say 
so,  eveiy  hour,  an  increase  of  that 
celestial  gift,  that  magnificent,  that 
divine  adornment  of  the  Christian 
soul !  What  an  idea  must  we  then 
have  of  the  interior  beauty,  the  su- 
pernatural loveliness  of  Mary  !  In 
her  conception,  she  had  received  the 
efi'usion  of  grace  in  a  degree  far  su- 
perior to  that  with  which  any  other 
creature  could  be  favored.  The 
Lord  having  chosen  her  in  his  eter- 
nal counsels  to  be  his  Mother,  she 
must,  necessarily,  be  more  pleasing 
to  him  than  all  others,  even  from 
her  very  origin ;  and  to  remain  wor- 
thy of  her  incomparable  destiny,  she 
must  also  be  pre-eminently  assidu- 
ous, united  with  God  in  mind  and 
heart,  and  ever  eager  to  increase  her 
treasure  by  new  acts  of  divine  love. 
No  other  was  enriched,  like  her, 
every  moment,  with  new  traits  of 
supernatural  beauty ;  no  other  ever 
possessed,  like  her,  the  virtues  in- 
separable from  such  an  abundance 
of  grace.  Never,  therefore,  was 
creature  so  humble,  so  patient,  so 


f  charitable,  so  compassionate,  so 
considei-ate ;  never  was  heart  so 
generous,  so  devoted,  so  pure,  so 
noble,  so  great,  so  nearly  resembling 
the  adorable  heart  of  her  divine 
Son. 

Let  us  here  learn  to  love,  like 
Mary,  before  all  else,  that  which  is 
truly  amiable — God,  and  the  means 
of  pleasing  and  being  united  to  him. 
Let  us  learn  to  despise,  like  her, 
that  frail  external  beauty  which 
fades  and  withers  away,  and  falls  at 
length  under  the  stroke  of  death,  to 
give  place  to  something  hideous 
and  disgusting.  Let  us  fix  our 
hearts  on  that  interior  loveliness, 
that  spiritual  beauty  which  renders 
us  so  amiable  before  God,  that 
every  Christian  dying  in  the  state 
of  grace  is  by  him  associated  in  his 
glory  and  happiness.  Finally,  let 
us  remember  that  while  meriting 
for  our  soul  the  felicity  .of  heaven, 
we  merit  it  also  for  our  body ;  and 
that,  consequently,  all  that  we  do, 
in  time,  for  the  supernatural  beauty 
of  the  soul,  we  do  it,  not  merely  to 
promote  its  eternal  blessedness,  but 
also  to  secure  the  glorification  of 
our  body  for  all  eternity. 

^       0  Mary !  masterpiece  of  Almighty 


C'tOtZc^  J^eni  ptn 


WIN. 


625 


his   inventive 
3    most  rebel- 
^s ;   even  light 
subservient   to 
le  astonishing 
the  admiration 
'.ate  the  beau- 
in  art.     But 
of  man  com- 
mas produced 
all-powerful 
ill  the  works 
son  with  the 

drawn  forth 

5ury   of   his 

reatest   and 

trewn  them 

ke  the  dust 

domed  the 

•^    amazing 

g  beauty ; 

vens  with 

3  has  es- 

universe 

tions  of 

skillful 

n  their 

their 


ated  to 


'   I 


•%■ 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LIT  ANT  OF  TEE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


625 


power,  how  dazzling  is  thy  beauty 
to  the  eyes  of  faith !  Yes,  thou  art 
worthy  "  of  being  called,"  by  excel- 
lence, "Amiable  to  the  Lord;"^  for 
thou  art  adorned  with  all  the  per- 
fections which  can  make  a  creature 
amiable.  How  sweet  it  is,  beloved 
Mother,  to  cry  out  with  one  of  thy 
devout  servants,  that  "  thou  dost 
ravish  the  hearts  of  those  who  con- 
template thee!"^  How  sweet  it  is 
to  assure  thee  of  our  sincere  desire 
ever  to  love  thee  according  to  thy 
merit,  to  prefer,  like  thee,  the  beauty 
of  the  soul  before  all  else,  and  to 
labor  incessantly  to  increase  it  by 
the  fervor  of  our  charity !  Bless  this 
desire,  0  divine  Mary ;  and  that  we 
may  obtain  its  accomplishment. 


Mother   most   amiable,  pray   for 


us. 


Mater  amabilis,  ora  pro  nobis. 


MEDITATION  XX. 

MOTHER  MOST  ADMIRABLE,  PRAY  FOR  US. 

MAN  has  made  use  of  what  God 
gave  up  to  his  patient  indus- 
try,  and    has   produced   admirable 


*  things.  He  has,  by  his  inventive 
genius,  mastered  the  most  rebel- 
lious of  the  elements ;  even  light 
itself  he  has  made  subservient  to 
his  will ;  he  has  made  astonishing 
achievements,  worthy  the  admiration 
of  all  who  can  appreciate  the  beau- 
tiful and  the  sublime  in  art.  But 
what  are  all  the  works  of  man  com- 
pared with  what  God  has  produced 
by  a  single  act  of  his  all-powerful 
will  ?  And  what  are  all  the  works 
of  creation  in  comparison  with  the 
admirable  Mother  f 

God,  it  is  true,  has  drawn  forth 
from  the  infinite  treasury  of  his 
power  wonders  the  greatest  and 
most  varied ;  he  has  strewn  them 
over  illimitable  space  like  the  dust 
of  our  fields;  he  has  adorned  the 
earth  with  creatures  of  amazing 
strength  and  of  enchanting  beauty ; 
he  has  bedecked  the  heavens  with 
azure,  gold,  and  silver;  he  has  es- 
tablished throughout  the  universe 
the  most  profound  combinations  of 
opposing  elements,  the  most  skillful 
harmony  of  laws,  sublime  in  their 
diversity,   in   their   unity,   in   their 


'  2  Kings  xii.  25. 

«  Medit.  in  Antiph.  Sdve  Beg.,  attributed  to 
^    St.  Bernard. 


ft28 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED   VIRGIN. 


MEDITATION  XXI. 

MOTHER  OF  OUR  CREATOR,  PRAY  FOR  US. 

THE  divine  act  of  the  Creator  is 
the  grandest,  the  most  aston- 
ishing to  our  understanding;  in  it 
we  have  to  contemplate,  to  fathom, 
as  it  were,  the  grand  transition  from 
nothing  to  being,  a  secret  which 
G(xl  has  reserved  for  himself,  and 
which  can  never  come  under  the 
cognizance  of  human  reason.  Hence 
it  is  that  God,  who  is  so  great  in 
other  respects,  manifests  himself  to 
us,  if  we  may  say  so,  in  all  his 
power  as  Creator  of  the  universe ; 
and  the  Church,  penetrated  with 
this  truth,  makes  us  here  invoke 
Mary,  under  the  title  of  Motlier  of 
our  Creator,  in  order  to  give  us  the 
highest  possible  idea  of  her  dignity 
and  greatness. 

Mother  of  our  Creator!  Is  there 
not  an  apparent  contradiction  be- 
tween these  two  terms?  What! 
can  the  stream  produce  its  source  ? 
the  work  its  author?  Who  ever 
saw,  who  ever  heard  the  like  ?  .  .  .  . 
Undoubtedly,  if  there  were  in  Jesus 
Chi'ist  only  the  divine  nature,  this 
title  could  not  belong  to  the  Blessed 
Virgin :  the  Divinity  exists  by  itself 


f  from  all  eternity,  and  has  no  other 
principle  than  itself.  But  "  the 
Word  was  made  flesh,"  ^  and  Mary, 
by  an  unequalled  miracle,  became 
the  mother  of  his  human  nature. 
And  the  Word  is  Creator  as  well  as 
the  Father  and  the  Holy  Ghost, 
these  three  adorable  persons  having 
together  produced  all  creatures  by 
the  indivisible  act  of  their  will. 

Let  us  then  exclaim,  with  St. 
Peter  Chrysologus,  "Yes,  truly, 
Mary  brought  into  the  world  Him 
who  created  the  world  and  her- 
self!"^ Let  us  offer  to  her  our 
fervent  congratulations,  saying,  with 
the  same  holy  doctor,  "  For  ever 
blessed  art  thou!  thy  Creator  vouch- 
safed to  be  conceived  in  thy  chaste 
womb ;  thy  first  beginning  was 
pleased  to  owe  his  birth  to  thee ; 
thy  Heavenly  Father  deigned  to  be- 
come thy  son  ;  thy  God  vouchsafed 
to  become  incarnate  in  thy  flesh."  ^ 

But  for  whom  did  the  Creator  of 
all  things  raise  Mary  to  so  high 
a  degree  of  glory?  It  is  for  all 
of  us ;  by  her  he  came  into  the 
world,  came  to  effect  a  change  in 
each  of  us  more  wonderful,  perhaps, 
than   the   creation    itself.      In   the 

^        »  St.  John  L  14      *  Serm.  143.      Serm.  142. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


629 


beginning  "  God  spal^e,  and  all  was 
made."  ^  What  could  resist  the 
omnipotent  power  of  his  word? 
But  in  the  admirable  operations  of 
"  the  grace  which  is  given  us  by 
Jesus  Christ,"  ^  God  permits  our 
free  will  to  oppose  an  obstacle,  in 
order  to  give  us  an  occasion  of 
merit ;  and  hence  it  is  that  grace, 
triumphing  over  our  will,  while  re- 
specting it  and  allowing  it  to  act  in 
a  meritorious  manner,  presents  some- 
thing greater,  we  might  almost  say, 
in  some  respects,  than  the  primitive 
act  of  creation.  This  is  what  St. 
Paul  appears  to  imply  when  he 
makes  use  of  the  words  new  creature 
to  express  the  transformation  of 
man  by  the  grace  of  Christianity. 
"  If  then  any  be  in  Christ,"  wrote  he 
to  the  Corinthians,  *'  a  new  creat- 
ure:"^ and  to  the  Galatians,  "In 
Christ  Jesus  neither  circumcision 
availeth  any  thing,  nor  uncircum- 
cision,  but  a  new  creature."*  Alas ! 
we  see  not  this  new  creature,  and 
hence  it  is  that  we  are  little  im- 
pressed by  the  admirable  act  of 
divine  power  whereby  it  is  pro- 
duced.      Accustomed    as    we    are, 

'  Ps.  cxlviii.  5.  «  St.  John  L  17. 

»  2  Cor.  V.  17. 


*  moreover,  to  behold  human  nature 
when,  in  some  degree,  transformed 
by  baptism  in  its  earliest  infancy, 
we  are  less  sensible  of  the  favor, 
because  we  know  not,  by  experi- 
ence, what  it  is  to  grow  up  and  ad- 
vance in  life  under  the  fatal  influ- 
ence of  original  degradation,  without 
remedy  and  without  supernatural 
assistance.  Ah !  it  was  well  under- 
stood by  those  converted  pagans, 
to  whom  the  great  Apostle  said, 
after  describing  the  most  humiliat- 
ing fruits  of  corrupt  nature,  "  Such 
some  of  you  were:  but  you  are 
washed,  but  you  are  sanctified,  but 
you  are  justified,  in  the  name  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ."^ 

Let  us,  then,  think  often  of  what 
we  should  be  without  baptism, 
and  all  the  marvellous  helps  of 
which  it  is,  as  it  were,  the  sluice ; 
let  us  compare  ourselves  with  the 
unbelievers  to  whom  God  "  hath 
not  done  in  like  manner,"^  and  we 
shall  give  up  our  hearts,  without 
reserve,  to  all  the  sentiments  which 
the  liveliest  gratitude  can  inspire. 

Vouchsafe  to  make  us  understand, 
0  Mary,  what  gratitude   and  love 

*  GaL  yL  15.  » 1  Cor.  vi.  11. 

•  Ps.  cxlvii.  20. 


630 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


we  owe  for  the  prodigious  change 
wrought  in  us  by  the  grace  of  thy 
divine  Son  —  an  ineffable  favor, 
which  makes  us  pass  from  the  nar- 
row limits  of  our  nature  to  a  super- 
human order,  incomparably  more 
elevated  than  the  fairest  moral  or- 
der I  Considering  "  the  renovation 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  ^  and  its  blessed 
effects,  with  their  inestimable  value, 
our  "  heart  should  he  inflamed,  we 
should  be  brought  to  nothing"^  with 
wonder  and  admiration;  but,  alas  I 
we  are  cold,  ungrateful,  and  deliber- 
ately sinful.  Permit  us  not,  0  Mary, 
longer  to  delay  in  "  giving  to  God 
the  things  that  are  God's,"'  in  offer- 
ing to  the  Creator,  whose  majesty 
"  rested  in  thy  tabernacle,"  *  the  sen- 
timents so  justly  due  to  him;  and, 
in  order  that  we  may  henceforward 
be  grateful  and  always  faithful, 
Mother  of  our  Creator,  pray  for  us. 
Mater  Creatoris,  ova  pro  nobis. 


MEDITATION    XXTT. 
mother  of  our  redeemer,  pray  for  us. 


f  the  one  dearest  to  Christian  piety. 
Mother  of  our  Redeemer  !  that  is  to 
say,  0  thou  who,  by  thy  co-operation 
in  the  divine  incarnation,  hast  given 
us  Him  whose  name  of  Jesus  was  re- 
vealed by  the  Angel  Gabriel  to  thy 
chaste  spouse,  Him  who  was  to 
"  save  his  people  from  their  sins!"* 
Mother  of  our  Redeemer!  0  thou 
to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  him 
whose  adorable  name  should  be  un- 
ceasingly on  our  lips  and  in  our 
heart,  if  we  were  only  impressed 
with  a  lively  sense  of  what  we  owe 
him  !  In  order  to  understand  what 
Mary  is  to  us,  let  us  try  to  under- 
stand the  nature  of  our  obligations 
to  that  sweet  Saviour  whom  she 
brought  into  the  world. 

Two  things  give  value  to  a  favor, 
its  own  intrinsic  importance,  and 
the  generosity  with  which  it  is  con- 
ferred. Oh  I  how  precious,  then, 
how  truly  inestimable,  is  that  which 
we  owe  to  the  adorable  Son  of 
Mary  I 

What  a  fate  should  we  have  had 
for  all  eternity  were  it  not  for  that 
divine   Saviour!     The   Holy   Ghost 


H 


ERE  we  have  the  most  touch- 
ing of  Mary's  maternal  titles ; 


'  Titus  iii  5. 
t  Ps.  Ixxii  22. 


'  St.  Luke  XX.  25. 
*  Eccles.  xxiv.  12. 


»  St.  Matt,  i  21. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


631 


describes  it  as  "eternal  death :"^  * 
that  is  to  say,  a  state  without  end, 
wherein  the  horrors  of  death  are 
every  moment  renewed ;  a  life,  im- 
perishable indeed,  but  deprived  of 
the  sovereign  good,  with  a  ceaseless 
and  intense  desire  to  possess  it,  and 
the  fatal  certainty  of  never  obtain- 
ing it ;  an  eternal  life  of  "  eternal 

pains  "^ But,    as   though   it 

were  a  small  thing  to  save  us  from 
such  a  fearful  destiny,  Jesus  has 
merited  for  us  the  inestimable  privi- 
lege of  being  one  day  seated  with 
him  "  in  the  heavenly  places,"^  of 
being  "glorified  with  him,"*  of  liv- 
ing and  reigning  eternally  with 
him,^  of  being  eternally  "like  to 
him  ; "  ^  that  is  to  say,  to  be  happy 
forever,  happy  beyond  all  human 
expression,  happy  beyond  all  con- 
ception or  desire.  And  this  two- 
fold service  he  has  rendered  to  us 
with  the  most  disinterested,  the 
most  magnanimous  devotion. 

What  were  we  to  Jesus  that  his 
heart  should  inspire  him  with  the 
thought  of  saving  us  by  his  own 
blood?  Were  we  as  dear  friends, 
excellent  brethren,  for  whom  it  is 


'  2  Thess.  i.  9. 
*  2  Thess.  i.  9. 


3  Ephes.  ii.  6. 
*  Rom.  viii.  17. 


sweet  to  make  a  sacrifice,  and  whose 
fate  inspires  the  liveliest  interest? 
Not  yet As  strangers,  deserv- 
ing of  pity  because  of  their  virtue 
as  well  as  their  misfortunes  ?  Alas ! 
no:  we  were  only  wretched,  sinful 
creatures,  unworthy  of  a  single 
glance  from  him,  and  from  whom 
he  had  not  even  common  gratitude 
to  expect.  What  do  I  say?  from 
whom  he  well  knew  he  should  re- 
ceive no  other  return  than  lament- 
able indifference,  cold  tepidity,  or 
even  a  multiplicity  of  offences,  often, 
alas!  willful.  Nevertheless,  he  loved 
us  "unto  death,  even  the  death  of 
the  cross."  ^  To  love,  to  love  even 
to  excess,  him  who  deserves  not 
even  sympathy ;  to  love  him  who 
loves  not  in  return,  nor  will  ever 
testify  a  just  gratitude — what  won- 
drous love !  .  .  .  .  But  to  die  for  him 
in  whom  there  is  nought  but  mis- 
ery, insensibility,  from  whom  there 
is  scarcely  anything  to  be  expected 
save  base  and  obstinate  ingratitude, 
what  love  could  be  purer,  stronger, 
or  more  generous  ? 

When  shall  we  repay  even  a  por- 
tion of  our  Kedeemer's  love,  of  the 


»  2  Tim.  ii.  12. 


« 1  John  iii  2. 


7  Phil.  ii.  8. 


689 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


gratitude  we  owe  him?  We  who 
detest  ingratitude  in  others,  when 
shall  we  cease  to  be  ungrateful  ?  . . . 
We  would  love  a  man  who,  at  the 
risk  of  his  life,  had  saved  this  cor- 
poral life,  this  life  so  frail,  so  mis- 
erable, so  full  of  tears  and  bitter- 
ness; we  would  shrink  from  even 
the  appearance  of  ingratitude,  we 
would  be  horrified  at  the  thoughts 
of  doing  him  an  injury.  How  un- 
grateful, then,  are  we  to  the  adora- 
ble Son  of  Mary,  who,  by  the  most 
cruel  and  ignominious  death,  has 
delivered  us  from  an  eternity  of 
wretchedness,  and  merited  for  us  an 
eternity  of  happiness!  And  how 
much  more  ungrateful  should  we 
be,  if,  after  having  meditated  on 
truths  so  capable  of  touching  our 
hearts,  we  should  still  refuse  to  pay 
him  a  debt  so  every  way  sacred. 
Let  us,  therefore,  belong,  hencefor- 
ward, not  to  om-selves,  for  "  we  are 
not  our  own,"^  but  His  who  pur- 
chased, "with  a  great  price," '^  our 
love,  our  fidelity,  our  devotion. 

0  Mary,  thy  quality  of  Mother  of 
the  Redeemer  associates  thee  in 
the    work    of   man's    Redemption, 


'  1  Cor.  vi.  19. 


•  Ibid.  20. 


accomplished  by  his  Passion,  the 
torturing  instruments  of  which,  re- 
calling his  sufferings  and  thine, 
speak  eloquently  to  every  feeling 
heart.  Love,  ardent,  inviolable,  eter- 
nal love  to  Jesus  I  After  Jesus,  to 
thee,  most  holy  Virgin,  fervent  and 
faithful  and  unceasing  love !  Be- 
loved and  august  Mother  of  that  di- 
vine Son,  whose  name  oi  ^^  Saviour" ^ 
was  revealed  by  an  angel  to  the 
shepherds  invited  to  visit  his  crib 
and  adore  his  birth,  how  much  more 
applicable  to  him  is  the  title  of 
"  Saviour  of  the  world,"  than  to  Jo- 
seph that  of  the  Saviour  of  Egypt  !* 
Joseph  acquired  the  title  by  a  ser- 
vice rendered  to  the  people  of 
Egypt,  without  any  personal  sacri- 
fice on  his  part;  but  Jesus  bears 
the  name,  if  we  may  say  so,  written 
on  his  adorable  brow  with  his  own 
blood.  Obtain  for  us,  0  Mary,  that 
our  hearts  may  return  him,  if  not 
blood  for  blood,  at  least  love  for 
love — that  true  and  perfect  love 
which  manifests  itself  by  works  I 

Mother  op  our  Redeemer,  pray 
FOR  us. 

Mater  Salvatoris,  ora  pro  nobis. 


»  Si  Luke  ii  11. 


*  Gen.  xli.  45. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIBGIN. 


633 


MEDITATION  XXin. 

VIRGIN   MOST    PRUDENT,    PRAY   FOR   US. 

HAYING  made  us  honor  Mary 
in  all  the  glories  of  her  ma- 
ternity, the  Church  makes  us  cele- 
brate her  as  a  Virgin,  and  presents 
at  once  for  our  homage  the  pru- 
dence which  distinguishes  her  from 
all  the  daughters  of  Eve,  even  the 
most  perfect. 

From  her  childhood,  she  flies  the 
corrupt  atmosphere  of  the  world  to 
go  breathe  the  pure  air  of  the  sanc- 
tuary; she  hedges  round  with  the 
most  watchful  prudence  a  heart 
which  yet  has  nothing  to  fear  from 
the  seductions  of  the  world,  for 
the  Lord  possesses  it  from  its  very 
conception,  and  permits  it  not  to 
know  either  the  dangers  or  the  at- 
tacks of  concupiscence. 

When  a  prince  of  heaven  appears 
before  her  with  the  most  glorious 
message,  Mary  is  troubled.  She  is 
accustomed  to  a  life  so  solitary,  so 
full  of  reserve,  that  "the  presence 
of  the  angel  in  mortal  form  suf- 
ficed," says  St.  Ambrose,  "  to  in- 
spire her  with  a  holy  fear;"^  and 
that  fear  increases,  when  she  hears 

>  De  Offidis,  lib.  i.,  ch.  8. 


f  from  his  mouth  the  announcement 
of  a  dignity  naturally  incompatible 
with  the  vow  she  has  taken,  that 
vow  so  dear  to  her  heart.  Then, 
0  prudence,  truly  admirable !  far 
from  suffering  her  mind  to  dwell  on 
the  gloiy  of  the  divine  maternity, 
Mary  thinks  only  of  enlightening 
her  conscience  before  she  gives  her 
consent.  She  states  her  perplexity 
to  the  angel  with  modest  simplicity. 
The  heavenly  messenger  gives  her  a 
satisfactory  explanation,  and  imme- 
diately, without  any  further  delay, 
she  consents  with  a  humility,  a  re- 
signation truly  sublime  :  "  Behold 
the  handmaid  of  the  Lord,  be  it 
done  unto  me  according  to  thy 
word."  ^ 

Now,  what  does  she  proceed  to 
do?  Does  she  not  hasten  to  an- 
nounce the  great  mystery  to  her 
worthy  spouse?  No,  she  is  silent, 
guided  by  superhuman  prudence. 
But  surely,  when  Joseph,  that  "just 
man,"^  is,  soon  after,  a  prey  to  the 
most  cruel  anxiety  on  her  account, 
anxiety  which  she  cannot  fail  to 
perceive,  Mary  will  speak  the  truth : 
is  she  not  bound  to  defend  her  own 
reputation?  ....  0!  let  us  here 


»  St.  Luke  i.  38. 


»  St.  Matt,  i.  19. 


634 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


renew  our  adiiiiration  of  that  trwst 
prudent  Virgin.  She  understands 
that,  to  reassure  her  husband,  some- 
thing more  is  wanted  than  the  word 
of  a  mortal,  especially  one  who 
would  seem  to  be  actuated  only  by 
her  own  interest ;  she  knows,  on 
the  other  hand,  that  they  who  hope 
in  the  Lord  are  never  confounded ;  ^ 
she  is,  therefore,  silent,  aw^aiting 
the  moment  appointed  by  Divine 
Providence,  and  her  confidence  is 
speedily  justified. 

Afterward,  when  she  hears  mar- 
vellous things  said  of  her  new-born 
Son,  far  from  joining  in  the  conver- 
sation going  on,  she  restrains  her 
inexpressible  love,  she  keeps  the 
words,  "  pondering  them  in  her 
heart," '^  knowing  that  Jesus  is  not 
yet  to  be  manifested  to  the  world. 
When  the  day  of  purification  ar- 
rives, she  faithfully  accomplishes 
the  Mosaic  law,  "although  there 
was  no  taint  of  impurity,"  says  St. 
Bernard,  "  in  the  bearing  of  him 
who  is  the  source  of  all  purity;"' 
in  that,  she  would,  doubtless,  give 
the  example  of  an  obedience  which 
goes  beyond  duty;   but  she  would, 


'  Ps.  XXX.  2. 
•  St.  Luke  ii.  19. 


'  Serm.  de  PuritcUe. 
*  Ap.  xix.  9. 


moreover,  wish  to  conceal  a  miracle 
which  it  would  not,  as  yet,  be  pru 
dent  to  reveal.  For  the  same  rea- 
son it  is  that,  when  she  finds  Jesus 
in  the  Temple  amongst  the  doctors, 
she  speaks  to  him  in  such  a  way  as 
to  conceal  both  the  divinity  of  her 
Son  and  her  own  miraculous  vir- 
ginity. 

But  who  knows  not  that,  under 
another  point  of  view,  Mary  was  al- 
ways incomparably  prudent  ?  That 
she  was  always  the  perfect  model 
of  those  wise  virgins  mentioned  in 
the  Gospel,  who  are  ever  waiting  to 
be  admitted  "  to  the  marriage  sup- 
per of  the  Lamb,"*  keeping  always 
in  their  lamps  ^  the  precious  oil  of 
the  love  of  God  and  good  works? 
"  Yes,"  says  St.  Bernard,  "  the  lamp 
of  that  glorious  Virgin  never  lost  its 
brightness,  and  its  light  was  always 
so  brilliant  that  the  angels  them- 
selves admired  it  as  a  prodigy."" 

And  we  also  are  invited  to  that 
divine  banquet,  and  it  is  "  at  what 
hour  we  think  not"^  that  we  shall 
hear  the  cry,  "Behold,  the  Bride- 
groom Cometh,  go  ye  forth  to  meet 
him."^     Do  we,  in  good   faith,  en- 

« St.  Matt.  XXV.  4, 10.  '  St.  Luke  xii.  40. 

«Serm.  ii.  in  Assumpt.  B.  M.  V.     '  St.  Matt.  xxv.  6. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  TEE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


636 


deavor  to  prepare  as  we  ought  for 
that  hour,  so  uncertain  ?  We  may 
be  called  "  at  even,  or  at  midnight, 
or  at  the  cock-crowing;"^  in  short, 
at  any  moment ;  are  we  ready  ?  .  .  . 
Alas  !  Mary,  we,  "  the  children  of 
light,"  have  been  hitherto  "  less  wise 
tlian  the  children  of  this  world."  ^ 
Furthermore,  the  Lord  has  given 
"  understanding"^  to  the  bird  whose 
song  heralds  the  dawn,  "  wisdom  to 
the"  industrious  insect  who  "pro- 
videth  her  meat  for  herself  in  the 
summer,"*  and  cunning  to  the  ser- 
pent ;  to  us  he  has  given  that  pierc- 
ing intellect  which  can  observe,  cal- 
culate, foresee  misfortune,  and  bring 
about  success ;  we  employ  it  skill- 
fully and  well  in  conducting  the 
affairs  of  time,  but  for  the  eternal 
interests  we  act  as  blind  men,  ''ene- 
mies to  our  own  soul."^  Vouchsafe 
to  ask  for  us  the  grace  of  making 
our  salvation  paramount  over  all,  0 
thou  in  whom  we  admire  a  pru- 
dence much  more  eminent  than  that 
of  Abigail,  praised  in  Scripture  for 
having,  by  a  generous  sacrifice, 
gained  the  favor  and  good -will  of 
one  who  was  justly  angry.^     Obtain 

'  St.  Mark  xiii.  35.  "  St.  Luke  xvi.  8. 

3  Job  xxxviiL  36. 


*  for  US  that  we  may  use  the  wisest 
precautions  in  all  that  concerns  our 
soul  and  life  everlasting: 

YlRGIN   MOST  PRUDENT,  PRAY  FOR  US. 

Virgo  prudentissima,  ora  pro  no- 
bis. 


MEDITATION  XXIY. 

VIRGIN  MOST  VENERABLE,  PRAY  FOR  US. 

ALL  that  is  great  and  noble, 
learning,  virtue,  a  fair  char- 
acter, makes  an  impression  upon  us 
more  or  less  lively,  tending  to  make 
us  bow  down  and  render  homage ; 
and  when  that  learning,  that  virtue, 
that  character,  are  found  united  in 
one  single  person  with  exalted  dig- 
nity, our  respect  is  still  more  pro- 
found. 

Let  us  contemplate  Mary  with 
the  eyes  of  faith.  Never  could  hu- 
man science  be  compared  to  the 
sublime  communications  wherewith 
the  Lord  was  pleased  to  favor  her. 
To  judge  of  them  it  is  unnecessary 
to  revert  to  the  fact  that,  in  her 
private  life  with  Jesus  at  Nazareth, 
she  drew  at  will,   if  one  may  say 

*  Prov.  vL  6.  *  Tobias  xii.  10, 

1  Kings  XXV.  3. 


686 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


80,  from  the  "  treasures  of  divine 
wisdom  and  knowledge;"^  it  suf- 
fices to  think  of  that  supernatui-al 
ghince  of  her  soul  which,  even  be- 
fore the  Saviour's  birth,  saw  through- 
out the  lapse  of  ages  her  God  glori- 
fied in  her  by  the  perpetual  homage 
which  she  was  to  receive  from  all 
the  nations  of  the  earth.^ 

Where  else  amongst  all  creatures 
^an  be  found  virtue  so  lofty,  so  pure, 
so  sweet,  so  heroic  ?  To  point  out 
but  a  few  instances ;  what  amazing 
chastity  was  that  which,  in  early 
youth,  made  a  vow  w^hose  accom- 
plishment naturally  precluded  the 
honor  of  giving  birth  to  the  Messiah, 
an  honor,  nevertheless,  so  coveted 
by  the  Jews,  that  amongst  them 
barrenness  was  considered  a  dis- 
grace. "What  sublime  humility," 
says  St.  Bernard,  "  was  that  which 
maintained  itself  at  the  summit 
of  greatness,  nor  failed  under  the 
weight  of  the  greatest  glory !  Mary 
is  the  Mother  of  her  God,  yet  she 
styles  herself  his  handmaid."^  And 
what  considerate,  delicate  charity, 
when  she  requests  her  divine  Son  to 
work  a  miracle,  in  order  to  spare 

»  Colos.  ii.  8.  «  St  Luke  L  48. 

■    »  Bom.  iv.  super  Missus  est. 


*  the  feelings  of  the  bride  and  bride- 
groom of  Cana,  at  the  humble  ban- 
quet whereat  he  was  pleased  to 
assist!*  Then,  what  incomparable 
fortitude,  what  strength  of  mind, 
when  she  witnesses  the  sacrifice  of 
Calvary!"  "The  disciples  have 
fled,"  says  St.  Ambrose,  "  the  Moth- 
er is  there  standing  at  the  foot  of 
the  Cross;  she  contemplates  with 
inexpressible  tenderness,  but  with 
superhuman  courage,  the  bleeding 
wounds  of  her  beloved  Son;  she 
thinks,  not  that  he  is  going  to  die, 
but  that  by  dying  he  is  going  to 
redeem  the  world."  ^ 

Finally,  what  shall  we  say  of  her 
all  but  divine  glory,  crowned  in 
heaven  with  a  glory  inferior  only 
to  that  of  God?  "What  is  most 
respectable  on  earth,"  says  the  holy 
abbot  of  Clairvaux,  "  is  the  virginal 
womb  wherein  the  Son  of  God  was 
made  flesh ;  what  is  most  eminent 
in  neaven  after  the  throne  of  Jesus, 
is  that  of  his  holy  Mother,  whose 
glory  is  in  proportion  to  the  incom- 
parable grace  given  her,  in  this 
world,  above  all  other  creatures."^ 
The  Blessed  Virgin  is,  therefore, 

*  St.  John  ii.  3.  »  Serm.  i,  in  Assumpt 

•  S.  Bern.  Serm.  de  Nativ.  B.  M,  V. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF.  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


637 


most  worthy  of  our  humble  homage: 
she  is  entitled  to  a  profound  vener- 
ation for  her  august  name,  for  her 
festivals,  her  altars,  the  shrines 
dedicated  to  her,  for  all,  in  short, 
that  is  comprised  in  the  boundless 
honor  and  affection  which  belong  to 
her!  Ah!  let  us  faithfully  fulfill 
this  sacred  duty  to  Mary,  a  duty 
founded  on  the  respect  due  to  God, 
and  promoting  it  in  an  admirable 
manner.  For,  if  it  be  ti'ue  that  the 
Catholic  Church  is  the  greatest 
school  of  respect  which  the  world 
ever  saw,  first,  for  God,  and  conse- 
quently for  all  that  is  more  or  less 
like  to  him,  it  may  also  be  said  that 
in  our  holy  religion  the  devotion  to 
Mary  gives  a  consoling  sweetness  to 
this  sentiment  of  respect  for  God. 
When  a  pious  mother  instills  into 
the  mind  of  her  child  the  veneration 
and  love  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  she 
speaks  of  her  by  the  sweet  name  of 
the  Mother  of  God — a  name  which  in- 
dicates, in  a  daughter  of  Eve,  in  a 
nature  like  to  ours,  her  by  whom  that 
God,  so  great,  vouchsafed  to  lower 
himself  to  us,  in  order  to  save  us: 
does  she  not  thus  impress  on  that 
young  heart  a  respectful  and  sooth- 
ing confidence  in  the  Most  High, 


*  steering  mid  vvay  between  fear,  prop- 
erly so  called,  and  presumptuous 
familiarity  ? 

King  Solomon  of  old,  wishing  to 
honor  his  mother,  arose  from  his 
throne,  advanced  to  meet  her,  and 
having  respectfully  saluted  her,  seat- 
ed her  on  a  throne  on  his  right 
hand.^  This  is  to  us,  0  august  and 
most  blessed  Virgin,  a  feeble  image 
of  the  respect  with  which  Jesus 
honored  thee  during  his  mortal  life, 
and  the  glory  wherewith  he  crowned 
thee  on  thine  assumption  into  heav- 
en. Happy  in  rendering  homage  to 
her  whom  our  divine  Saviour  so  hon- 
ored, "  we  offer  thee  from  the  depth 
of  our  heart,  and  with  the  most  de- 
voted affection,  the  tribute  of  our 
veneration,"  ^  which  is,  in  the  lan- 
guage of  men,  the  highest  expres- 
sion of  respect.  "  Keep  forever 
this  will  of  our  heart,"  ^  and  for  that 
end,  obtain  for  us  a  boundless  re- 
spect for  God,  and  a  corresponding 
reverence  for  all  that  is  holy  in 
heaven  and  on  earth. 

Virgin  most  venerable,  pray  for 
us. 

Virgo  veneranda,  ora  pro  nobis. 

>  3  Kings  ii.  19.  » 1  Paral.  xxix,  13. 

»  S.  Bern.,  Serm.  deNativ.  B.  M.  V.      ' 


638 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THEl  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


MEDITATION  XXV. 

VIRGIN  MOST  RENOWNED,  PRAY  FOR  US. 

1)I10PERLY  speaking,  God  alone 
is  worthy  of  praise.  Still, 
meiit  has  a  right  to  our  praise, 
provided  that  praise  reverts  to  Him 
from  whom  proceeds  every  good 
and  peifect  gift,^  and  that  it  be 
kept  within  the  bounds  of  truth. 
But  where,  on  earth,  is  that  merit 
to  be  found  which  can  be  praised 
without  fear  of  error  or  exaggera- 
tion ?  Alas  I  "  God  alone  knoweth 
the  heart ;  and  very  often  that  which 
is  high  to  men  is  an  abomination 
before  God."^ 

In  eulogizing  Mary,  and  proclaim- 
ing her  worthy  of  all  praise,  cer- 
tainlv,  we  need  not  fear  that  we  are 
mistaken,  or  praising  her  above 
her  deserts ;  for  the  Lord  himself 
"  weighed  her  merit  in  a  just  bal- 
ance,"' and  she  was  saluted  with 
incomparable  praise.  Have  we  ever 
duly  considered  how  great  and  how 
gloi'ious  to  Mary  w^as  the  salutation 
of  the  Angel  Gabriel?  We  see  in 
the  holy  Scripture  many  privileged 
persons  honored  with  the  visit  of  an 


f  angel ;  but  nowhere  do  we  find 
them  saluted  by  a  heavenly  messen- 
ger in  pompous  and  magnillcent 
terms.  "Hail,  full  of  grace,  the 
Lord  is  with  thee :  blessed  art  thou 
amongst  women."*  Could  anything 
be  said  more  honorable  to  a  human 
being  ?  And  is  it  not,  according  to 
St.  Ambrose  and  St.  Peter  Chrysolo- 
gus,  an  unheard-of  salutation,  for 
which  we  can  find  no  example  ?** 
Nevertheless,  nothing  can  exceed 
the  merit  of  her  to  whom  these  sur- 
prising words  are  addressed :  they 
are  spoken  by  an  angel,  the  faithful 
organ  of  "the  God  of  truth," ^  who, 
soon  after,  passes  a  similar  encomi- 
um on  Mary,  by  the  mouth  of  St. 
Elizabeth,  the  holy  mother  of  St. 
John  the  Baptist. 

The  Gospel,  indeed,  tells  us  that 
it  was  not  of  her  own  accord,  but 
after  being  "filled  with  the  Holy 
Ghost,"  that  she  "  cried  out  with  a 
loud  voice  and  "  repeated  the  words 
of  the  angel,  "  Blessed  art  thou 
amongst  women,"  adding  "  Blessed 
is  the  fruit  of  thy  womb."^  Words 
which  wonderfully  enhance  the 
greatness  of  Mary  by  the  ineffable 


'  St.  James  i.  17. 
»  St.  Luke  xvi.  15. 


'  Job  xxxi.  6. 
St.  Luke  L  28. 


*  S.  Am.  in  Luc.  c.  vi. ;  S.  Pet.  Chrys ,  Ser.  140. 
«  Ps.  XXX.  6.  '  St.  Luke  i.  41,  42. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


639 


greatness  of  Him  whose  Mother,  she  * 
is!  Elizabeth  says  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin  that  she  is  "  blessed  amongst 
women,"  and  of  her  offspring,  in  an 
absolute  manner,  that  he  is  "bless- 
ed." "  0  Mary,"  exclaims  St.  Ber- 
nard, speaking  on  this  subject,  "that 
precious  fruit  of  thy  womb  is  not 
blessed  because  thou  art  thyself 
blessed  amongst  all  the  daughters  of 
Eve,  but  thou  art  so  blessed  because 
He  has  himself  re-endowed  thee 
with  his  blessings.  Whilst  thou  art 
blessed  amongst  women,  he  is  not 
blessed  amongst  men  or  amongst 
angels :  he  is,  according  to  the 
Apostle,^  over  all  things,  God  bless- 
ed forever."^ 

But  has  Jesus  himself  said  noth- 
ing in  praise  of  his  divine  Mother  ? 
.  .  .  Coming  to  teach  men  to  be,  like 
him,  "humble  of  heart," ^  the  Sav- 
iour took  care  to  exalt  before  them 
her  whose  Son  he  was.  Once,  when 
a  Jewish  woman,  delighted  to  hear 
him,  cried  out  from  amongst  the 
crQwd :  "  Blessed  is  the  womb  that 
bore  thee,  and  the  paps  that  gave 
thee  suck!"  —  But  he  said,  "Yea, 
rather,  blessed  are  they  who  hear 

'  Bom.  ix.  5.       «  Serm.  in  Assumpt.  B.  M.  V, 
^  St.  Matt.  xi.  29. 


the  "Word  of  God  and  keep  it."* 
Thereby,  according  to  the  idea  of 
the  Venerable  Bede,  "  He  delicately 
stamped  with  his  divine  approba- 
tion that  magnificent  eulogy  of  his 
divine  Mother,  giving  to  under- 
stand that,  if  Mary  was  too  happy 
in  being  the  Mother  of  Incarnate 
Wisdom,  she  was  still  more  so  in 
faithfully  observing  its  adorable 
precepts."^ 

And  we  also,  let  us  give  the 
Blessed  Virgin  all  manner  of  praise, 
and  say  to  her  honor,  with  St.  Basil 
of  Seleucia,  that  "  we  need  never 
fear  to  violate  truth,  whatever  praise 
we  give  her,  because  no  words  of 
ours  could  ever  compass  her  grand 
eur."^  Let  us  make  up  for  our  im- 
potence by  our  devotion  to  her  ;  let 
us  avail  ourselves  of  every  oppor- 
tunity to  speak  of  her  greatness  and 
glory,  and  to  inspire  others  with  a 
filial  confidence  in  her  protection; 
let  us  honor  her,  especially  by  the 
imitation  of  her  virtues,  so  that  see- 
ing and  hearing  us,  men  may  have 
cause  to  glorify  our  divine  Mother 
in  her  children. 

"  0  Mary,  how  can  we  sufficiently 

'  *  St.  Luke  xi.  27,  28.     »  Liv.  iv.,  c.  40,  in  Luc.  xL 
«  Serm.  de  Incarnat.  Verb. 


640 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRQIK 


honor  thee,  who  didst  bear  in  thy  f 
womb  Him  whose  immensity  the 
heavens  cannot  contain!"^  "The 
God  of  majesty  " '  alone  merits  infi- 
nite praise;  but,  after  God,  thou 
alone  art  "  above  all  praise."  ^  "  0 
thou  whom  the  Apostles  loaded  with 
praise,  afterwards  repeated  through- 
out the  earth;"*  thou  whom  all 
pi'eachers  of  the  divine  Word,  and 
all  faithful  Christian  hearts,  have 
ever  delighted  to  "call  blessed;"* 
thou  whose  "  praise  shall  not  depart 
out  of  the  mouth  of  men;"^  ah! 
since  we  are  not  able  to  give  thee 
fitting  praise,  grant  that  we  may,  at 
least,  endeavor  to  do  our  duty  to 
thee  by  zealously  promoting  thy 
glory,  and  faithfully  walking  in  thy 
holy  traces ! 

Virgin  most  renowned,  pray  for  us. 
Virgo  prcedidandoj  ora  pro  nobis. 


MEDITATION   XXVI. 
virgin  most  powerful,  pray  for  us. 


I 


F  Jesus  Christ,  as  God,  possessed 
omnipotence  by  natm-e;   if,  as 


•  Brev.  Rom.  in  Festis  B.  M.  V. 


»  Ps.  xxviiL  3. 


» Eccl.  xliii.  33. 


man,  he  held  it  from  his  personal 
union  with  the  Deity,  from  the  mo- 
ment of  his  incarnation,  its  splendid 
manifestation  to  the  world  after  his 
resurrection,  became  the  price  of 
his  sufferings  and  death :  this  he 
indicated  to  his  disciples,  when  he 
told  them  "All  power  is  given  to 
me  in  heaven  and  in  earth."'  This 
sovereign  power,  the  divine  Son  of 
Mary  communicated  to  his  august 
and  blessed  Mother  in  marvellous 
abundance. 

And  did  not  Mary's  co-operation 
in  the  mysteries  of  the  Man-God, 
and  her  intimate  participation  in  his 
suflferings  and  his  sacrifice  on  Cal- 
vary, merit  for  her  the  privilege  of 
being  associated  in  Christ's  domin- 
ion over  all  creatures?  Moreover, 
was  it  not  fitting  that  she  who  had 
so  long  exercised,  in  this  world,  the 
rights  of  a  mother,  and  so  admirably 
discharged  the  pious  duties  of  that 
high  ofiice,  should  retain,  in  heaven, 
that  influence  which  the  most  per- 
fect of  mothers  should  natur^ly 
have  over  the  heart  of  the  most 
affectionate  of  sons,  so  that  "  for 
her  to  be   heard  was  to  have  her 

*  St.  Cyr.  Alex.,  Serm.  de  Virg.  contra  Nestor. 

•  Prov.  xxxi.  28.    « Jud.  xiii.  25.    ^  Matt,  xxviii.  18. 


.^^9- 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


641 


request  granted  ?  "  ^  Was  it  not  fit- 
ting, in  fine,  that  m  such  a  mother, 
this  incomparable  power  of  inter- 
cession should  have  a  character  of 
grandeur  and  universality  worthy  of 
Him  whom  she  brought  into  the 
world?  . 

And  that  the  Blessed  Virgin  has 
such  power  is  attested  in  the  Cath- 
olic world  by  the  most  striking 
proofs.  Is  there  question  of  the 
greatest  interests  of  kings  and  na- 
tions ?  Glorious  memory  of  Lepanto, 
you  prove  to  all  generations  the  ad- 
mirable power  of  Mary's  interces- 
sion, the  victory  which  went  forth 
from  Mary's  throne,  to  break,  terri^ 
ble  and  crushing,  on  the  formidable 
fleet  of  the  infidels,  to  save  Christen- 
dom, and,  with  it,  the  civilization  of 
all  Europe!  And  you,  magnanimous 
hero,  who  cried  out,  at  the  head  of 
your  warlike  columns,  in.  the  strong 
inspiration  of  faith,  "  Onward,  the 
Mother  of  Grod  is  our  guide,"  did  you 
not. thereby  show,  0  illustrious  So- 
bieski,  to  whom  you  owed  your  vic- 
tory over  that  fierce  belt  of  hostile 
armies  which  encircled  the  walls  of 
Vienna  ? 

And  you,  also,  inveterate  enemies 

'  St,  Bern.,  Serm.  de  Aquad. 


*  of  Catholic  trath,  are  not  you  your- 
selves forced  to  become  the  trophies 
of  the  Virgin's  power  and  glory  ?  . . . 
The  Church  solemnly  felicitates  her 
on  having  "crushed  all  heresies 
throughout  the  world ; "  ^  and  it 
pleased  God,  especially  in  the 
twelfth  century,  to  give  the  most 
splendid  manifestations  of  Mary's 
power  against  error.  A  dreadful 
heresy  then  overspread  the  south 
of  France,  overthrew  temples  and 
altars,  slaughtered  the  ministers  of 
the  L(5rd,  and  committed  everything 
sacred  to  the  flames.  Against  this 
impious,  this  all-destroying  devas- 
tation, rose  up  the  humble  St.  Dom- 
inick.  "Wherewith  shall  this  new 
David  arm  himself;  at  least,  with 
the  shepherd's  sling  ?  .  .  .  .  Not  so ; 
it  is  with  his  rosary  in  his  hand 
that  he  stops,  subdues,  gains  over 
the  blindest  and  most  infuriate  en- 
emies of  the  Church. 

And  who  could  enumerate  the 
signal  instances  of  Mary's  power  in 
favor  of  all  those  who  have  piously 
sought  her  protection  ?  Ah  !  how 
many  sorrows  has  she  consoled  I 
how  many  sudden  deaths  has  she 
prevented  !  how  many  violent  temp- 

«    Brev.  Rom.  in  Festis  B.  M.  V. 


\ 


642 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


tations  has  she  enabled  pei*sons  to 
overcome !  how  many  graces  of  all 
kinds  has  she  obtained  for  those 
who  have  asked  her  assistance  on 
land  or  sea!  Witness,  in  answer, 
the  countless  monuments  erected  to 
her  honor,  monuments  so  famous 
through  the  enduring  remembrances 
which  faith  and  gratitude  attach  to 
them. 

How  many  facts,  too,  admirable 
facts,  have  remained,  and  do  every 
day  remain,  hidden  in  the  hearts 
of  men  ?  Amiable  and  holy  bishop 
of  Geneva,  we  well  know  that  you 
owed  to  Mary  your  victory  over  a 
frightful  temptation  of  despair;  you, 
St.  Andrew  Corsini,  your  conversion 
and  your  eminent  virtues  ;  and  you, 
immortal  Nepomucenes,  noble  mar- 
tyr of  the  seal  of  confession,  the 
courage  and  the  fortitude  which 
gained  you  so  much  glory.  In 
heaven  only  shall  we  be  enabled  to 
see  and  admire  the  innumerable 
eifects  of  that  prodigious  power 
given  her  by  God  to  guide,  to  en- 
lighten, to  heal  the  souls  ransomed 
by  the  blood  of  her  divine  Son,  ajid 
to  overthrow  the  dominion  of  that 
infernal  spirit  whose  head  she  was 
destined  to  crush.^ 


Let  us,  then,  have  recourse  to 
that  Blessed  Virgin  in  all  our  trou- 
bles, in  all  our  dangers,  in  all  our 
wants,  and  let  us  always  make  it 
our  pious  duty  to  extol  her  power. 

Yes,  august  queen  of  the  uni- 
verse, we  will  ever  joyfully  proclaim 
that  in  you  the  Lord  "  hath  showed 
might  in  his  arm;"^  that  "in  thy 
hand  is  power  and  might  ;"^  that 
through  you  we  "can  do  all  things;"* 
that  the  glory  of  Jahel  and  of  Ju- 
dith,^ victorious  over  the  enemies  of 
the  people  of  God,  is  not  even  the 
shadow  of  that  wherewith  you  are 
invested.  Ah !  vouchsafe  constant- 
ly to  shelter  under  thy  protection 
those  who  never  cease  to  invoke 
thee.  Above  all,  when  the  final 
moment  shall  arrive,  when  our  trem- 
bling soul  is  about  to  appear  before 
its  Judge,  vouchsafe  to  defend  it 
against  its  enemies,  strengthen  and 
encourage  it,  and,  on  its  entrance 
into  eternity,  receive  it  into  thy 
maternal  hands,  and  present  it,  to 
thy  divine  Son. 

YlRGIN    MOST     POWERFUL,    PRAY    FOR 

us. 

Virgo  potens,  "ora  pro  nobis. 

'  G  en.  iii.  15.    *  St.  Luke  i.  51.     » 1  ParaL  xxix.  12. 
*  PhiL  iv.  13.       *  Judges  iv. ;  Jud.  xiii. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


643 


MEDITATION  XXVn. 

VIRGIN    MOST    MERCIFUL,    PRAY    FOR    US. 

WHY  does  the  Church  make 
us  implore  the  mercy  rather 
than  the  goodness  of  Mary?  Kind- 
ness has  in  it  something  so  sweet, 
so  affecting ;  and  in  Mary  that  qual- 
ity is  so  amiable,  so  perfect !  Does 
she  not  unite  in  her  immaculate 
heart  all  the  kindness  of  the  most 
tender  mother,  all  the  compassion, 
all  the  charity  of  those  souls  most 
eminent  for  their  inclination  to  do 
good  to  all  who  mourn,  to  all  who 
suffer,  to  all  who  groan  under  the 
weight  of  misery?  .... 

Ah !  yes,  undoubtedly.  Mary  is 
good,  immeasurably  good:  she  has 
a  heart  so  tender  as  only  to  be  sur- 
passed by  that  of  her  divine  Son. 
But  the  Church,  by  making  us  in- 
voke her  clemency,  would  remind 
us  that  our  profound  wretchedness 
as  sinful  creatures,  our  detestable 
ingratitude  towards  God,  naturally 
render  us  unworthy  the  benign  pro- 
tection of  this  august  Mother.  Be- 
ing identified  with  Jesus,  towards 
w^hom  we  are  so  criminal,  has  she 
not  much  to  pardon  before  she  can 
interest  herself  in  us?     And,  be- 


*  sides,  were  it  only  our  carelessness 
in  imitating  the  virtues  we  contem- 
plate in  her,  it  would  be  sufficient 
to  prevent  her  from  pouring  down 
upon  us  the  favors  we  expect  from 
her,  were  she  not  the  Virgin  full  of 
clemency  and  of  sweet  compassion, 
the  Virgin  most  merciful  ? 

Tes,  that  grand  characteristic  of 
noble  hearts  is  admirably  manifest- 
ed in  that  of  Mary.  "It  is  indeed 
of  her,"  says  St.  Bernard,  "  that  we 
may  understand  that  magnificent 
image  of  a  woman  clothed  with  the 
sun,  seen  of  old  by  the  prophet  of 
Patmos :  for  even  as  that  orb  of  day 
sheds  his  light  indiscriminately  on 
the  good  and  the  bad,  so  is  Mary 
regardless  whether  the  person  in- 
voking her  has  been  more  or  less 
guilty  in  times  past ;  she  shows  her- 
self mild,  merciful,  clement  to  all 
who  seek  he**  aid ;  she  clasps,  as  it 
were,  in  tho  embrace  of  extreme 
charity,  all  their  wants  and  all  their 
miseries."^  And  how  could  we  con- 
ceive it  otherwise?  Has  she  not 
"  brought  us  forth  to  the  Church  by 
her  charity  ? "  says  St.  Augustine,  ^ 
and  must  not  that  ineffable  charity 

•  Serm.  de  Assumpt.  B.  M.  V. 

•  De  Sanctd  Virginitate,  No.  6,  i  vL 


644 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


constantly  inspire  her  with  the  feel- 
ings of  a  mother,  but  of  a  mother 
"whose  heart  is  become,"  as  it 
were,  "like  wax,  melting"  with  com- 
passion "before  the  flame?" ^  "Yes, 
truly,"  says  the  immortal  bishop  of 
Meaux,  speaking  on  this  subject, 
"  yes,  truly,  she  is  always  the  same 
to  us ;  always  kind,  always  mother- 
ly. The  love  of  our  salvation  lives 
always  in  her,  and  is  neither  less 
faitliful  nor  less  efficacious  than  it 
was  when  she  gave  her  consent  to 
the  august  mystery  of  the  Incarna- 
tion."^ 

It  is  not,  then,  without  good  rea- 
son that  piety  delights  in  represent- 
ing Mary,  as  well  as  Jesus,  under 
the  figure  of  the  pelican  who,  to 
satisfy  the  hunger  of  hei'  little  ones, 
nomishes  them,  in  some  way,  with 
her  own  substance ;  and  under  that 
of  the  hen,  who  tenderly  covers 
her  young  brood  beneath  her  mater- 
nal wings.  In  giving  us  her  Son 
for  a  Saviour,  did  she  not  give  her 
own  blood  for  all  of  us,  whom  Jesus 
honors  with  the  title  of  brethren,' 
and  whom  she  herself  cherishes  as 
members  of  the  body  of  that  divine 

'  Ps.  xxi.  15.      *  Serm.  pour  la  fete  de  VAnnonciat. 
'  St.  John  XX.  17. 


*  Son?*  And  like  that  mother  who 
aflfectionately  runs  at  the  cry  of  her 
chickens,  to  shelter  them  from  all 
danger,  does  not  Mary,  when  she 
hears  our  sighs  and  lamentations, 
cover  us  with  her  protection  to  save 
us  from  all  that  might  become 
fatal?  ....  Hence,  however  un- 
grateful we  may  have  hitherto  been 
towards  the  Son,  let  us  never  de- 
spair of  the  Mother's  mercy,  but, 
joining  confidence  to  repentance, 
cast  ourselves  fearlessly  into  her 
arms,  sure  of  being  well  received. 
After  having  formerly  experienced 
the  sw^eet  effects  of  that  same  clem- 
ency, if  we  are  so  happy  as  to  re- 
main faithful,  how  much  more  may 
we  reasonably  count  on  the  unfail- 
ing assistance  of  her  who  so  ten- 
derly loves  "  them  that  are  beloved 
in  God  the  Father,  and  preserved  in 
Jesus  Christ!"^ 

"0  clement,  0  pious,  0  sweet 
Virgin  Mary,"^  it  may  well  be  said 
of  thee,  as  of  the  Lord,  "  that  power 
belongeth  to  thee,  and  mercy ! "  ^  If, 
on  earth,  an  exquisite  kindness,  far 
exceeding  that  wherewith  Eebecca 
treated   Eliezer,^    induced    thee    to 


*  Ephes.  V.  30 
^    •St.Judei.l 


•  Solve  Be; 


'Ps.  Ixi.  12,  13 
'  Gen.  xxiv.  19. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIROIN. 


645 


request  of  thy  divine  Son  the  mir- 
acle of  changing  water  into  wine/ 
how  prodigious  must  that  kindness 
be  in  heaven,  when  "  from  this  val- 
ley of  tears  "^  we  humbly  beseech 
thee  to  come  to  the  assistance  of 
unhappy  creatures  ransomed  by  the 
adorable  blood  of  Jesus !  0  thou, 
on  whose  sacred  "  tongue  is  the  law 
of  clemency,"^  thou  in  whom  that 
noble  virtue  is  for  us  "  like  the  lat- 
ter rain,"*  which  falls  to  refresh  the 
earth,  thou  who  art  "  nigh  unto  all 
them  that  call  upon  thee^''^  be  pro- 
pitious to  us,  notwithstanding  our 
ingratitude,  till  the  last  moment  of 
our  lives ! 

Virgin  most  merciful,  pray  for 
us. 

Virgo  clemens,  ora  pro  nobis. 


MEDITATION  XXYIH. 

VIRGIN   MOST    FAITHFUL,   PRAY    FOR   US. 

OH!  how  well  does  the  title  of 
Faithful  Virgin  characterize  her 
who  was  always  so  faithful  to  the 


>  St.  John  ii.  3. 

'  Salve  Beg. 

» Prov.  xxxi.  26. 


■•  Prov.  xvi.  15. 
» Ps.  cxliv.  18. 
•  Apoc.  xix.  11. 


Lord,  so  faithful  to  every  duty,  so 
faithful  to  grace,  so  faithful  to  the 
will  of  heaven,  even  in  one  of  those 
extreme  cases  when  it  would  be 
excusable  for  a  mother's  heart  to 
give  way  to  sorrow! 

Fidelity  must  be  a  thing  fair  and 
noble  before  God,  since  he  calls  him- 
self "  Faithful  and  True,"^  and  gives, 
by  the  mouth  of  the  royal  prophet, 
as  a  title  of  honor  and  distinction, 
the  name  of  "the  faithful  of  the 
earth "^  to  the  "just,  upon  whom  his 
eyes  are"  fixed  with  pleasure.^  But 
if  it  be  so  of  all  the  just,  with  what 
pleasure  must  the  Lord  regard  that 
Yirgin,  in  whom  fidelity,  far  from 
ever  suffering  the  slightest  injury, 
was,  on  the  contrary,  increasing  from 
day  to  day,  "going  from  virtue  to 
virtue,"^  till  the  glorious  moment 
when  "the  Lord,  the  just  judge," 
rendered  to  her  "  the  crown  of  jus- 
tice!"^" Conceived,  not  "in  sin,"" 
like  the  rest  of  mankind,  but  "  in 
holiness  and  justice,"^^  by  a  peculiar 
and  inestimable  privilege,  she  be- 
longed to  God  from  the  first  mo- 
ment of  her  existence,  and  not  only 


'  Ps.  c.  6. 

*  Ps.  xxxiiL  16. 

*  Ps.  Ixxxiii.  8. 


w>  2  Tim.  iv.  8. 
"  Ps.  1.  7. 

"  St.-iuke  i.  75. 


646 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


did  she  never  relax  that  precious 
bond  by  the  least  fault,  but  she 
ceiised  not  to  draw  it  closer  and 
closer  till  the  day  of  her  translation 
from  this  land  of  exile  to  the  celes- 
tial country.  Hence  it  is  that  St. 
Anschn  exclaims,  in  his  admiration 
of  her,  "When  I  consider  the  im- 
mensity of  grace  which  is  in  thee, 
0  Blessed  Virgin,  my  mind  is  lost, 
my  tongue  is  struck  dumb ! "  ^  "  Oh  ! 
how  beautiful  were  thy  steps,"  ^  we 
may  add,  with  the  spouse  in  the 
Canticles,  how  sublime  were  they  in 
the  ways  of  grace,  beloved  daughter 
of  the  King  of  kings.  Virgin  ever 
faithful,  in  all  "  faithful  in  the  sight 
of  God!"^  The  little  of  it  that  it 
has  pleased  God  to  reveal  to  us  is 
charming  :  what,  then,  must  that  be 
"which  is  hid  within"*  that  sacred 
sanctuary  which  His  eye  alone  can 
penetrate ! 

The  Gospel,  indeed,  tells  us  of 
thee,  0  Mary,  that  thou  didst  carry 
the  love  of  duty  so  far  as  to  decline 
accepting  the  dazzling  honor  of  the 
divine  maternity,  till  assured  by  the 
ambassador  of  the  Most  High  that 
that  inconceivable  glory  was  com- 
patible with  the  vow  which  conse- 


'  Lib.  de  exceUent.  Virg. 


»  Cant,  vii  1. 


t  crated  thee  forever  to  the  Lord.  It 
also  tells  us  that  thou  wert  so  faith- 
ful to  the  law  as  to  submit  to  the 
humiliating  ceremony  of  purifica- 
tion, thou  who  wert,  on  so  many 
accounts,  exempted  from  that  which 
is  obligatory  on  other  mothers.  And 
we  admire  thee,  and  bless  God,  who 
shows  us  in  thee  so  fair  and  so 
noble  an  example.  But  when  we 
consider  thee  on  Calvary,  when  we 
there  see  thee  so  faithful  to  the 
adorable  designs  of  Providence  as  to 
overcome  the  feelings  of  a  mother, 
at  the  foot  of  the  Redeemer's  cross ; 
ah!  then  we  are  deeply  moved,  we 
are  enchanted  by  thy  sublime  resig- 
nation and  thy  superhuman  devo- 
tion. What  a  son  was  Jesus !  What 
a  mother  wert  thou,  0  Mary !  What 
inexpressible  tenderness  on  both 
sides  I  ...  Oh  I  how  true,  then,  is 
it  of  thee,  how  emphatically  true, 
that  thou  wert  "faithful  even  unto 
death  ;"^  yes,  even  to  assist,  even  to 
join,  with  all  the  power  of  thy  will, 
in  the  painful  and  humiliating  death 
of  thy  only  Son,  that  son  the  most 
amiable  and  most  beloved! 

After  this  unexampled  act  of  de- 
votion to  God  for  men,  need  we  be 

»  EccL  xlviiL  25.      *  Cant  iv.  1.      »  Apoc.  ii  10. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  ViRGm. 


647 


surprised  that  "  it  was  never  known, 
in  any  age,  that  any  one  who  fled 
to  Mary's  protection,  implored  her 
help,  or  sought  her  intercession,  was 
left  unaided ?" ^  .  ...  Ah!  this  ad- 
mirable constancy  of  her  merciful 
kindness  to  those  who  invoke  her, 
IS  it  not  sufficiently  manifested  by 
the  sacrifice  which  her  magnani- 
mous heart  had  the  courage  to 
make  in  our  behalf?  But  if  such 
be  her  goodness  to  all  "poor  ban- 
ished children  of  Eve,  who  send  up 
to  her,  from  this  valley  of  tears, 
their  sighs,  mournings,  and  weep- 
ings,"^ how  great  must  be  her  zeal 
for  the  interests  of  those  who  pro- 
fess a  particular  devotion  to  her, 
and  who  desire  to  be  her  "  good 
and  faithful  servants."^  May  we  be 
of  that  happy  number,  and  succeed 
in  pleasing  both  the  Son  and  the 
Mother ! 

0  Mary,  thou  didst  prove  thy- 
self, while  on  earth,  "  faithful  before 
God."*  And  so,  in  heaven,  hast 
thou  also  proved  to  men  who,  for 
more  than  eighteen  hundred  years, 
have  constantly  found  in  thee,  after 
Grod,  their  safest  and  sweetest  ref- 

'  Memorare.  *  Salve  Regina. 

»  Si  Matt.  XXV.  21. 


uge.  Yes,  thou  art  faithful  to  them 
in  a  way  far  superior  to  all  human 
fealty,  all  human  devotion :  in  com- 
parison with  thy  fidelity  we  can 
hardly  reckon  that  of  Kahab,  who 
saved  the  messengers  of  Israel,^  or 
that  of  Michol,  who,  to  save  her 
husband,  feared  not  to  brave  her 
father's  anger.^  Ah!  vouchsafe  to 
obtain  for  us  that  we  ourselves  may 
be  always  faithful  to  Jesils  and  to 
thee,  so  that  we  may  deserve  con- 
stantly to  experience  the  happy 
effects  of  thy  special  protection! 

YlRGIN    MOST     FAITHFUL,     PRAY    FOR 


US. 


Virgo  fidelis,  ora  pro  nobis. 


MEDITATION  XXIX. 

MIRROR  OF  JUSTICE,    PRAY   FOR   US. 

TSE  Church,  having,  as  it  were, 
exhausted  all  the  titles  which 
could  serve  to  honor  Mary  as  Moth- 
er and  Yirgin,  goes  on  to  another 
order  of  ideas  in  search  of  new 
themes  for  praise. 

And  first  she  invokes  her  under 

*  2  Esd.  ix.  8.  » Joshua  ii. 

•  1  Kings  xix. 


648 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


the  image  of  a  mirror,  which  ad- 
mirably reflects  "the  brightness  of 
eternal  light."  ^  If  it  be  true,  in 
fact,  of  the  Eternal  Word  that  he  is 
the  splendor  of  his  Father's  "  glory, 
and  the  figure  of  his  substance,"^ 
is  it  not  Mary  who  reflects  with 
all  possible  fidelity  the  adorable 
attributes  of  that  "  Word  made 
flesh? "^  Does  she  not  resemble 
him  more  than  any  other  rational 
creature?  The  Lord  intended  her 
to  hold  the  first  rank  amongst  all 
"  the  works  of  his  hands ;  "*  to  be,  as 
St.  Anselni  has  it,  "  above  all  that 
is  not  God;""  could  he  not  adorn 
her  with  gifts  and  with  merits  the 
nearest  to  his  own  infinite  perfec- 
tions ?  .  .  .  .  Hence  it  was  said  by 
St.  Peter  Chrysologus,  that  "  he  who 
contemplates  Mary  without  being 
ravished  and  amazed,  is  regardless 
of  Grod  himself,  who  has  made  her 
his  most  perfect  mirror!"^ 

But  wherefore  does  the  Church 
call  her  Mirror  of  Justice?  .  .  .  First, 
because  Mary  is  the  faithful  mirror 
of  Him  who  is  named  the  "  Sun  of 
Justice,"^  whose  divine  rays  warm 

»  Wisdom  vii.  26.  »  St.  John  i.  14. 

«  Heb.  L  3.  *  Ps.  cxxxvii.  8. 

•  Lib.  de  exord.,  humance  vitas,  c.  7. 


f  and  fructify  souls,  until  they  bud 
and  blossom  into  every  Christian 
virtue.  Jesus  himself  gives  us  the 
sum  of  these  virtues  when  he  tells 
us:  "Blessed  are  they  that  hunger 
and  thirst  after  justice;"^  they  who 
ardently  desire  to  be  perfect,  and 
who  labor  with  constancy  and  zeal 
to  become  so  I  ...  .  But  there  is  in 
this  word,  as  here  used  by  the 
Church,  another  meaning,  calculated 
to  arrest  the  attention  of  every  pious 
soul. 

The  Apostle  St.  Paul  gives  the 
name  of  "justice"^  to  the  state  of 
sanctifying  grace  which  entitles  the 
possessor  to  eternal  bliss.  This 
supernatural  state,  so  honorable,  so 
precious,  man,  by  his  disobedience; 
had  forfeited  for  himself  and  all  his 
posterity.  But  soon  after  his  fall 
the  Lord  announces  to  him  that  a 
woman  shall  crush  the  head  of  him 
who  made  him  fall :  hence,  he  may 
contemplate  in  this  daughter  of  Eve, 
as  in  a  mirror,  both  the  depth  of  his 
misery,  which  nothing  less  than  the 
death  of  a  Man-God  could  cure,  and 
the  necessity   of  penance,  without 


« Serm.  104. 
'  Malach.  iv.  2. 


«  St.  Matt.  V.  6. 
•  Eom.  L  17. 


■^»- 


MEDITATIONS  ON  TEE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


649 


which  he  cannot  profit  by  the  re- 
demption to  be  effected  by  the  Son 
of  Mary.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
faithful  angels  behold  in  this  priv- 
ileged creature  the  Mother  of  Him 
who  is  the  origin  and  the  source  of 
their  perseverance  and  of  their  con- 
firmation in  grace;  for  it  may  be 
said,  on  the  authority  of  St.  PauV 
and  several  holy  doctors  of  the 
Church,^  that  it  is  to  Christ  the 
good  angels  are  indebted  for  the 
merit  and  the  reward  of  their  fidel- 
ity. Finallv,  is  not  the  fallen  angel 
condemned  to  behold  in  Mary,  con- 
ceived in  grace,  exalted  on  account 
of  her  humility,^  so  profound  even 
in  the  divine  maternity,  the  folly  of 
his  pride,  his  immense  misfortune 
in  losing  his  supernatural  beauty, 
and,  by  contrast,  the  hideous  ugli- 
ness to  which  he  is  consigned? 
Does  he  not  there  see,  at  the  same 
time,  the  enormity  of  his  sin,  for 
which  there  was  no  redemption, 
because  he  voluntarily  fell  from  a 
state  much  higher  than  that  of  man, 


'  Ephes.  i.  10  ;  Col.  i.  17,  20. 

*  S.  Jerome,  in  cap.  i.  ad  Ephes.;  S.  Greg.  1.  i. 
ch.  2,  in  lib.  i.  Reg.;  S.  Bern.  Serm.  22  in  Cant; 
S.  Thorn.,  lect.  10,  in  cap.  i.  Joan.,  et  quoest.  7, 
prceced.,  art.  9. 


*  through  pure  malice,  and  without 
being  exposed  to  the  seduction  of 
the  senses  ?  And  is  he  not  forced 
to  cry  out  with  all  heaven  and 
earth,  that  "  God  is  just,  *  and  ren- 
ders to  every  one  according  to  his 
works  ?"« 

While  considering  in  the  Blessed 
Yirgin  the  inestimable  favor  of  our 
deliverance  from  sin,^  ah!  let  us 
beware  of  imitating  "  a  man  who, 
beholding  his  natural  countenance 
in  a  glass,  went  his  way,  and  pres- 
ently forgot  what  manner  of  man  he 
was!"^  Let  us  rather  penetrate 
our  whole  minds  with  the  thought 
that,  "  being  made  free  from  sin,  we 
are  become  the  happy  servants  of 
justice,"^  and  that  "  as  we  have 
yielded  our  faculties  to  serve  un- 
cleanness  and  iniquity,"  so  let  us 
"now  yield  them  to  serve  justice 
unto  sanctification."^ 

0  Thou,  in  whom  "we  see,  as  in  a 
mirror,"  ^*^  the  adorable  perfection  of 
the  Most  High,  deign  to  shed  on  our 
souls  some  salutary  rays  from  the 


'  St.  Luke  i.  48.  *  Apoc.  xvi.  5. 

•  St.  Matt,  xvi.  27 ;  Rom.  ii.  6  ;  Apoc.  xxii.  12, 
«  Rom.  vi.  18.  «  Rom.  vi.  18. 

'  St.  James  i  24.  "  Rom.  vi  19. 

»  1  Cor.  xiii.  12. 


660 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


dazzling  radiance  of  thy  sublime  f 
virtues.  Vouchsafe,  by  thy  mild- 
ness, to  correct  our  peevishness  and 
impatience ;  by  thy  humility,  our 
pride  and  our  vain  pretensions;  by 
thy  purity,  our  sensual  appetites ; 
by  thy  charity,  our  coldness  towards 
God,  our  want  of  fraternal  love  for 
our  neighbor!  Deign,  above  all,  by 
thy  holy  protection  to  restore  us  to 
the  grace  of  God,  if  we  have  had 
the  incomparable  misfortune  of  fall- 
ing from  it ;  if  we  are  so  happy  as 
to  possess  the  friendship  of  God, 
that  infinite  treasure,  deign  to  pre- 
serve it  to  us,  and  help  us  to  be- 
come more  and  more  "  conformable 
to  the  image  of  thy  Son,"^  by  imita- 
ting thee,  who  art  "  his.  living  im- 
age."^ 

Mirror  of  justice,  pray  for  us. 

Speculum  justitice,  ora  pro  nobis. 


MEDITATION  XXX. 

SEAT  OF  WISDOM,  PRAY  FOR  US. 

SON  of  the  Eternal  Father,  ado- 
rable Word,    "interior    word, 

>  Rom.  viii.  29. 

'  S.  Joan  Damasc  Orat.  de  Nativ.  B.  V. 

'  Bossuet,  vii.  Elev  sur  les  myst.,  xii.  semaine, 


thought,  reason,  uncreated  substan- 
tial intelligence  of  God,"''  thou  art 
the  source  of  wisdom.*  Yes,  it  was 
thou  who  "  came  out  of  the  mouth 
of  the  Most  High,  the  first-born 
before  all  creatures;"*  that  Wisdom 
"  who  sendeth  knowledge  as  the 
light,  whose  thoughts  are  more  vast 
than  the  sea,  and  her  counsels  more 
deep  than  the  great  ocean  ; "  ^  that 
Wisdom  "  that  reacheth  from  end  to 
end  mightily,  and  ordereth  all  things 
sweetly."^  Thou  art  that  infinite 
Wisdom  that  "  rested  "  in  the  womb 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin  as  in  "a  taber- 
nacle,"^ and  whom  Christian  faith 
loves  to  contemplate  on  that  divine 
Mother's  knee,  under  the  appear- 
ance of  "  the  most  beautiful  of 
the  sons  of  men!"^ 

And  thou,  0  Mary!  thou  art  for 
that  incarnate  Wisdom  a  magnifi- 
cent throne,  far  more  precious  and 
more  valuable  than  anything  we 
can  know  or  imagine  of  created 
beauty,  or  glory,  or  splendor!  .... 
Sacred  History,  describing  the  mar- 
vellous grandeur  of  King  Solomon's 
ivory   throne,   tells  us  that  "there 


*  Eccl.  i.  5. 

» Eccl.  xxiv.  5. 

*  Eccl.  xxiv.  37,  39. 


^  Wisd.  viii.  1. 
8  Eccl.  xxiv.  12. 
•  Ps.  xliv.  3. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


651 


was  no  such  work  made  in  any  * 
kingdom."^  Ah  I  let  us  not  fear, 
then,  to  say  that  the  Lord,  in  his 
Almighty  power,  never  created  any- 
thing to  equal  Her  whom  he  made 
the  living  throne  of  his  divine 
Son :  "  the  incomparably  excellent 
throne,"  says  the  blessed  Peter  Da- 
mian,  "  whereon  the  great  God  was 
pleased  to  rest ; "  ^  "  the  august 
dwelling  of  the  Supreme  Euler  of 
the  world,"  says  St.  Peter  Chrys- 
ologus ;  the  sacred  "  house  which 
Wisdom  hath  built  for  herself; "  the 
noble  and  magnificent  sanctuary 
which  she  decorated  with  "  seven 
pillars,"^  emblematical  "  of  the  sev- 
en gifts  which  the  Holy  Ghost  pour- 
ed into  the  soul  of  Mary  in  such 
admirable  abundance !  "* 

What  heart  was  ever  so  wholly 
penetrated  with  that  religious  fear 
of  displeasing  the  Lord,  which  is 
careful  to  weigh  and  consider  even 
the  most  trifling  actions  of  life  ?  Or 
what  heart  was  ever  so  eminently 
endowed  with  that  tender  piety 
which  inspires  the  soul  with  a 
boundless    devotion    to    God,    and 

>  3  Kings  X.  20.  *  Serm.  140,  de  Annunc, 

»  Serm.  de  Annunc.  *  Ps.  cxi.  1. 

3  Prov.  ix.  i.  «  Prov.  ix.  10.  »  CoL  iii.  3. 


makes  it  to  "  delight  exceedingly  in 
his  commandments?"^  What  hu- 
man creature  ever  received  so  rich 
an  effusion  of  that  "  knowledge  of 
the  holy,"^  which  enlightens  man  on 
all  his  duties,  and  marks  out  the 
road  he  has  to  follow  in  order  to 
reach  his  last  end  ?  The  retreat  of 
Mary  in  the  temple  while  still  a 
child,  her  entire  consecration  to  the 
Lord,  her  words  to  the  angel  in  the 
mystery  of  the  Annunciation,  her 
life  at  Nazareth,  "hidden  in  God,"' 
all  clearly  manifest  how  highly  that 
privileged  soul  was  endowed  with 
these  precious  gifts.  And  in  what 
other  but  Mary  on  Calvary  was  the 
gift  of  fortitude  ever  fully  displayed 
—that  fortitude  which  soars  above 
every  trial?  In  what  other  than 
Mary,  the  most  prudent  Virgin,  was 
ever  manifested  the  gift  of  counsel, 
which  directs  and  governs  in  the 
most  delicate  circumstances  ;  or  the 
gift  of  understanding,  which  pene- 
trates the  most  elevated  ways  of 
grace,  as  in  her  "  whose  very  re- 
pose," say  the  holy  doctors,®  "  did  in 
no  wise  interrupt  sublime   contem- 

«  S.  Amb.,  Lib.  de  Virg. ;  8.  Antonin.,  t.  2, 
Serm.  5,  art.  1,  c.  2  ;  S.  Bernardin,  t.  2,  Serm. 
51,  p.  4,  tit.  15,  c.  2. 


662 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  TEE  BLESSED  VIRGIN 


plation?"  What  other  creature,  in 
short,  ever  possessed  in  so  high  a 
degree  the  gift  of  wisdom,  which 
cro\yns  all  others,  and  which  con- 
sists in  knowing  well  the  Author 
and  the  end  of  all  things  —  act- 
ing, living,  breathing  but  for  Him 
alone?  And  did  not  Mary  always 
live  for  GcJd  alone,  and  was  not 
her  sweet  and  glorious  death  "the 
effect  of  a  last  effort  of  divine 
love?"i 

Let  us  here,  then,  offer  our  hum- 
blest homage  "  to  that  royal  throne,^ 
that  divine  throne^  of  Eternal  Wis- 
dom ; "  and  let  us  beseech  her  who 
has  been  raised  to  such  immense 
dignity,  to  obtain  for  us,  with  an 
abundant  participation  in  the  pre- 
cious gifts  which  adorned  her  fair 
soul,  the  grace  to  value  as  we  ought 
that  Christian  wisdom  taught  us  by 
her  divine  Son ;  the  grace  to  make 
it  the  exclusive  rule  of  our  conduct, 
"  seeking  first  the  kingdom  of  God 
and  his  justice,"*  and  securing  for 
ourselves,  by  our  good  works,  "treas- 
ures that  neither  the  rust  nor  the 

•  Boss.,  1st  Serm.  on  the  Assumpt. 

•  S.  Greg.  Thaum.,  Serm.  de  Annunc. 
»  S.  Ephr.,  de  Laudib.  Deip. 


*  moth  doth  consume,  nor  thieves 
steal."* 

0  Mary  I  let  us  never  permit  our- 
selves to  be  deceived  by  the  false 
wisdom  of  the  flesh  which  is  the 
enemy  of  God,  or  by  "the  wisdom 
of  this  world,  which  is  foolishness 
with  God ! "  ^  Obtain  for  us,  rather, 
by  thy  powerful  intercession,  that 
we  may  be  the  faithful  disciples  of 
"  the  wisdom  which  is  from  above, 
which  is  chaste,  peaceable,  modest, 
full  of  good  fruits;"^  which  keeps 
the  mind  in  evangelical  calmness 
and  moderation ;  which  represses 
the  inordinate  motions  of  the  pas- 
sions; which  inspires  reserve  and 
circumspection  in  judgment ;  which 
teaches  indulgence  towards  others, 
and  severity  towards  one's  self.  0 
Thou  who  wert  the  temple  of  Incar- 
nate "Wisdom,  of  that  divine  Jesus 
through  whom  "was  made  known 
the  manifold  wisdom  of  God,"^  beg 
of  him  a  plentiful  effusion  for  our 
souls. 

Seat  of  Wisdom,  pray  for  us. 

Sedes  Sapientioe^  ova  pro  nobis. 


*  St.  Matt.  vi.  33. 

•  St.  Matt  vL  20. 


« 1  Cor.  iii.  19. 
'  St.  James  iii.  17. 


* 


Ephes.  iii  10. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED   VIRGIN. 


65S 


MEDITATION  XXXI. 

CAUSE   OP    OUR   JOY,   PRAY  FOR   US. 

WHEN  the  world  was  plunged 
in  the  thickest  darkness, 
when  no  ray  of  Christian  hope  illu- 
mined humanity  beyond  the  tomb, 
when  the  unhappy  children  of  Adam 
were  sunk  in  the  triple  degradation 
of  the  senses,  the  heart,  and  the 
understanding,  true  joy  was  not 
known  on  earth.  Mary  comes  into 
the  world ;  God  ordains  that  she 
shall  co-operate  in  our  salvation; 
she  gives  birth  to  the  Eedeemer. 
Soon  all  is  changed !  Man,  restored 
to  his  primary  condition,  receives 
the  surest  and  most  consoling  rev- 
elations on  the  nobility  of  his  na- 
ture, the  magnificence  of  his  des- 
tiny, and  the  means  of  attaining  it, 
the  most  abundant  helps  for  the 
cure  of  his  moral  wounds  and  the 
alleviation  of  all  the  miseries  of  life. 
He  may,  henceforward,  experience 
here  below  joys  the  purest  and  most 
delicious,  which  are,  as  it  were,  the 
pledge  and  foretaste  of  the  divine 
and  everlasting  joys  which  the  Sa- 
viour promises  to  bestow  in  the 
other  world. 

Where  were  ye  before  the  coming 


*  of  that  good  and  kind  Saviour^ 
given  us  by  Mary,  —  where  were, 
ye,  0  holy  joys  of  charity,  chastity, 
modesty,  humility — holy  joys  of  the 
devotions  inspired  by  faith — holy 
and  sweet  joys  of  Catholic  piety, 
ineffable  delights  of  the  adorable 
Eucharist  ?  .  .  .  .  Yes,  it  is  to  Mary, 
after  God,  that  we  are  indebted  for 
aU  that  moves,  expands,  elevates 
the  heart  in  the  religion  of  Christ. 
It  was  she  who  secured  to  us  so 
many  precious  gifts,  so  much  hap- 
piness, even  in  this  world,  by  her 
acquiescence  with  the  words  of  the 
angel  whom  the  Most  High  "com- 
missioned to  ask  her  consent,  before 
giving  himself  to  us  by  his  inter- 
position." ^ 

Hence,  the  illustrious  martyr,  St. 
Irenaeus,  almost  a  contemporary  of 
the  Apostles,  calls  this  acquiescence 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin  "the  cause 
of  the  salvation  of  all  mankind."^ 
"She  has  procured,"  says  St.  Au- 
gustine, after  him,  "the  redemption 
of  man,  who,  left  to  himself,  were 
irretrievably    lost."*      "By    Mary," 


*  Titus  iii.  4 

*  Bossuet,  Deuxieme  Serm.  sur  I'Annonciaiion. 
'  Lib.  V.  Contra  Hoeres,  c.  19. 

*  Serm.  55,  de  Sanctis. 


664 


MEDITATIOXS  ON  TEE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


adds  the  blessed  Peter  Damian,  f 
"  in  Mary,  and  with  Mary,  the  Son 
of  God  would  regenerate  human- 
ity: without  her  nothing  had  been 
done;^  nothing  reinstated,  nothing 
restored."' 

It  is,  therefore,  in  this  Virgin, 
ever  worthy  of  our  gratitude  and 
love,  that  all  the  members  of  the 
Church  find  their  happiness  and 
joy.  She  was  the  object  of  the 
most  fervent  wishes  of  the  primitive 
just,  who,  from  afar,  saluted  in  her 
person  the  mother  of  the  divine 
Liberator,  and  in  limbo  awaited  her 
biith  as  the  dawn  of  that  happy 
day  which  was  to  introduce  them 
into  the  kingdom  of  God.  She  was 
on  earth,  after  our  Lord's  ascension, 
the  "  support  and  consolation  of  all 
the  faithful."^  She  is,  in  the  heav- 
enly country,  the  joy  and  pride  of 
the  elect ;  for,  in  ascending  to 
heaven,  "  she  increased,"  says  St. 
Bemardine,  of  Sienna,  "  the  joy  of 
its  blessed  inhabitants;"*  "and 
their  greatest  glory,  after  the  vision 
of  God,"  says  St.  Bonaventure,  "is 
to   behold  herself"^     She   is    also, 

•  St.  John  i  3. 

•  Serin,  de  Annuneiat. 
»  Bossuet,  2  Serm.  sur  I'Assompt. 


according  to  the  pious  belief  of  the 
Church,  the  joy  and  consolation  of 
the  suffering  souls  in  purgatory: 
"  thou  art  their  zealous  advocate,'' 
says  St.  Andrew  of  Crete ;^  "I  am 
their  mother,"  said  Mary  herself  to 
St.  Bridget,  "  and  I  never  cease  to 
relieve  them  by  my  intercession."' 
She  is,  finally,  the  joy  of  all  Chris- 
tians in  this  world. 

In  all  ages,  in  all  situations,  is 
not  thy  holy  name,  0  Mary!  full 
of  hope  and  sweetness,  strength 
and  comfort,  to  those  who  ti-ust  in 
thee? 

Let  us  bless  God  for  having 
given  us  in  Mary  a  cause  of  joy  ^o 
pure,  so  true,  so  lasting ;  let  us 
bless  Mary  for  having  given  us  the 
source  of  all  joy. 

Ah!  if  the  Jews  of  old  testified 
their  admiration  and  gratitude  to 
Judith  and  Esther  by  public  accla- 
mations and  rejoicings,^  what  should 
we  not  do  to  honor  this  divine  Vir- 
gin, to  whom  our  obligations  are 
incomparably  greater !  What  devo- 
tion should  we  not  have  for  her 
august  person,  what  fervor  in  celc' 

*  Serm.  de  Assumpt.         «  Orat.  1,  de  Dort ,. 
» In  Spec.  Lect.  vL  '  Lib.  iv.  EevelJ.  c.  13S 

■  Judith  xvi.  ;  Esther  xvi 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


655 


brating  her  festivals  with  as  much  f 
joy  as  tender  piety! 

0  thou  good  and  tender  Mary, 
whose  simple  salutation  alone  suf- 
ficed to  make  the  holy  Precursor 
leap  for  joy  in  his  mother's  womb,^ 
thou  who  canst  "  turn  into  joy^  all 
the  sorrows"  of  the  true  believer, 
thou  who,  •  after  Jesus,  art  "  our 
hope,"^  oh  !  until  we  can  enjoy  with 
the  angels  and  saints  the  happiness 
of  contemplating  thee,  we  will  un- 
ceasingly bear  in  mind  the  charm  of 
thy  virtues,  and  repeat  thy  praises 
over  and  over.  Yes,  we  love  to  cry 
out  in  the  fullness  of  our  gratitude 
and  love :  "  If  I  foi'get  thee,  0  sweet 
Virgin !  let  my  right  hand  be  for- 
gotten !  Let  my  tongue  cleave  to 
my  jaws  if  I  do  not  remember"  all 
the  claims  thou  hast  on  my  affec- 
tion, and  "  if  I  make  thee  not,"  after 
thy  divine  Son,  "the  beginning  of 


my  joy 


|"4 


May  we,  then,  in  perpetual  re- 
membrance of  thy  benefits,  0  Mary ! 
unceasingly  repeat  with  increasing 
fervor — 

Cause  of  our  joy,  prat  for  us. 

Causa  nostrce  letitice,  ora  pro  nobis. 


>  St.  Luke  i.  44. 
«  St.  John  xvi.  20. 


»  Salve  Begina. 
*  Ps.  cxxxvi.  5,  6. 


MEDITATION   XXXH. 

SPIRITUAL   VESSEL,    PRAY   FOR    US. 

INASMUCH  as  mind  is  superior 
to  matter,  even  so  is  the  body 
ennobled  while  raising  itself  by  the 
purity  and  righteousness  of  its  acts 
towards  the  dignity,  the  natural 
sublimity  of  the  soul.  In  like  man- 
ner, by  as  much  as  the  order  of 
grace  prevails  over  all  that  is  most 
eminent  in  the  order  of  nature,  even 
so  it  is  with  the  body  of  the  Chris- 
tian who  endeavors,  on  supernatural 
motives,  to  sanctify  the  use  of  all 
his  faculties — it  assumes  a  charac- 
ter of  admirable  greatness  and  no- 
bility. It  is  to  honor,  in  Mary,  this 
nobility,  this  greatness,  that  the 
Church  here  invokes  her  under  the 
emblem  of  a  precious  vessel,  a  fig- 
ure so  often  used  in  the  sacred 
writings,^  and  it  is  in  order  to  make 
us  understand  the  sublime  degree  of 
that  same  greatness  that  she  calls 
her  Spiritttal  Vessel. 

Does  not  that  tell  us  in  fact  that 
this  Virgin  of  virgins  enjoyed  be- 
forehand, if  one  may  say  so,  a  sort 
of  transformation  approaching  that 

*  Prov.  XX.  15  ;    Acts  ix.  15 ;    Rom.  ix.  23 ; 
1  Thess.  iv.  4 ;  2  Tim.  ii.  21. 


656 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


which  shall  take  place  in  the  elect  ^ 
on  the  great  day  of  the  general  re- 
surrection ;  that  her  sacred  body 
possessing  by  anticipation  some  of 
the  qualities  of  "a  spiritual  body,"^ 
her  soul  felt  neither  weight  nor 
shackle  in  its  intercourse  with  God, 
but  could  soar  at  will  towards  its 
Creator,  and  nourish  itself  with  his 
adorable  presence  as  though  it  were 
enslaved  by  no  action  of  the  senses. 
Mary  had  been  preserved  from 
original  sin  and  the  concupiscence 
which  is  its  deplorable  consequence.^ 
"  She  enjoyed,"  says  Louis  of  Blois, 
"  some  of  the  privileges  of  our  first 
parents  in  the  terrestrial  Paradise, 
when,  during  their  state  of  inno- 
cence, the  faculties  of  their  soul 
were  united  to  God,  and  all  their 
senses  in  perfect  subjection  to  the 
spirit."^  But,  moreover,  was  it  not 
fitting  that  that  flesh  which  was  to 
become  the  "  divine  flesh  of  Jesus,"  * 
should  be  made  worthy  of  that  im- 
mense honor  by  qualities  analogous 
to  the  beauty  of  the  soul  which 
dwelt  within  it?     The  latter  be- 


•  1  Cor.  XV.  44  '  Medit.  xvi  priced. 
'  InstUut.  Spirit ,  append,  i.,  c.  2. 

*  Serm.  8  de  Assumpt.  B.  V. 

»  Serm.  35  de  Sanctis.        •  In  Epist.  ad  S.  Paul. 


longed  wholly  to  God :  "  it  was,  as 
it  were,  transformed  into  God,"'' 
says  the  same  Father,  after  St.  Dio- 
nysius;^  how  could  it  be  supposed 
that  her  body,  created  by  the  Lord 
to  have  so  great  a  share  in  the  mys- 
tery of  the  Incarnate  Word,  could  in 
any  way  impede  the  flight  of  that 
fair  soul,  or  be  but  in  perfect  har- 
mony with  its  sublime  destination  ? 
Let  us  then  joyfully  adopt  the 
sentiment  transmitted  to  us  by 
Richard  de  Saint -Victor  from  sev- 
eral Fathers  of  the  Church,  that 
"  her  exterior  as  well  as  her  interior 
was  wholly  angelic,"^  and  admir- 
ably reflected  the  marvellous-  com- 
munion of  her  soul  with  God.  If, 
in  fact,  "  the  eyes  of  John  the  Bap- 
tist, destined  to  see  the  Christ  an- 
nounced by  the  other  prophets,  dis- 
dained to  look  on  any  creature,"^  no 
one  can  doubt  but  that  Mary  con- 
centrated in  her  divine  Son  the  use 
of  all  her  senses,  and  that  all  in  her 
showed  the  life  of  a  pure  intelli- 
gence, rather  than  that  of  a  human 
being. 


» In  Cant.,  cap.  26  ;  S.  Amb.,  de  Institut.  Tirg., 
c.  7,  2  de  Virgin  ;  S.  Thomas,  Sent.,  dist.  3,  q.  1, 
art.  2  ad  4 ;   S.  Bonav.,  dist.  3,  part.  1,  art.  2. 

•  S.  Jerome,  Epist.  iv. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


657 


Alas !  but  we  are  far  removed 
from  such  a  model ;  we  who  attach 
ourselves  so  strongly  to  vain  idols, 
which  time  disfigures  and  bears 
away  with  the  rest;  we  who  gaze 
with  longing  eyes  on  the  fragile 
things  of  this  world,  and  foolishly 
put  forth  all  our  energy  and  activity 
in  pursuit  of  their  deceitful  enjoy- 
ment ;  we  who  seem  to  have  but  a 
doubtful  faith  in  "  the  things  which 
are  not  seen,"^  the  things  of  eter- 
nity ;  we  who  too  often  permit  our- 
selves to  be  overcome  by  that  body 
whose  troublesome  weight  impedes 
our  communion  with  Cod  in  prayer, 
and  prevents  us  from  walking  joy- 
ously onward  in  the  service  of  our 
divine  Master.  Ah!  henceforward, 
let  us  generously  endeavor  to  be- 
come "spiritual  men,"^  remember- 
ing that  "he  that  soweth  in  the 
spirit  of  the  Spirit  shall  reap  life 
everlasting."^  If  we  can  in  any 
way  resemble  Mary,  that  divinely 
privileged  creature,  let  us,  at  least, 
restrain  "with  fervor  of  spirit"*  the 
fatal  influence  of  "the  corruptible 
body  which    is    a   load  upon  the 


•  2  Cor.  iv.  18. 
«  1  Cor.  iii.  1. 


*  Gal.  vi.  8. 

*  Bom.  xii.  11. 


*  Wisdom  ix.  15. 


*  soul,"^  and  obstructs  it  in  its  sub- 
lime flight  towards  its  Author. 

0  Mary,  the  Lord  had  made  thee, 
from  the  first,  "  a  most  pure  vessel."^ 
But  when  the  Holy  Ghost  came 
upon  thee,^  to  operate  in  thy  chaste 
womb  "the  great  mystery  of  piety 
manifested  in  the  flesh,"  ^  and  to 
raise  thee  at  the  same  time  to  the 
most  august  dignity  amongst  creat- 
ures, he  rendered  thee  still  more 
pure  and  holy,  he  filled  thee  more 
and  more  with  that  "perfect  spirit"^ 
which  makes  man  live  for  God  and 
for  the  goods  of  eternity.  We  honor 
in  thee  that  superhuman  life  so  per- 
fect, and  all  the  privileges  where- 
with it  pleased  the  Most  High  to 
invest  thee.  May  we  imitate  thee 
as  far  as  is  compatible  with  our 
weakness,  fi-eeing  ourselves  in  all 
things  from  the  captivity  of  the 
senses,  "  walking "  towards  the  other 
world  "as  children  of  the  light,  in 
justice  and  truth,"  and  in  all  "that 
is  acceptable  to  God."^''  Oh !  do  not 
refuse  to  ask  this  grace  for  us. 

Spiritual  Vessel,  pray  for  us. 

Vas  Spirttuale,  ora  pro  nobis. 

«  Prov.  XXV.  4  *  1  Tim.  iii.  16. 

'  St.  Luke  i.  35.  • »  Ps.  1.  14. 

"  Ephes.  V.  8,  9,  10. 


U3 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LIT  ANT  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRQIN. 


MEDITATION  XXXffl. 

VESSEL  OP  HONOR,  PRAT  FOR  US. 

IT  is  a  great  honor  for  a  body  to 
be  united  to  a  soul  which  is  the 
image  of  Grod ;  and  the  more  beau- 
tiful that  soul  i8)  and  the  more 
enriched  with  the  gifts  of  the  Lord, 
the  greater  the  dignity  to  which 
that  intimate  union  raises  the  body; 
it  becomes  thereby  a  vessel  which 
is  so  much  the  more  precious  in 
proportion  as  the  i)erfume  it  con- 
tains is  rarer  and  more  exquisite  in 
the  eyes  of  faith.  What  an  honor 
is  it,  then,  for  Mary's  body  to  be 
united  to  a  soul  which,  after  that  of 
Jesus,  is  the  noblest,  the  purest,  the 
holiest,  the  most  adorned  with  the 
favors  of  Heaven ! 

But  how  much  more  honorable  is 
Uiat  sacred  body  on  account  of  the 
divine  maternity !  It  was,  undoubt- 
edly, a  high  honor  for  Abraham  of 
old  to  receive  the  Lord  in  the  form 
of  an  angel ;  ^  but  God  did  not  sub- 
stantially unite  himself  to  that  holy 
patriarch.  It  was  a  great  honor  for 
Moses  to  penetrate  the  awful  cloud 
which  covered  the  summit  of  Mount 


•  Gen.  rviiL 
'£xod.xix.  ao. 


*  3  Kings  TIT 
« St  Luke  xix. 


f  Sinai,  and  to  be  enabled,  in  the 
midst  of  thunder  and  lightning,  to 
converse  face  to  face  with  the  Most 
High  ;*  but  God  did  not  substan- 
tially unite  himself  to  that  immortal 
legislator.  It  was  a  great  honor  for 
Elias  to  hear  and  to  see  striking 
marks  of  the  infinite  greatness  of 
the  Supreme  Being ;'  but  God,  while 
manifesting  to  him  his^  adorable 
presence,  did  not  substantially  unite 
himself  to  that  faithful  prophet  It 
was  a  great  honor  for  Zacheus  to 
receive  Christ  at  his  table;*  for 
Lazarus  and  his  sisters  to  entertain 
him  in  their  house,  and  even  to  en- 
joy the  signal  favor  of  his  divine 
fiiendship  ;^  but  what  are  all  these 
relations,  precious  and  honorable  as 
they  are,  to  the  intimate,  the  incom- 
parable connection  between  the 
Man -God  and  his  Mother!  .  .  . 

Ah !  let  us  not  be  surprised  that 
the  holy  doctors,  struck  with  admi- 
ration of  that  divine  Mother,  saluted 
in  her,  in  the  most  expressive  terms, 
that  august  womb  wherein  the  Son 
of  God  assumed  human  nature. 
"  Mary's  flesh,"  says  St.  Augustine, 
"  is  the  very  flesh  of  Jesus.'"^     'Her 

*  St.  Lake  x. ;  St  John  sL 

•  Senn-  de  Asaumpt.  B.  M.  V.,  cap.  r. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  TBE  liLEHHED  VinOIN. 


669 


body  is  a  living  heaven,"  gays  the 
Messed  Peter  Damian  ;  "it  is  the 
coipoial  sanctuary  of  the  fullness  of 
the  Divinity.'"  "The  Lord,"  says 
St.  Thomas  of  Villanova,  "  the  Lord, 
in  making  the  daughter  of  Abraham 
his  Mother,  raised  her  to  such  a 
height,  that  neither  man  nor  angel 
can  look  up  to  her."^ 

We  justly  honor  the  precious  ves- 
sels wherein  the  Church  presei*ve8 
the  holy  and  adoiable  Eucharist 
But  is  there  any  propoition  between 
that  gold  01-  that  silver,  magnificent- 
ly adorned,  and  thu  august  and  ever 
^  cnerable  body  which  furnished  for 
our  divine  Saviour  the  adorable 
blood  wherewith  he  redeemed  us? 
....  Yes,  that  is,  by  excellence, 
"  the  vessel  of  election,"'  infinitely 
more  valuable  than  "a  massy  vessel 
of  gold  adorned  with  eveiy  precious 
stone;"*  that  is  the  pure  and  sacied 
body  which,  having  so  worthily 
borae  God,"^  knew  not  the  coiTUp- 
tion  of  the  t^^mb,  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, according  to  the  pious  tradi- 
tion of  the  Church,  was  glorified  by 
resurrection  like  the  body  of  the 
divine  Jesus. 


'  Orat  de  Naliv.  B.  V. 
•  Senu.  3  de  Nalio.  B.  IL 


'  Acid  ir.  15. 
<£oelM.L10. 


Let  us  here  reanimate  our  faith ; 
let  us  remember  that,  by  the  inefl'ji- 
ble  mystery  of  the  Eucharist,  oui- 
body,  corruptible  as  it  is,  is  raised 
to  a.  sublime  union,  which  makes  it, 
too,  a  vessel  of  honor,  and  that  we 
should  always  fear  to  defile  it  by 

the  slightest  stain Ah !  we  do 

not  meditate  as  we  should  on  this 
adorable  mystery  in  all  its  bearings. 
By  communion,  we  become  the  tem- 
ples of  Jesus;  and  not  only  that, 
not  only  sanctuaries  of  Jesus,  taber- 
nacles of  Jesus,  but  more  still — ^we 
become  sacred  vessels,  real  living 

vessels,  wherein  Jesus  rests 

What  do  I  say  ?  we  become  living 
vessels,  with  whom  he  unites  him- 
self in  a  manner  so  intimate,  "  that 
he  and  they  are  but  one,"  says  St 
Cyril.*  We,  then,  who  "are  in 
honor,"  let  us  not  be  so  unfortunate 
.  as  "  not  to  understand,"  lest  we  "  be 
compared  to  senseless  beasts,  and 
become  like  unto  them."'  We  who 
have  a  just  veneration  for  the  sa- 
cred vessels  of  our  altars,  ah  I  let  an 
learn,  in  all  places,  and  at  all  times, 
to  respect  ourselves ;  let  us  learn  to 
keep  our  thoughts,  oar  afiectknifl^ 

•  1  Cor.  vi  20.        *  Lib.  ir.  in  Joan.,  etp.  11, 
'  Fa.  zhiti.  13. 


eeo 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


our  desires,  our  views,  and  all  our 
actions,  on  a  par  with  the  nobility, 
the  greatness,  the  admirable  glory 
to  which  we  are  raised  by  a  single 
communion  I 

0  Mary,  thou  who,  after  God,  art 
woi'thy  of  all  praise,  thou  didst  bear 
for  nine  months  in  thy  chaste  womb 
Him  whose  awful  majesty  the  angels 
adore  covered  with  their  wings.^ 
How  can  we  express  our  admiration 
of  the  honor  he  has  done  thee  in 
borrowing  from  thy  substance  the 
body  which  he  assumed,  thus  giv- 
ing thee  a  sort  of  "inefiable  iden- 
tity with  himself?"^  Receive  here 
the  humble  expression  of  all  the 
sentiments  which  so  much  great- 
ness and  honor  ought  to  inspire  in 
the  hearts  of  all  the  faithful.  Make 
us  feel  how  high  the  divine  Eu- 
charist places  ourselves  amongst 
creatures,  and  how,  becoming  by  it 
more  august  than  the  sacred  vessels 
in  which  it  is  contained,  we  may 
conduct  ourselves,  always  and  in 
all  things,  as  "  vessels  of  honor  pre- 
pared unto  gloiy."^ 

Vessel  of  Honor,  pray  for  us. 

Vas  Jlonorttbile,  ora  pro  nobis, 

la.  vL  2.         *  B.  Peter  Damian,  de  NoMv.  Virg. 
'  Eom.  ix.  21,  23. 


MEDITATION  XXXIV.     • 

VESSEL     OF     SINGULAR     DEVOTION,    PRAT 

FOR    us. 

PIETY,  devotion,  fervor!  words 
wholly  inadequate  to  express 
the  burning  zeal  of  Mary  for  the 
service  of  the  Lord.  Who  could 
describe  the  lively  ardor  of  her 
prayer,  her  intimate  union  with  God, 
her  ecstatic  silence,  her  peaee,  her 
spiritual  joy,  so  sweet,  so  delicious, 
her  continual  aspirations  to  her  be- 
loved, the  holiness  of  her  thoughts, 
the  purity  of  her  desires  and  affec- 
tions, her  devotion,  so  generous,  so 
magnanimous,  so  absolute,  for  the 
glory  of  her  Creator  ? 

Temple  of  Jerusalem,  where  she 
passed  so  piously  the  first  years  of 
her  life,  oh  I  what  admirable  secrets 
were  concealed  within  thy  sacred 
walls!  August  house  of  Nazareth, 
where  she  lived  so  long  in  the  pres- 
ence and  in  the  continual  contem- 
plation of  her  God,  become  her  Son; 
thou  whose  venerable  walls  speak 
so  eloquently  to  the  heart  of  the 
pilgrim  of  Loretto,  tell  us,  then, 
something  of  all  those  wonders  of 
adoration,  praise,  and  love — those 
^  superhuman  communings  of  Mary's 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


661 


Boul  with  the  divine  heart  of  Jesus !  - 
And  thou,  sacred  abode,  where  she 
dwelt  with  the  beloved  Apostle, 
after  the  death  of  our  Lord,^  ah ! 
what  bursts  of  inoniparable  devo- 
tion thou  didst  hide  from  the  knowl- 
edge of  men  !  what  transports,  what 
ineffable  sighs,  when  Jesus  had  as- 
cended, to  heaven!  "what  impetu- 
osity of  love,  concurring  with  all 
that  is  tender  in  nature,  all  tJiat  is 
efficacious  in  divine  grace  !"^ 

If  Queen  Esther  could  say  to  God, 
"Thou  knowest  that  thy  handmaid 
hath  never  rejoiced  but  in  thee;"^ 
if  the  holy  king  David  could  bear 
testimony  of  himself  that  the  praise 
of  the  Lord  "was  always  in  his 
mouth ;"^  if  he  exclaimed  in  the 
fervor  of  his  soul,  "  Oh !  when  shall 
I  come  and  appear  before  the  face 
of  God  ?"^  if  the  Apostle  St.  Paul 
could  say,  "I  live,  now  not  I,  but 
Christ  liveth  in  me,"  and  my  desire 
is  "  to  be  dissolved,  and  to  be  with 
Christ"  forever ;«  finally,  if  the  il- 
lustrious missionary  of  the  Indies, 
amid   the    enervating   emotions   of 


•  St.  John  xix.  27. 

*  Bossuet,  1  Serm.  sur  I'Assompt. 

3  Esther  xiv.  18.  » Ps.  xlL  3. 

*Ps.  xxxiii.  2.  »  Gal.  ii.  20  ;  Phil.  i.  23. 


his  tender  piety,  feeling  himself 
fainting  away  with  love^  begged  of 
God  to  moderate  his  favors,  "Enough, 
0  Lord!  enough!"  what  must  we 
think  of  the  august  Mother  of  the 
Saviour,  she  whom  the  Saints  called 
"  a  furnace  of  divine  love,"  ^  and 
whom  the  Spouse  in  the  Canticles 
compares  to  "a  lamp  of  fire  and 
flames?"^  Was  there  for  her  a  day, 
an  hour,  a 'moment,  in  which  her 
thought,  her  speech,  her  will,  every 
act  of  her  being,  had  not  God  for 
its  sole  object  ?  a  moment  in  which 
she  did  not  "do  the  things  that 
please  Him,"^  and  that  with  an 
eagerness,  a  purity  of  intention,  a 
devotion  hardly  to  be  conceived? 
Rather  let  us  ask  the  Angels  and 
the  Seraphim,  "ravished,"  says  St. 
Bernard,  "  with  the  warmth  and  the 
brightness  of  the  sacred  flame  of 
her  devotion."^"  And  who  could  tell 
the  joys,  the  sweetness,  the  marvel- 
lous delight  with  which  that  devo- 
tion overflowed  her  heart?  Thou 
thyself,  0  Mary !  givest  us  some 
idea  of  it  by  that  joyful   e'xclama- 

'  S.  John  Damas,  de  Dormit.  B.  V. ;   S.  Bern, 
of  Sienna,  Serm.  9  de  Visit. 
'  Cant.  viii.  6. 
»  St.  John.  viii.  29.      'o  Serm.  2,  in  Assumpt. 


662 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


tion  of  tliy  holy  canticle,  "  My  spirit 
doth  rejoice  in  God  ray  Saviour."^ 

0  piety  I  0  sweet  and  tender 
Christiiin  piety,  the  origin  and  the 
support  of  all  the  magnificent  works 
of  charity  I  thou,  that  givest  resig- 
nation to  the  grief -fraught  heart, 
and  strength  to  the  soul  assailed  by 
despair;  thou,  that  drawest  forth 
from  the  eyes  of  repentance  tears 
of  sweetest  consolation,  and  excitest 
heavenly  rapture  in  the  pure  heart 
intlamed  with  divine  love,  come,  oh  I 
come  to  penetrate  us  with  thy  pre- 
cious unction;  come  and  make  us 
"vessels  unto  honor,  sanctified  and 
profitable  to  the  Lord,  prepared 
unto  every  good  work!"'^  that  by 
thy  celestial  influence  all  our  mem- 
bers may  be  in  the  hand  of  God 
"  instruments  unto  justice,"^  to  fight 
and  overcome  sin !  that  our  bodies 
may  become  "a  living  sacrifice,  holy 
cmd  pleasing  to  God!"* 

Vouchsafe,  0  Mary  I  "admirable 
vessel^  work  of  the  Most  High,"^ 
vouchsafe  to  obtain  for  us  the  grace 
to  be  pious,  and  to  show  ourselves 
both  sweet  and  firm  in  our  piety. 
In  ancient  days,  when,  at  the  bid- 


^  ding  of  the  prophet  Eliseus,  a  poor 
widow,  oppressed  by  a  merciless 
creditor,  made  her  sons  procure  a 
great  number  of  empty  vessels,  she 
poured  into  each  a  small  portion 
of  the  little  oil  she  had;  suddenly 
and  miraculously  the  vases  were  all 
filled,  so  that  she  had  not  only 
wherewith  to  pay  her  creditor,  but 
the  means  of  supporting  her  fam- 
ily.* To  thee,  likewise,  0  holy  Vir- 
gin I  at  the  bidding  of  the  Angel 
who  saluted  thee  as  "full  of  grace,"' 
at  the  bidding  of  the  Church,  who 
calls  thee  Vessel  of  Singular  Devo- 
tion^ we  present  our  hearts,  alas ! 
too  void  of  Christian  piety  and  the 
good  works  of  which  it  is  the  source. 
Do  not  refuse  to  give  us  of  thy  su- 
perabundance, so  that  we  may  not 
only  satisfy  the  divine  justice  by 
our  fervor,  but  acquire  precious 
merits  for  heaven.  It  is  written 
that  "  piety  has  promise  of  the  life 
that  now  is,  and  of  that  which  is  to 
come;"®  that  this  consoling  prom- 
ise may  be  fulfilled  in  our  favor. 

Vessel  of  Singular  Devotion, 
PRAY  for  us. 

Vas  insigne  devotionis^ora  pro  nMs, 


'  St.  Luke  i.  47. 
»  2  Tim.  ii.  2L 


*  Rom.  vi.  13. 

*  Rom.  xii  1. 


» Eccles.  xliii.  2. 
•  4  Kings  iv.* 


'  St.  Luke  i.  28. 
•  1  Tim.  iv.  a 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


663 


MEDITATION  XXXy. 

MYSTICAL    ROSE,    PRAY   FOR   US. 

IN  the  Sacred  Books  we  hear  the 
voice  of  the  celestial  Bridegroom 
comparing  his  spouse  to  a  garden 
redolent  "  with  all  the  chief  per- 
fumes."^ "Arise,"  says  he,  "arise, 
0  north  wind,  and  come,  0  south 
wind,  blow  through  my  garden,  and 
let  the  aromatical  spices  thereof 
flow."^  Christian  piety  loves  to 
recognize  the  Blessed  Virgin  under 
the  figure  of  all  the  plants  and 
odoriferous  flowers  of  that  garden 
mentioned  by  the  Spouse  in  the 
Canticles.  It  is  Mary  whom  we 
delight  to  call,  with  St.  Sophronius, 
"the  true  pleasure-garden,  abound- 
ing in  the  sweetest  flowers,  and  the 
celestial  odor  of  all  the  virtues."^ 
Amongst  these  flowers  the  Church 
chose  the  Rose  to  give  a  name  to 
that  Beloved  of  the  Lord,  thus  giv- 
ing her  the  most  delicate  and  grace- 
ful praise,  the  fittest  to  -captivate 
our  mind  and  heart. 

0  Rose,  whom  the  Creator  has 
made  so  sweet  and  so  fair,  so  rich 
in  beauty  and  in  perfume ;  0  Queen 

»  Cant.  iv.  14.  «  Cant.  iv.  16. 

'  Serm.  de  Assumpt. 


f  of  all  those  earthly  flowers,  so  mag- 
nificent in  their  matchless  attire, 
and  yet  so  varied  in  the  shades 
oi  their  colors  and  in  their  odorous 
exhalations,  how  joyfully  do  I  hail 
thee  as  the  emblem  of  Mary,  my 
divine  Mother ;  that  Queen  of  all 
intelligences,  even  the  most  adorned 
with  grace ;  that  Queen  of  all  the 
spiritual  flowers  which  form  and 
shall  fonn  the  ornament  of  the 
Church  of  heaven  and  on  earth; 
that  Queen,  in  fine,  of  all  creatures. 
Like  thee,  but  in  a  manner  infi- 
nitely superior,  Mary  is  radiant  in 
beauty  and  charming  in  the  sweet- 
ness and  perfume  of  her  divine  vir- 
tues !  .  .  .  . 

Never  did  the  fair  soul  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  undergo  any,  even 
the  slightest  alteration ;  never  did 
the  lightest  breath  of  evil  tarnish 
the  freshness,  the  lustre  of  that  Mi/s- 
tical  Rose;  never  did  the  calix  of 
that  marvellous  flower,  so  truly  the 
Beloved  of  God,  cease  to  exhale  the 
sweet  incense  of  love  and  praise — 
of  love  the  most  ardent,  and  praise 
the  most  pious.  Although  planted, 
like  her  sisters,  in  a  soil  where  so 
many  storms  bend  and  blight  their 
stems    and    wither    their    briUiant 


684 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


petals,   never  did   she  lose    aught  t 
either  of  her  original  beauty,  the 
sweetness  or  the  excellence  of  her 
perfume.  ^ 

Thou  hadst  thy  thorns,  it  is  true, 
0  Mystical  Rose,  sharp  and  piercing 
thorns,  but  they  were  only  for  thy- 
self. Thou  couldst  not  but  resem- 
ble, 0  Mary,  the  divine  Head  of  the 
elect,  that  adorable  Saviour  who, 
through  sufferings,  was  to  enter  into 
his  glory  I "  ^ 

And,  moreover,  was  it  not  expe- 
dient that,  like  thy  divine  Son,  thou 
shouldst  learn  by  experience  .  to 
"  have  compassion  on  our  infirmi- 
ties,"^ and  to  feel  for  us  that  lively 
sympathy  attendant  on  the  endur- 
ance  of  the   same   sufferings 

But  to  us,  thy  brethren  according 
to  the  flesh,  thy  beloved  children 
according  to  grace,  to  us  thou  art 
"a  rose  without  a  thorn."  .... 
"  Thou  hast  nothing  hurtful,"  says 
St  Ambrose,  "nothing  but  what  is 
the  very  expression  of  universal 
benevolence."^  "What  is  there  in 
thee,"  says  St.  Bernard,  "to  excite 
fear  or  distrust?  Thou  hast  noth- 
ing  stern,  nothing   austere ;   to   us 

«  St  Luke  xxiv.  26.  »  Heb.  iv.  15. 

'  Lib.  de  Virginit.,  cap.  2. 


thou  art  all  sweetness Peruse 

attentively  the  whole  Gospel  his- 
tory," adds  this  holy  doctor,  "care- 
fully examine  its  sacred  pages ;  if 
thou  findest  in  Mary  the  least  trait 
savoring  of  reproach  or  severity, 
the  slightest  indication  contrary  to 
meekness,  I  will  agree  to  speak  no 
more  of  that  divine  Mother."* 

Ah !  let  us  "  run  to  the  celestial 
odor"  of  that  immortal  rose  which 
embalms  the  innocent  heart,  and 
constitutes  its  joy  and  its  delight; 
"let  us  run  after  her."^  Let  us  be- 
ware of  being  seduced  by  the  ephe- 
meral perfumes  of  the  earth,  the 
foolish  incense  of  worldly  flattery, 
or  of  suffering  ourselves  to  be  daz- 
zled by  the  deceitful  beauty  of  creat- 
ures which  "in  the  morning  grow 
up  like  grass,  in  the  evening  fall, 
grow  dry,  and  wither."^  Let  us  re- 
member that  every  thing  in  this 
world  was  given  us  to  raise  our 
souls  to  God,  and  that,  far  from  fix- 
ing our  hearts  on  sublunary  things, 
as  though  they  were  our  last  end, 
we  should  employ  them  to  excite  in 
us  the  desire  and  the  eager  pursuit 
of  that  true   country   where   there 


*  Serm.  1  de  Assumpt 

« Ps.  Ixxxix.  6. 


» Cant.  i.  3. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


665 


are  none  but  immortal  flowers,  and 
where  the  Mystical  Rose  is  the  ad- 
miration of  saints  and  angels. 

0  Maiy,  thou  art  "exalted  as  a 
rose -plant  in  Jericho/  thou  hast 
budded  forth  as  the  rose  planted 
by  the  brooks  of  waters,^  thou  art 
fair  as  the  lily,''  and  as  the  flower 
of  roses  in  the  days  of  the  spring."* 
But  who  shall  give  us  an  idea  of 
"the  good  odor  of  Christ.""  so  sweet- 
ly exhaled  by  thee.  Who  shall  tell 
us  how  much  the  perfume  of  thy 
virtues  exceeds  "  the  sweet  odor  of 
the  best  myrrh  and  the  purest 
balm?"^  Yes,  thou  art  that  chosen 
flower  which  alone,*  in  the  arid  vale 
of  this  world,  "drew  down  the  di- 
vine dew,  the  just  by  excellence."^ 
0  blessed  Flower !  0  marvellous 
Flower !  0  Flower  of  heaven  !  it  is 
there  only  that  it  will  be  given  us 
to  know  thee  well,  and  to  praise 
thee  as  thou  deservest.  Grant  that 
we  may  walk  "to  the  odor  of  thy 
ointments,^  in  the  unspotted  way"^ 
of  the  true  children  of  God,  so  as, 
one  day,  to  have  the  happiness  of 
seeing  thee  and  glorifying  thy  Son 


»  Eccl.  xxiv.  18. 
« Eccl.  xxxix.  17. 


'  Is.  XXXT.  1. 

*  Eccl.  L  a 


*  for   all  the  favors  so  lavishly  be- 
stowed upon  thee! 

Mystical  Rose,  pray  for  us. 
Rosa  Mystica^  ora  pro  nobis. 


» 2  Cor.  u,  1& 


MEDITATION  XXXYI. 

TOWER  OF  DAVID,  PRAY  FOR  US. 

IF  the  pride  and  the  strength 
of  Jerusalem  was  the  tower  of 
David,  built  with  bulwarks,  a  thou- 
sand bucklers  "  hanging  upon  it,  all 
the  armor  of  valiant  men,"  ^^  is  not 
Mary  the  glory  and  the  invincible 
fortress  of  the  Church?  And,  be- 
sides, does  not  the  blood  of  David 
flow  in  her  veins — the  blood  of  that 
holy  king  who,  before  he  reached 
the  throne,  knew  how  to  unite  the 
modest  bearing  of  the  shepherd 
with  the  heroic  valor  that  overcame 
the  Philistine  giant?  How  justly, 
then,  may  Mary  be  called  the  Tower 
of  David,  she  in  whom  we  admire 
so  much  humility  with  so  much 
greatness  and  so  much  glory !  .  .  . 
But    in   what    sense    should  we 


•  Eccl.  xxiv.  20,  21. 
» Is.  xlv.  8. 


8  Cant.  i.  3. 
» Ps.  c.  2. 


•"  Cant.  iv.  4. 


866 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


specially  apply  to  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin the  image  of  a  "  great  tower,"  ^ 
tlefending  a  beleaguered  city?  It 
is  especially  on  account  of  her  pro- 
tecting, from  the  incessant  assaults 
of  Satan,  the  Church,  who  is  the 
depositary  of  the  truth  brought  from 
heaven  by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
"  Oh  I  but  she  is  powerful  against 
hell,  that  august  Queen!"  exclaims 
St.  Bonaventure.  "  She  is  more  ter- 
rible than  an  army  in  battle  array."  ^ 
....  So  it  is  that  the  Evil  Spirit 
has  never  failed,  when  attacking  the 
Church,  to  attack,  at  the  same  time, 
that  glorious  Virgin  who  is,  as  it 
were,  its  impregnable  fortress. 

Ever  since  the  second  century, 
when  the  impious  Cerinthus  dared 
to  dispute  one  of  the  prerogatives 
"secured  by  the  Catholic  faith  to 
Mary,  there  has  scarcely  been  a 
heresiarch  whose  tongue  or  pen  did 
not,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  as- 
sail her;  not  one  whose  audacious 
folly  Mary  did  not  confound  by  the 
dread  authority  of  the  Church,  ever 
ready  to  defend  Jesus  Christ  at- 
tacked through  his  august  Mother. 
Hence  it  is  that  that  faithful  guar- 
dian of  the  divine  doctrine  is  pleased 


f  to  represent  "the  old  serpent"'  as 
always  trying  to  life  his  head  from 
under  the  conquering  foot  of  the  di- 
vine Virgin,  whose  wondious  power 
against  error  it  pleases  the  Lord  to. 
manifest,  in  an  especial  manner,  in 
these  latter  ages. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  those 
nations  who  are  the  most  devout  to 
Mary  have  been  preserved,  either 
wholly  or  in  a  great  measure,  from 
the  ravages  of  the  heresy  of  the 
sixteenth  century.  Look  at  Italy, 
Spain,  Belgium ;  Ipok  at  France,  .  .  . 
France,  where  the  protection  of  the 
Queen  of  Heaven  was  manifested 
anew,  and  in  a  striking  manner,  at 
the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century. 
It  was  then  worse  than  heresy — it 
was  impiety,  infidelity,  armed  with 
political  power,  reigning  with  abso- 
lute sway.  No  more  temples,  no 
more  altars,  no  more  priests ;  faith 
itself  was  a  crime  deserving  of  death 
....  0  Mary !  canst  thou,  then,  for- 
get that  France  has  ever  been  thy 
favored  country  ;  that  it  was  conse- 
crated to  thee  by  one  of  its  kings, 
of  pious  memory?*  Wilt  thou  not 
hear  the  fervent  sighs  of  thy  ser- 
vants, still  so  numerous  amidst  all 


»  2  Esd.  iii.  27. 


*  Cant,  vi  3.        ^        »  Apoc  xii.  9. 


♦  Louis  XIIL 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


667 


this  grievous  apostacy  ?  and  do  not  ^ 
our  pastors,  in  the  land  of  exile, 
unite  their  pious  supplications  with 
those  of  the  faithful  flocks  from 
whom  they  have  been  compelled  to 
fly  ?  ....  Oh !  that  good  and  tender 
Mother  will  not  forsake  her  own 
people ;  all  the  assaults  of  exulting 
infidelity  shall  at  last  fail  before  this 
new  Tower  of  David.  A  little  while, 
and  the  temples  are  re-opened,  the 
altars  are  raised  again,  the  pastors 
are  restored  to  their  hearers;  and  it 
is  on  the  very  day  of  the  Assump- 
tion of  the  Blessed  Virgin  that  the 
Sovereign  Pontiff  signs  the  famous 
concordat  which  secures  the  restora- 
tion of  the  Church  of  France. 

Let  us  here  felicitate  ourselves, 
before  God,  on  our  happiness  in 
being  born  in  a  land  which  belongs 
to  Mary  by  solemn  consecration,^  a 
consoling  pledge  of  the  preservation 
of  the  precious  treasure  of  faith  in 
our  beloved  country.  But,  let  us 
never  forget  that  the  Apostles  of 
old,  although  assured  by  the  prom- 
ise of  their  divine  Master  that  the 
.  persecution  of  the  Synagogue  should 

'  It  will  be  remembered  that  this  work  was 
originally  written  in  French. — Tbans. 

•  Acts  iv.  24.  '  St.  John  xiv.  6. 


be  powerless  against  the  infant 
Church,  did,  nevertheless,  "  with 
one  accord  lift  up  their  voice  to 
God,"  ^  to  ask  of  him  victory.  Let 
us  also  beg  of  the  Lord  that  the 
faith  of  Mary's  chosen  people  may 
never  fail ;  and  in  all  our  tempta- 
tions, especially  those  which  are 
contrary  to  that  fundamental  virtue 
of  Christianity,  let  us  fly  to  her,  and 
take  refuge  in  that  Tower  of  David 
where  the  darts  of  the  enemy  cannot 
reach  us. 

0  divine  Mother  of  Him  who  calls 
himself  "the  Truth," ^  it  is  to  thee 
that  thine  adorable  Son  seems  to 
have  confided  the  care  of  his 
Church;  for  it  is  to  thee  that  that 
same  Church*  refers  the  glory  of  hei 
triumph  over  all  the  errors  that 
have  assailed  the  true  doctrine,  and 
sought  to  shake  the  foundations  of 
"the  city  of  God."^  Thou  art  for 
her  "  a  tower  of  strength  against 
the  face  of  the  enemy  ;"^  thou  art 
the  "strong  tower "^  which  saves 
her  children  "  in  the  day  of  tribula- 
tion."^ Ah!  protect  us,  holy  Vir- 
gin, against  any  danger  that  might 

*  Brev.  Kom.  in  Festis  B.  M.  V. 

*  Ps.  Ixxxvi.  3.  '  Prov.  xviii.  10. 
«  Ps.  Ix.  4.  •  Ps.  xix.  2. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


assail  our  faith ;  shield  us,  especial- 
ly at  the  hour  of  our  death,  and  pre- 
pare us  for  that  final  struggle  which 
is  to  insure  our  eternal  triumph. 
Obtain  for  us,  from  God,  a  lively 
and  unshaken  faith. 

Tower  of  David,  pray  for  us. 

Turris  Davidica^  ora  pro  nobis. 


MEDITATION   XXXVIL 

TOWER    OF   IVORY,    PRAY   FOR   US. 

IVORY  has  a  dazzling  whiteness, 
a  remarkable  polish,  pleasing  to 
the  eye,  and  at  the  same  time  a  so- 
lidity, a  strength  analogous  to  the 
gigantic  animal  which  furnishes  it 
for  the  use  of  man :  a  double  figure, 
equally  applicable  to  the  Blessed 
Virgin.  In  what  other  human 
being  could  we  find,  as  in  her,  that 
innocence,  that  purity  of  soul  which 
the  angels  themselves  admire,  that 
lustre  of  virginity  which,  during 
the  time  of  her  mortal  pilgrimage, 
was  diff'used  over  her  whole  per- 
son, and  penetrated  all  hearts  with 

•  S.  Den.  Areop.,  Ep.  ad  Paid  apvd  Carthus., 
Sent  in  1  dist.  16,  q.  2. 

*  Cant  viL  4. 


♦  an    indescribable    feeling     of    re- 
spect?^ 

But,  without  dwelling  here  on 
that  amazing  purity  which  has  al- 
ready been  several  times  the  object 
of  our  meditations,  let  us  apply 
ourselves  to  consider  the  mystical 
"Tower  of  Ivory "^  as  the  model 
and  the  support  of  our  perseverance 
in  the  service  of  the  Lord. 

What  was  the  perpetual  devotion 
of  Mary  to  her  God,  amid  all  the 
sacrifices  which  filled  up  her  holy 
life  in  this  world  I  From  the  part- 
ing with  her  family,  which  the  Most 
High  demanded  of  her  at  so  tender 
an  age,  what  tribulation,  what  an- 
guish, what  certain  and  heart-rend- 
ing anticipations,  what  excruciating 
sorrows  raised  even  to  sublimity  her 
constancy  in  the  path  of  duty!  The 
perplexity  of  St.  Joseph  on  account 
of  a  mystery  which  prudence  forbade 
her  to  reveal  to  her  chaste  spouse ; 
the  journey  to  Bethlehem,  so  painful 
in  every  respect;  the  poverty  and 
desolation  of  the  stable,  the  only 
shelter  left  the  infant  God;  the 
double  prophecy  of  the  holy  old  man 
Simeon,  regarding  the  unjust  perse- 
cution  which   the   Saviour  was   to 

^  undergo,  and  "  the  sword  which  was 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


669 


to  pierce  his  mother's  heart  ;"^  the 
flight  into  Egypt,  with  all  the  hard- 
ships and  privations  of  exile ;  the 
losing  of  Jesns  for  three  days  after 
the  feast  of  the  Passover;  the  humil- 
iating labors  to  which  she  saw  him 
subjected  in  the  poor  workshop  of 
Nazareth ;  all  the  fatigues,  all  the 
troubles  of  his  public  life ;  the  in- 
trigues, the  persecutions,  the  atro- 
cious calumnies  of  his  enemies, 
whereby  she  was  so  deeply  affected ; 
all  the  ignominy,  all  the  unheard- 
of  sufferings  of  his  passion ;  finally, 
the  cross  standing  before  her  mater- 
nal eyes,  and  she  at  the  foot  of  that 
cross.  Oh !  what  an  unbroken  series 
of  hard  trials,  very  fit  to  shake  and 
to  subdue  the  courage  of  a  daughter 
of  Eve!  But  in  the  midst  of  all 
these  trials  we  see  Mary  always 
calm  and  serene,  Mary  always  sub- 
missive, always  inseparably  united 
to  the  will  of  her  God,  Mary  always 
strong  and  self-devoted,  Mary  always 
the  same !  What  an  example  !  what 
an  eloquent  lesson  for  us  who  are  so 
infirm,  so  inconstant  in  good ! 

So  long  as  the  dangerous  occasion 
is  far  from  us,  or  temptation  leaves 
us  at  rest,  or  the  world  is  not  dis- 

'  St.  Luke  ii.  35. 


f  posed  to  quarrel  with  us  for  dis- 
charging our  duty  to  God,  so  long 
do  "  our  feet  stand  in  the  direct 
way;"^  they  even  run  after  salva- 
tion. But  no  sooner  do  obstacles 
arise  in  our  path,  no  sooner  is  it 
necessary  to  do  violence  to  our  own 
inclinations,  to  break  the  deceitful 
spell  of  the  heart  or  of  the  senses, 
or  to  withstand  the  foolish  laughter 
of  "the  children  of  the  world,"'  than 
we  feel  ourselves  fail  at  once.  Ah  I 
if  we  imitated  Mary,  far  from  being 
discouraged  by  the  tempests  which 
Providence  permits  us  to  encounter, 
we  would  consider  them  as  precious 
means  of  expiating  the  past,  of  ac- 
quiring a  holy  distrust  of  ourselves, 
and  an  entire  confidence  in  God 
alone,  of  confirming  us  in  good  by 
resisting  evil,  of  gaining  inestimable 
merits  for  eternal  life.  And  you, 
also,  pious  souls,  if  you  walked  in 
the  footsteps  of  her  whom  you  love 
to  call  your  good  Mother,  would  you 
not  bear  with  more  courage  and 
confidence  the  weight  of  the  interior 
troubles  which  may  assail  you  ?  .  .  . 
Ah !  never  forget,  then,  that  one  day 
of  fidelity  to  God  in  dryness  or  dark- 
ness of  mind,  in  weariness  or  dis- 


^  Ps.  XXT.  12. 


» St.  Luke  xvi.  8. 


870 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


gust,  is  worth  more  than  a  thousand 
days  passed  in  the  holy  joys  of 
devotion.  There  are  two  ways,  ac- 
coi-ding  to  St  Augustine,  one  of 
which  depends  on  the  other :  "  that 
of  trial,  which  we  have  to  undergo ; 
that  of  beatitude,  which  we  are  to 
expect"^  In  the  second  life,  every 
one  of  your  sighs  and  tears,  every 
act  of  resignation,  will  be  available 
before  God;  and  you  shall  find 
them  at  the  feet  of  "  the  just  Judge,"  ^ 
transformed  into  so  many  precious 
pearls,  whose  celestial  brightness 
shall  enhance  the  beauty  of  your 
immortal  crown. 

0  Mary,  incomparably  more  beau- 
tiful in  the  eyes  of  God  by  thy 
virtues,  thy  merits,  than  were  ever, 
in  the  eyes  of  men,  "  the  house  of 
ivory,"  ^  built  by  the  seventh  king 
of  Israel,  or  King  Solomon's  "  great 
throne  of  ivory,"*  we  will  always 
"  lift  up  our  eyes "  to  thee,  as  the 
tower  of  help,  "  from  whence  help 
shall  come  to  ils''^  against  the  world 
and  the  devil,  the  evil  inclinations 
of  our  own  nature,  the  darkness  of 
our  undei-standing,  and  the  feeble- 
ness of  our  will.     Considering  the 

'  Lib.  2,  de  Act.  cum  Fd.  Munic.,  c.  10. 
•  2  Tim.  iv.  a 


f  temptations  of  every  kind,  of  which 
our  life  is  but  one  continued  series," 
perseverance  in  virtue  is  a  blessing 
above  all  price,  and  we  cannot  ask 
it  too  earnestly  or  too  frequently. 
It  is  through  thy  gracious  interces- 
sion that  we  hope  to  obtain  it ;  and 
it  is  in  thine  immaculate  heart  that 
we  will  henceforward  take  refuge,  as 
a  safe  and  sure  asylum.  0  thou, 
whom  we  here  invoke  with  the  full- 
est confidence, 

Tower  of  Ivory,  pray  for  us. 
Turris  Ebwmea,  ora  pro  nobis. 


MEDITATION  XXXYEI. 

HOUSE  OF  GOLD,  PRAY  FOR  US. 

HOW  marvellous  was  the  Tem- 
ple of  Jerusalem  raised  by 
King  Solomon  I  Not  to  speak  of 
the  rare  stones  of  which  its  walls 
and  foundations  were  composed, 
how  admirable  were  the  ceilings 
of  cedar  sculptured  with  so  much 
art,  the  cherubim,  the  palms  in 
relievo,  the  golden  flowers,  the  very 
pavement   covered    with   plates  of 


*  8  Kings  xxii.  39. 

*  3  Kings  X.  18. 


*  Ps.  cxx.  1. 

•  Job  vii.  1. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


671 


that  precious  metal,  which  was 
lavished  in  such  profusion  that 
"  there  was  nothing  in  the  temple 
that  was  not  covered  with  gold,"^ 
so  that  it  might  be  literally  styled 
a  house  of  gold ! 

But  how  much  more  does  that 
name  apply  to  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
the  living  sanctuary  whom  the  Lord 
made  for  himself ;  "  the  august  and 
sacred  dwelling  which  he  hath  cho- 
sen for  himself;"^  or  rather,  with 
whom  he  united  himself  by  sancti- 
fying grace  more  closely  than  with 
any  other  creature,  and  by  the 
divine  maternity,  in  a  manner  the 
most  approximate  to  the  mystical 
tie  which  makes  the  Eternal  Word 
and  the .  Son  of  Mary  one  and  the 
same  person!  Even  before  the 
Incarnation,  thou  wert,  0  incompar- 
able Virgin,  in  a  marvellous  sense, 
"  the  house  of  the  Lord,"  his  House 
of  Gold;  thou  whom  he  had  adorned 
with  so  many  prerogatives,  infinite- 
ly more  precious  than  all  the  gold 
of  this  world;  thou  whose  every 
thought,  desire,  word  and  action 
were,  in  his  eyes,  far  more  valuable 
than  gold  is  to  men,  who  seek  with 
ceaseless  ardor  that  seductive  metal, 


'  3  Kings  vi.  22. 


2  Ps.  cxxxi.  13. 


*  too  often  the  mainspring  and  the 
idol  of  their  entire  life  I  But  on  the 
ever-memorable  day  of  the  -Annun- 
ciation, thou  didst  become,  in  a  still 
more  admirable  sense,  his  House  of 
Gold;  for  of  thy  most  pure  sub- 
stance the  Word  then  and  forever 
formed  his  own;  he  dwelt  within 
thee  the  first  nine  months  of  his 
expiatory  life  on  earth,  living  with 
thine  own  life ;  and  that  sublime 
connection,  that  ineifable  union, 
"  made  thee  worthy  of  being  called 
blessed  by  all  generations,  blessed 
by  all  the.  prophets,  by  all  the 
heavenly  powers;  yes,  blessed  in 
thy  mind,  in  thy  heart,  blessed  by 
the  common  voice  of  our  praise."^ 
And  besides,  how  justly  is  the 
title.  House  of  Gold.,  bestowed  on 
that  Virgin  endowed  with  perfect 
purity,  a  quality  of  which  gold  is 
the  best  symbol ;  that  Virgin  in- 
flamed with  divine  love,  of  which 
gold,  from  its  fiery  color,  is  also  the 
emblem.  Is  not  her  perpetual  in- 
tegrity, in  reality,  one  of  the  great- 
est miracles  of  the  Lord  ?  "  Does 
not  the  excellence  of  her  purity," 
says  St.  Anselm,  "incomparably 
surpass  the  purity  of  all  creatures  ? 

»  S.  Ildefonso,  Lib.  de  Virginit.  B.  M 


679 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


And  was  it  not  that  which  rendered  f 
her  worthy  of  becoming  the  reno- 
vator of  the  world,  plunged  in  the 
deepest  abyss  of  perdition?"^  No 
less  surprising  is  her  love  of  God. 
"  Who  can  doubt,"  exclaims  St.  Au- 
gustine, "  that  Mary's  womb,  where- 
in the  God  of  charity  reposed  cor- 
porally for  nine  months,  was  wholly 
transformed  into  charity?"^  Where- 
fore it  is  that  St.  Bernardino  said 
of  this  Blessed  Virgin :  "  So  great 
was  her  love  that  she  would  will- 
ingly have  died  for  her  Son,  not 
once,  nor  a  thousand  times,  but  an 
infinite  number  of  times,  if  it  had 
been  possible."^ 

Alas!  that  it  is  not  so  with  us, 
at  least  as  far  as  our  frail  nature 
would  permit!  Why  is  it  that  we 
who,  by  baptism,  by  confirmation, 
by  the  eucharist,  have  been  con- 
secrated to  God  "  as  his  temples,"* 
show  ourselves  so  little  worthy  of 
the  Holy  of  holies,''  who  has  vouch- 
safed to  make  us  his  living  temples? 
Why  are  we  so  eager  to  adorn  our 
dwelling  when  it  is  to  have  the 
honor  of  receiving  a  distinguished 

•  De  excd.  B.  V.,  c.  9. 

•  Quot  by  S.  Bonav.  in  Spec.,  c.  14. 
»  Serm.  de  Nat.  B.V.  *2  Cor.  vL  16. 


guest,  yet  so  negligent  in  making 
our  soul  and  body  a  Bouse  of  Gold 
for  the  reception  of  the  Lord  ?  Why, 
once  more,  instead  of  being  in- 
flamed with  love  of  the  divine  good, 
do  we  suffer  our  hearts  to  be  en- 
snared by  the  "  bewitching  of  van- 
ity,"^ and  are  coldly  indifferent  to 
that  God  so  entrancing  in  beauty 
and  in  love  ?  Shame  and  confusion 
for  us  ?  But  also  repentance,  and, 
henceforward,  frequent  acts,  as  fre- 
quent as  possible,  of  piety,  of  devo- 
tion, of  ardent  love  for  him  whose 
temples  we  are,  by  a  special  favor, 
permitted  to  become ! 

It  is  through  thee,  0  Mary, 
through  thy  powerful  intercession, 
that  we  hope  to  have  accomplished 
in  us  that  saying  of  thy  divine  Son : 
"  If  any  one  love  me  he  will  keep 
my  Word ;  and  my  Father  will  love 
him,  and  he  will  come  to  him,  and 
will  make  an  abode  with  him."^  In 
thee  the  Lord  chose  to  dwell  in  a 
wonderful  manner,^  and  he  filled 
thee  with  his  glory  ^  in  a  more  mar- 
vellous way  than  he  formerly  filled 
Solomon's  temple.     Oh !  if  we  Dould 

•  Dan.  iii  24  '  St.  John  xiv.  23. 

«  Wisdom  iv.  12.  «  Ps,  cxxxi.  14. 

•  3  Kings  viii.  10  ;   2  Paral.  v.  8. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


673 


but  comprehend  the  dignity  to 
which  he  raises  us  by  making  us 
his  living  temples,  how  faithful  we 
would  be  in  preserving  ourselves 
pure  and  holy ;  faithful  in  immolat- 
ing nature  to  duty  on  the  altar  of 
our  heart,  and  the  transitory  joys 
of  the  present  for  the  future  and 
permanent  joys  of  eternity ;  faithful 
in  keeping  the  fire  of  holy  love  con- 
stantly burning  there !  Pray  for  us, 
that  w^e  may  have  that  inestimable 
happiness.  It  is  with  all  our  heart 
that  we  beseech  thee, 

House  of  Gold,  pray  for  us. 

Domus  Aurea,  ora  pro  Tiobis. 


MEDITATION  XXXIX. 

ARK  OF  THE  COVENANT,  PRAY  FOR  US. 

IF  the  magnificent  temple  of  Solo- 
'  mon,  where,  we  may  say,  all 
was  gold,  be  an  emblem  of  Mary, 
what  was  most  august  in  that 
"house  of  the  Lord,"^  the  ark  of 
the  covenant,  is  a  still  more  strik- 
ing figure  of  this  divine  Virgin. 

The  ark  was  made  of  incorrupt- 
ible wood,^  although  it  grew  from 

'  3  Kings  viii.  11.     '  Exod.  xxv.  10.     »  Exod.  xxv. 


*  a  corruptible  stem.  And  thou,  0 
Mary,  although  the  offspring  of  a 
guilty  race,  thou  wert  preserved 
from  the  original  stain,  and  beyond 
the  reach  of  corruption. 

The  ark  was  overlaid  within  and 
without  with  pure  gold ;  it  was 
surmounted  by  a  golden  crown,  and 
closed  with  the  mercy-seat,  which 
was  likewise  made  of  that  precious 
metal ;  two  cherubim,  also  of  gold, 
with  their  wings  outspread,  shaded 
the  mercy-seat,  from  which  the  ma- 
jesty of  God  gave  directions  to  the 
children  of  Israel.^  And  thou,  0 
Mary,  "full  of  grace," ^  how  dazzling, 
how  pure,  how  priceless  is  the  gold 
wherewith  thou  art  clothed !  What 
a  throne  thou  didst  offer  in  thyself 
to  the  Lord!  May  we  not  say  of 
thee,  with  St.  Andrew  of  Crete,  that 
"  thou  art  the  universal  propitiatory 
of  the  world,"  ^  the  living  sanctuary 
whence  the  Incarnate  Word  pro- 
nounced the  words  of  salvation  for 
the  whole  world? 

In  the  ark  were  deposited  "the 
golden  urn  that  had  manna,  the  rod 
of  Aaron  that  had  blossomed  wdrac- 
ulously,  and  the  two  tables  of  the 
Testament,"^  given  to  Mount  Sinai. 

*  St.  Luke  i.  28.     » De  Dormit.  Virg.     •  Heb.  ix.  4 


GU 


MEDITATIONS  ON  TEE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIIiOIN. 


And  thou,  0  august  Virgin,  thou  ^ 
hast  had  the  happiness  of  conceiv- 
ing and  bringing  forth  Him  who 
was  made  for  us  the  true  celestial 
manna,  "the  living  bread  which 
came  down  from  heaven."^  Thou 
hast  had  the  infinite  honor  of  be- 
coming the  Mother  of  a  Son  who 
was  formed  in  thee  and  born  of  thee 
by  a  prodigy  much  greater  than 
that  which  struck  the  twelve  tribes 
with  admii'ation  when  they  saw  the 
withered  rod  of  the  high-priest  cov- 
ered with  fruit  and  flowers.^  Thou 
hast  borne  within  thee,  by  an  un- 
paralleled favor,  the  very  Author  of 
the  two  tables  of  the  law  ;  thou  art 
become,  as  it  were,  "  the  depository 
of  the  sacred  titles  of  the  Old  and 
New  Testaments,^  the  abridgment 
of  all  the  divine  oracles,*  the  book 
of  the  divine  Word,  whose  sacred 
pages  are  opened  by  the  Eternal 
Father  himself  to  the  eyes  of  all 
the  world.'"^ 

In  ancient  times  God  inspired  his 
people,  sometimes  even  the  Gen- 
tiles, with  a   profound   respect  for 

'  St.  John  vi.  51.  •  Numb.  xviL 

*  Rupert.,  in  Cap.  4  carU. 

*  Andr.  of  Crete,  Serm.  de  Assumpt. 

*  Serm.  de  laudib.  Virg.,  attributed  to  St.  Epiph.    ^ 


the  ark  of  the  covenant,  by  means 
of  divers  prodigies  of  which  it  was 
the  occasion  ;^  before  it  the  Israel- 
ites prostrated  themselves  to  render 
heaven  propitious,^  and  its  sojourn 
in  the  house  of  Obededom  drew 
down  on  him  and  his  household  the 
blessing  of  the  Lord.^  Before  thee, 
0  Mary,  do  the  faithful  prostrate 
themselves  to  obtain  from  thy  di- 
vine Son  the  favors  of  which  they 
stand  in  need,  knowing  that  it  is 
through  thee  he  is  pleased  to  pour 
out  his  gifts  on  men,  and  that  "  all 
grace  flows  from  thy  hands."^  Thou- 
sands and  thousands  of  miracles, 
both  in  the  temporal  order  and  in 
that  of  salvation,  are  wrought  by 
thee  to  the  great  admiration  of  the 
faithful ;  and  does  not  thy  holy 
image,  piously  venerated  in  Chris- 
tian families,  draw  down  upon  them 
innumerable  blessings  ?  • 

Finally,  who  does  not  see  in  Da- 
vid's solemn  introduction  of  the  ark 
into  Jerusalem,  the  figure  of  thy 
glorious  and  triumphant  assump- 
tion, 0  Thou  !  Ark  of  sanctity,  raised 


^  Exod.  XXV.  ;  Josh.  iii.  vi. ;  1  Kings  v.  vii 
'  Josh.  vii.  6. 

*  2  Kings  vi.  11. 

•  Bern.,  serm.  3,  de  nomine  Mariae. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED   VIRGIN. 


67S 


from  earth  to  "thy  resting  place" 
in  heaven/  to  sit  at  the  right  hand 
of  God,^  there  to  show  thyself  a 
Mother^  to  all  who  have  recourse 
to  thee  ? 

Ah !  may  we  show  ourselves  true 
children  of  Mary,  and  find  in  that 
august  Ark  of  the  new  covenant  a 
continual  safeguard  and  a  source 
of  celestial  blessings.  "  Whosoever 
neglects  the  service  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin,"  says  St.  Bonaventure,  "  runs 
the  risk  of  dying  in  his  sins,  but 
whosoever  honors  her  worthily  shall 
be  justified,  shall  be  saved ;"'^  for  she 
is,  according  to  St.  Peter  Chrysolo- 
gus,  "  the  gracious  Mediatrix  be- 
tween man  and  the  Man  -  God  ;"  ^ 
"  and  if  the  merits  of  the  supplicant 
are  insufficient,"  adds  St.  Anselm, 
"  those  of  the  divine  Mother  who  in- 
tercedes for  him  are  accepted  in  his 
behalf."^ 

As  the  ark,  going  before  the  He- 
brews across  the  Jordan,  introduced 
them  into  the  promised  land,  even 
so  dost  thou,  0  Mary,  conduct  us  in 
safety  through  the  perilous  waters 

'  Ps.  cxxxi.  8.  <  In  Fsalt 

*  St.  M  ark  xvi.  19.  *  Serm.  de  Annunc. 

*  Hymn  Ave  3Iaris  Stella.     *  De  excellent.  Virg. 


of  this  life;  thou  art  "the  living 
Ark  of  the  covenant  of  the  Lord  of 
all  the  earth." '^  Ah!  undoubtedly, 
the  covenant  wherewith  "  the  God 
of  Majesty"^  was  formerly  pleased 
to  honor  Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob, 
and  their  children,  was  very  pre- 
cious. But  yet  it  was  only  a  figure, 
a  sha*dow  of  that  wherewith  the 
Eternal  Son  favored  us  by  becoming 
man  in  thy  womb,  regenerating  us 
by  his  adorable  blood,  the  merits 
of  which  he  applies  to  us  by  sacred 
rites,  which  sanctify  us  at  our  birth, 
aid,  strengthen,  and  console  us  dur- 
ing life,  and  at  our  last  hour  encour- 
age and  prepare  us  for  the  dreadful 
passage  to  eternity.  0  Thou,  by 
whom  all  these  blessings  come  to 
us,  "paradise  of  the  new  Adam,*^ 
living  palace  of  the  Most  High,"^*^ 
obtain  for  us  the  grace  to  make  a 
holy  use  of  them,  and  always  to  say 
to  thee  with  the  fervor  of  a  faithful 
heart, 

Ark  of  the  Covenant,  pray  for 
us. 

Foederis  Area.,  ora  'pro  nobis. 

^  Josh.  iii.  11.  *  Ps.  xxviii.  3. 

»  S.  John  Damas.,  Orat.  de  Dormii.  B.  M. 
'«  S.  J.  Chrys.,  Homit.  2,  in  Fest.  S.  Joan. 


676 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


MEDITATION  XL. 

GATE    OP    HEAVEN,    PRAY   FOR   US. 

I  AM  the  door,"^  says  Jesus  Christ; 
"no  man  cometh  to  the  Father 
but  by  me."*  In  calling  Mary  the 
Gate  of  Heaven^  do  we  not,  therefore, 
attribute  to  her  what  belongs  solely 
to  the  Man-God  ?  do  we  not  trans- 
fer to  the  Mother  some  of  the  in- 
alienable rights  of  the  Son  ? 

Ah  !  assuredly,  the  Church,  "  who 
is  the  pillar  and  the  ground  of 
truth,"  ^  does  not  forget  the  saying 
of  St.  Paul,  that  as  "there  is  hut 
one  God,  so  there  is  but  one  Media- 
tor, between  God  and  man,  the  Man 
Christ  Jesus."  ^  But  she  teaches, 
with  St.  Jerome,  that  "  all  honor 
paid  to  Mary,  tends  to  the  glory  of 
Jesus  as  its  end;"^  and  with  St. 
Anselm,  that  "  if  Mary  hath  so  much 
power,  it  is  from  Jesus  she  holds  it, 
and  with  him  she  exercises  it."^ 

It  is,  therefore,  to  the  greater 
glory  of  the  Man -God  that  the 
Church  here  invokes  the  Blessed 
Virgin  as  the  Gate  of  Heaveii^  a  title 


'  St.  John  X.  9.  *1  Tim.  ii.  5,  6. 

»  St.  John  xiv.  6.         »  Ad  Eustach. 
*  1  Tim.  iiL  15.  «  De  excell.  Virg.,  o.  12. 

'  St.  Matt.  i.  23. 


admirably  adapted  to  that  divine 
Mother.  Was  it  not  through  Mary 
that  heaven  was,  as  it  were,  trans- 
ported to  earth,  when  she  brought 
amongst  men  him  whose  name  sig- 
nifies "God  with  U8?"^  for  she  had 
"  conceived  him  in  her  heart,"  says 
St.  Leo,  "  before  she  conceived  him 
in  her  womb."®  Was  it  not  by  her 
that  "the  goodness  and  kindness 
of  our  Saviour  God  appeared"*  in 
human  form,  "  Him  who  is  the  res- 
urrection and  the  life,"^"  and  whose 
triumphant  ascension  could  alone 
introduce  into  the  mansions  of  bliss 
even  the  holiest  souls  of  those  who 
died  before  he  "  entered  into  his 
glory?""  "Was  it  not  for  Mary," 
says  St.  Augustine,  "  that  God  came 
visibly  on  earth,  so  that  by  her  men 
might  merit  heaven  ?  "  ^^ 

And  art  thou  not,  "  0  sweet  Vir- 
gin Mary,"^^  an  all-powerful  help  to 
those  who  seek  thine  aid,  who  hum- 
bly entreat  thee  to  help  them  to 
procure  admission  into  the  regions 
of  bliss  ?  How  justly  did  St.  An- 
selm say,"  that  "  it  is  by  thee  poor 


*  Serm;  1.  de  Nativ.  Dom.  "  St.  Luke  xxiv.  26. 
"  Titus  iii.  4.  "  Serm.  18  de  tempore. 

"  St.  John  xi.  25.  "  Salve  Begina. 

"  In  medit. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


677 


exiles  are  called  to  their  eternal  * 
home  ! "  Thou  dost  enlighten,  en- 
courage, support  them  ;  for  thou  art, 
according  to  the  immortal  bishop 
of  Hippo,  "the  Mother  of  all  the 
faithful  who  are  the  members  of 
Jesus  Christ,  since  thou  by  thy 
charity  hast  co-operated  in  their 
spiritual  birth ;"  ^  and  if  they  did 
not  counteract,  by  their  malice,  the 
powerful  influence  of  thy  benign 
protection,  thou  wouldst  happily 
conduct  them  to  the  port  of  sal- 
vation. It  was  this  thought  that 
drew  from  St.  Antoninus,  after  St. 
Anselm,  those  remarkable  words, 
"As  it  is  impossible  that  he  from 
whom  thou  turnest  away  thy  merci- 
ful eyes  should  be  saved,  so  is  it 
certain  that  he  for  whom  thou  dost 
intercede,  shall  obtain  justification 
and  glory."  ^ 

If,  then,  we  have  hitherto  endea- 
vored to  render  ourselves  pleasing 
to  the  Blessed  Virgin,  let  us  rejoice 
and  bless  the  Lord  "  who  inspires," 
says  St.  John  Damascene,  "with  a 
tender  devotion  to  Mary  those  whom 
he  predestines  for  salvation."^  Let 
us  joyfully   raise   our   eyes   to  the 

'  Lib.  de  sancta  Virginit.,  c.  6. 
'  De  excellent.  Virg.,  c.  11. 


eternal  paradise  of  pleasure :  there 
we  shall  see,  not  a  cherub  armed 
with  a  fiery  sword,  forbidding  our 
approach,  as  of  old  at  the  gate  of 
Eden,  but  we  shall  have  the  conso- 
lation to  see  a  Mother,  the  sweetest, 
the  most  tender,  the  most  consider- 
ate of  mothers,  constantly  watching 
us  w^ith  eyes  of  love,  as  we  wend 
our  weary  way  through  this  same 
valley  of  tears  once  marked  by  her 
own  blessed  footsteps ;  we  shall  see 
her,  with  her  hands  stretched  out 
towards  this  place  of  exile  and  pro- 
bation, inviting  us  to  trust  in  her 
protection,  to  do  violence  to  our- 
selves in  order  to  gain  that  king- 
dom^ which  the  blood  of  her  divine 
Son  opened  to  our  hopes  and  wishes. 
If,  hitherto,  we  have  had  the  mis- 
fortune either  to  forget  Mary,  or  to 
have  for  her  only  a  feeble  devotion, 
too  often  belied  by  our  works,  let  us 
deplore  our  ungrateful  coldness,  and 
tear  the  veil  from  our  illusions.  A 
mother's  mercy  is  great ;  what,  then, 
must  be  the  mercy  of  such  a  Mother 
as  Mary !  But  let  us,  henceforward, 
have  a  devotion  for  her  worthy  of 
Jesus,  whom  we  ought  to  love  and 

3 IV.  Part.,  tit.  13,  c.  14 
*  Oral,  de  Assumpt. 


678 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


glorify  in   Mary;   worthy  of  Mary,  * 
whom  our  bretliren  should  learn  to 
love  and  glorify  after  "^he  example 
of  those  who  call  themselves  her 
servants. 

The  patriarch  Jacob,  seeing  in  a 
dream  a  mysterious  lad<ler,  from  the 
top  of  which  the  Lord  announced  to 
him  the  sublime  destiny  of  his  pos- 
terity, cried  out,  in  an  ecstasy  of 
holy  fear,  "  How  terrible  is  this 
place  I  this  is  no  other  but  the 
house  of  God  and  the  gate  of 
heaven!"^  What  shall  we  say  of 
thee,  0  holy  Virgin,  with  whom  that 
same  God  vouchsafed  to  contract 
the  ties  of  nature  and  of  blood, 
the  closest  and  the  sweetest!  Ah  I 
thou  art  ever  worthy  of  our  respect- 
ful fear,  because  of  thine  admirable 
greatness.  But  the  motherly  ten- 
derness with  which  thou  dost  "  open 
the  doors  of  heaven,  and  rain  down 
in  marvellous  abundance  the  manna 
of  every  grace,"'  can  only  inspire 
us  with  tilial  confidence.  It  is  with 
that  sweet  feeling  that  we  recognize 
thee  as  "  the  true  gate  of  the  Lord, 
by  which  the  just  enter ^  their  eter- 
nal rest,"*  and  by  which  we  our- 


'  Gen.  xxviii.  17. 
»  Ps.  Ixxvii  23  21 


» Ps.  cxvii.  20. 
*  Heb.  iv.  10. 


selves  hope  to  enter.     Pray,  then, 
for  us,  unworthy  as  we  are. 

Gate  of  Heaven,  pray  for  us. 

Janua  Cod%  ora  pro  nobis. 


MEDITATION  XLL 

MORNING    STAR,    PRAY    FOR    US. 

IMMORTKL  Mornhig  Star!  divine 
Mary !  thou  art  as  grateful  to 
our  eyes  as  thou  art  radiant  and 
sparkling.  If  thou  dost  not,  like 
the  sun,  shed  torrents  of  light  which 
illumine,  warm  and  fructify  all  na- 
ture, thou  shinest,  at  least,  like  the 
star  which  heralds  the  approach  of 
that  giant  of  the  heavens !  ^ 

But  who  can  tell  the  beauty  of 
that  new  day  which  thou  didst 
announce  to  the  earth,  0  glorious 
star  of  Jacob,^  who  appeared  on  the 
horizon  of  idolatrous  humanity,  "  to 
enlighten  them  who  sat  in  the 
shadow  of  death  ?  ^  "Who  can  paint 
the  happiness  of  the  world  in  being 
able  to  salute  thee  as  the  herald  of 
its  deliverance,  the  august  and  holy 
dawn  of  that  adorable  "  sun  of  jus- 

»  Ps.  xviii  6.  «  Numb.  xxiv.  17. 

'  St  Luke  L  79. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


679 


tice,"^  who,  after  having,  as  it  were,  * 
veiled  his  splendor  in  thy  chaste 
womb,  manifested  himself  gloriously 
to  the  eyes  of  men,  diffusing  on  all 
sides  his  radiant  beams,  giving  to 
those  who  were  misled  by  error  the 
light  of  truth,  communicating  to  the 
unhappy  "  sons  of  death  "^  the  only 
true  life,  that  is,  life  everlasting  ? 
Star  of  salvation,  thou  didst  shine 
"as  the  sun  when  it  shineth;"^ 
thou  art  truly  "  the  bright  and 
mornii*g  star"*  of  that  blessed  day 
when  the  w^orld  beheld  the  rise  of 
the  divine  orb  of  its  redemption  and 
ineffable  regeneration!  0  be  thou 
forever  blessed  by  every  heart  and 
by  every  tongue!  for  thou  wert, 
as  it  were,  the  inestimable  pledge 
of  the  reconciliation  of  earth  and 
heaven,^  of  our  sanctitication  through 
Christ,^  of  our  eternal  salvation,^  of 
our  vocation  to  the  kingdom  and 
glory  of  God.^ 

And  even  now,  is  not  that  mys- 
tical Morning  Star  the  pledge  of 
our  hopes,  and  of  our  salvation? 
"  Without  Mary,"  says  St.  Bonaven- 
ture,  "  what  should  we  be,  unfor- 
tunate   as   we   are  ?    what    should 


»  Mai.  iv.  2. 

•  1  Kings  xxvi.  16. 


» Eccles.  1.  7. 
*  Apoc.  xxii.  16. 


become  of  us  amid  the  darkness  of 
this  world,  w^ere  we  deprived  of 
her  mild  light?"*  Alas!  who  knows 
but  there  are  perilous  moments 
when  the  light  of  faith  appears 
eclipsed  by  thoughts  contrary  to 
her  divine  teachings  ;  moments 
when  we  feel  strongly  inclined 
towards  what  our  will  hates  and 
despises ;  when  the  imagination 
takes  lire,  and  is  induced  to  delight 
in  things  which  the  soul  abhors 
when  once  the  false  charm  is  dis- 
pelled and  tranquillity  returns  ? 
But  if  we  then  raise  our  suppliant 
voice  to  that  Star  of  Benediction, 
she  fails  not  to  show  her  consoling 
rays,  and  all  is  again  quiet.  Who 
knows  not,  too,  by  sad  experience, 
that  there  are  hours  of  bitter  dis- 
gust, of  consuming  weariness,  of 
dark  and  gloomy  dejection,  of  pro- 
found sadness,  when  the  heart 
seems  ready  to  fail,  if  it  be  not 
sustained  by  a  supernatural  pow- 
er? But  if,  in  those  hours  of 
gloom  and  despondency,  our  fer- 
vent sighs  ascend  to  Mary,  her 
radiant  brow  speedily  dispels  the 
storm,  and  restores  us  to  ourselves ; 

"  Col.  i.  20.     «  1  Cor.  i.  30.     ■>  Heb.  v.  9. 

« 1  Thess.  ii.  12.  » In  Spec.  B.  M.  V 


€80 


MEDITATl  NS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIIiOIN. 


for  "  in  all  the  tempests  that  assail 
us  hei*e  below,"  says  St  Bernard, 
"it  suffices  to  regard  that  tutelary 
Star,  and  we  ai*e  saved  from  ship- 
wreck."» 

Let  us,  then,  fervently  implore 
the  assistance  of  Mary;  let  us 
entreat  her  to  disperse  "  the  powers 
of  darkness,'"  as  the  first  rays  of 
the  orb  of  day  drive  back  the  wild 
beaists  to  their  dens  f  let  us  beseech 
her  to  guide  us  safely  over  the 
stormy  sea  of  this  life  to  the  shore 
of  a  happy  eternity.  She  takes 
pleasure  in  saving  the  mariner  who 
trusts  in  her  protection ;  and  the 
grateful  mariner  takes  pleasure  in 
repeating  to  the  winds  and  waves 
the  praises  of  "the  Star  of  the 
Sea."  and  singing,  with  enthusiasm, 
the  name  of  the  Virgin  of  Safety, 
the  Virgin  of  the  Watch,  the  Virgin 
of  Good  Aid.  Ah !  how  much  more 
does  the  sweet  Mary  love  to  sus- 
tain, to  direct,  to  save,  the  pious 
Christian  who  invokes  her  amid  the 
storms  of  the  heart,  the  storms  of 
the  mind,  the  storms  of  the  senses ! 
And  we  who  have,  perhaps  very 
often,  been  consoled  by  the  cheer- 

•  HomiL  guper  Missus.  *  Ephes.  vi.  12. 

»  Ps.  dii.  22. 


ing  rays  of  that  beloved  Star, 
how  grateful  and  how  faithful 
should  we  be  to  our  celestial  bene- 
factress, honoring  her  by  a  life  pure 
as  the  changeless  beams  of  her 
light  I 

0  Thou,  sure  refuge  of  the  tem- 
pest-tost mariner,  Virgin  ever  help- 
ing, shield  us  from  the  storms  and 
quicksands  of  this  peiilous  ocean 
on  which  is  launched  the  frail  bark 
that  bears  our  eternity,  happy  or  un- 
happy. Heavy  clouds,  surcharged 
with  calamity,  may  lower  above 
us,  but  they  shall  never  hide  thee 
from  our  loving  eyes !  "  Star  ever 
radiant,  ever  consoling,  ever  pro- 
tecting !  following  thy  mild  light, 
we  never  go  astray ;  imploring 
thee,  we  never  lose  hope ;  with 
thy  support,  we  cannot  fail ;  under 
thy  shield,  no  more  fear ;  under 
thy  guidance,  no  more  fatigue; 
under  thine  auspices,  we  are  sure 
to  gain  the  wished-for  haven  ;'^  and 
as  the  sea-star  guides  the  mariner 
to  the  port,  so  dost  thou  conduct 
Christians  to  glory." ^  Deign,  then, 
to  work  all  these  wonders,  0  Mary, 
on  behalf  of  those  who,  in  calm  and 

*  S.  Bernard.  Horn.  2,  sup.  Misswi. 
»  S.  Thomas,  op.  8. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED,  VIRGIN. 


681 


in  storm,  will  always  say  to  thee, 
with  tenderest  love, 

Morning  Star,  pray  for  us. 

StMa  Matutma,  ora  pro  7iobis, 


MEDITATION   XLH. 

HEALTH    OF    THE    WEAK,    PRAY   FOR    US. 

SUFFERINGS!  they  are  the  lot 
of  humanity.  For  one  child  of 
Adam  who  advances  lightly  and 
cheerily  on  the  road  of  life,  there 
are  a  thousand  w^ho  drag  their 
lingering  steps  along,  a  prey  to 
disease  or  infirmity,  more  or  less 
painful,  now  sighing  in  sadness  or 
dejection,  and  again  groaning  aloud 
in  anguish. 

But  in  the  midst  of  this  mournful 
concert  of  human  lamentations, 
there  is  heard  one  name — a  name 
of  sweetness  and  of  majesty — a 
name  of  strength  and  consolation 
to  the  suffering  Christian :  and 
that  name,  piously  invoked,  soothes 
pain,  restores  strength,  relieves  and 
even  cures  the  most  inveterate 
evils,  the  most  incurable  maladies; 
that  name  is  the  divine  name  of 
Mary.     And  to  whom,  after  Jesus, 


f  could  the  suffering  Christian  so  fitly 
apply  ?  Ah !  did  not  Mary  learn  to 
pity  while  contemplating  the  long 
and  bitter  sufferings  of  her  adorable 
Son  on  the  ignominious  tree?  Did 
she  not,  at  the  foot  of  the  cross, 
receive  from  his  divine  lips,  as 
an  inalienable  inheritance,  all  the 
faithful,  in  the  person  of  the  be- 
loved disciple?^  Has  she  not,  ever 
since,  gathered  us  all,  with  ineffable 
tenderness,  into  the  sweet  embrace 
of  her  incomparable  charity?  .  .  . 
And  they  who  invoke  that  heavenly 
Mother  in  their  weakness,  do  they 
not  know  that  her  power  equals 
her  love?  .... 

It  is  only  in  certain  places  that 
the  devotion  of  nations  has  raised 
monuments  of  gratitude  and  devo- 
tion to  other  saints;  but  to  Mary 
it  is  all  over  the  Christian  world. 
Who  has  not  heard  of  those  famous 
shrines  dedicated  to  that  divine 
Mother,  and  who  has  had  the  hap- 
piness of  visiting  any  of  them, 
without  being  piously  moved  by 
the  sight  of  the  innumerable  testi- 
monials of  corporal  favors  obtained 
through  her  intercession  ?  .  .  .  .  In- 
scriptions   dictated    by    gratitude; 

>  St.  John  xix.  26. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


divers  gifts  offered  at  her  altar; 
buinau  liuibs  of  gold  or  silver,  laid 
at  her  feet  as  ti'ophies  of  her  power 
over  diseases  which  defeated  the 
ai*t  of  man ;  wooden  crutches  which 
had  supported  her  supplicants  as 
they  dragged  their  helpless  limbs 
to  the  holy  place  where  they  were 
healed  by  her  intercession,  hung  up 
around  the  sacred  walls,  as  a  sim- 
ple and  touching  homage  to  her 
glory :  oh  I  how  eloquently  do  these 
speak  to  faith!  what  lively  confi- 
dence they  excite  in  her  whom  the 
Church  justly  styles.  Health  of  the 
Weak! 

Doubtless,  she  does  not  always 
obtain  for  us  what  we  ask,  because 
the  accomplishment  of  our  wishes, 
far  from  being  conducive  to  our 
true  happiness,  which  is  that  of  the 
other  world,  would  be  often  preju- 
dicial to  it.  But  still  that  Mother  of 
grace  becomes  our  health  in  infir- 
mity ;  still,  if  the  suppliant  heart 
interposes  no  voluntary  obstacle, 
she  obtains  for  it  the  grace  to  make 
its  sufferings  available  to  salvation ; 
she  clothes  it  with  patience  and 
fortitude,  fills  it  with  resignation 
and  tranquillity,  duiing  the  long, 
sleepless     nights    and    wearisome 


f  days ;  still  does  she  penetrate  it 
with  the  sentiment  which  animated 
the  holy  man  Job  when  he  exclaim- 
ed, "  That  this  may  be  my  comfort, 
that,  afflicting  me  with  sorrow,  he 
spare  me  not  in  this  place  of  proba- 
tion, nor  I  contradict  the  words  of 
the  Holy  One  I "  ^  And  when,  at  the 
appointed  time,  the  last  hour  ar- 
rives, to  them  who  suffer  under  the 
auspices  of  Mary,  it  is  neither  ter- 
rifying nor  torturing,  but  peaceful 
and  serene,  like  the  joyful  transition 
from  the  toil  of  battle  to  the  reward 
of  victory,  from  "  this  valley  of 
tears  "^  to  that  magnificent  kingdom 
where  "  God  himself  shall  wipe 
away  all  tears  from  their  eyes."'' 

Let  us,  then,  apply,  with  entire 
confidence,  to  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
in  all  the  corporal  ailments  where- 
with God  permits  us  to  be  afflicted ; 
and  let  us  never  fail  to  solicit  her 
intercession  with  the  adorable  Jesus, 
remembering  those  words  of  St.  Ber- 
nard :  "  God  has  given  her  absolute 
power  in  heaven  and  on  earth  ;  he 
has  placed  in  her  hands  our  life  and 
death."*  Let  us  specially  implore 
her  for  our  last  moments,  and,  hi 


•  Job  vL  10. 
» Sdv.  Beg. 


*  Apoc.  vii.  17. 

*  Serm.  1,  sup.  salve. 


MEDITATIONS   ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE   BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


683 


order  to  make  sure  of  her  powerful 
succor  at  that  decisive  moment,  let 
us  "  die  daily,"  ^  that  is  to  say,  let 
us  spend  every  day  as  though  it 
were  to  be  our  last. 

0  Thou  whose  tender  heart  might 
say  with  still  more  justice  than  the 
great  Apostle,  "  "Who  is  weak,  and  I 
am  not  weak  ? "  ^  praises  be  to  thee 
for  that  thou  dost  so  often,  arid  in 
such  an  admirable  manner,  display 
thy  power  for  the  relief  or  the  cure 
of  our  corporal  sufferings.  Ah!  thou 
art  for  all  of  us  a  never-failing  re- 
source, whilst  the  pool  of  Bethesda 
healed  only  at  times,  and  none  but 
the  one  favored  person  who  first 
went  into  it  after  its  waters  had 
been  troubled  by  the  Angel  of  the 
Lord.^  "We  bless  thy  divine  Son 
for  that  "  a  virtue  goes  out  from 
thee^  and  heals  all;"^  and  we  be- 
seech thee  to  manifest  it  especially 
for  us  at  that  dread  and  final  hour 
when  we  are  about  to  enter  upon 
eternity. 

0  sweet  Virgin,  who  "  vouchsafes 
to  receive  with  maternal  kindness 
the  last  sigh  of  him  who  confidently 
commends  himself  to  thee,"^  grant 

^  1  Cor.  XV.  31.  «  2  Cor.  xL  29. 

»  St.  John  V.  4. 


that,  at  our  last  moment,  we  may 
experience,  in  all  its  extent,  the 
efiicacy  of  that  pious  invocation  of 
the  Church: 

Health  of  the  "Weak,  pray  for 
us. 

Salus  Infirmorum,  ora  pro  nobis. 


MEDITATION  XLHI. 

REFUGE    OF    SINNERS,    PRAY    FOR    US. 

IT  is  in  the  natui'e  of  man  to  have 
a  great  apprehension  of  appear- 
ing before  him  whom  he  knows  he 
has  offended,  even  were  it  to  tes- 
tify his  repentance  and  solicit  for- 
giveness ;  this  is  especially  the  case 
if  the  ofi'ender  be  much  inferior,  and 
has  shown  himself  very  ungrateful 
towards  a  generous  benefactor.  Ah! 
what  relief,  what  consolation  for 
him,  when  a  common  friend,  a  de- 
voted, influential  friend,  comes  for- 
ward to  mediate  and  to  facilitate 
the  reconciliation. 

But  if  it  be  the  mother  of  the 
injured  benefactor  who  presents  her- 
self as  a  mediatrix,  who  deigns  to 

«  St.  Luke  vL  19 

'  S.  Jerome,  ep.  2  ad  Eustoch. 


684 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  lATANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIROTN. 


intercede  with  a  son  full  of  tender- 
ness for  her,  what  joy  1  what  hap- 
piness ! 

Sinners,  whosoever  you  be,  ble'ss 
the  divine  Mary,  who  comes,  with 
marvellous  goodness,  to  place  her- 
self between  you  and  her  adorable 
Son.  whose  incomparable  blessings, 
whose  infinite  love  you  have  over- 
looked, whose  supreme  majesty  you 
have  audaciously  offended.  Ah  I 
undoubtedly  you  are  but  too  guilty 
towards  him.  Were  you  only  to 
regard  the  Saviour-God  whom  you 
have,  alas  I  so  grievously  offended, 
would  you  not  be  tempted  to  fly 
"from  the  wrath  of  the  Lamb,"^ 
from  "  the  avenging  lion  of  the  tribe 
of  Juda,"^  and  cast  yourself  head- 
long into  the  gulf  of  despair  ?  But 
behold !  his  august  Mother  looks 
tpon  you  with  eyes  of  sweetness 
and  compassion ;  she  recalls,  on 
your  behalf,  the  days  when  the 
Man-God  lay  a  babe  in  her  arms, 
thereby  rendering  her,  as  it  were, 
the  depository  of  the  infinite  treas- 
ure of  his  graces.  Take  courage, 
then,  were  you  a  thousand  times 
more  guilty;  she  is  powerful  enough 

'  Apoc.  vi  16. 
*  Apoc  Y.  6. 


f  to  obtain  your  pardon,  and  she  is 
well  disposed  to  ask  it. 

Can  she  be  ignorant  of  all  the 
ineffable  compassion  of  her  divine 
Son  for  the  helpless  children  of 
Adam,  the  wretched  slaves  of  sin? 
Ah  !  no  one  on  earth  ever  manifest- 
ed so  tender  an  interest  in  them  as 
Jesus :  he  even  went  so  far  with  it 
that  his  enemies  made  it  a  subject 
of  reproach  and  accusation.^  But 
dM  not  his  sweet  Mother  participate 
his  sentiments  more  intimately  than 
any  other  creature  ?  and,  ascending 
to  heaven,  did  she  not  carry  with 
her  to  that  blessed  abode  that  heart 
always  so  good,  so  sensibly  inter- 
ested for  the  salvation  of  souls,  re- 
deemed by  blood  which  she  knows 
to  be  beyond  all  price  ?  "  Her 
mercy,"  says  St.  Bonaventure,  "  did 
but  increase  with  her  glory;  now 
that  she  reigns  with  Jesus,  that 
compassion  of  hers  is  so  much  the 
greater,  as  she  sees  more  clearly  the 
unhappy  state  of  men"*  who  dis- 
regard the  admirable  mystery  of 
redemption. 

Hence  it  is  that  the  holy  doctors, 
speaking  of  her  compassionate  kind- 

» St.  Matt.  ix.  11  ;  St.  Luke  vii  34 
<  In  SpecuL.  B.  V.,  c.  5. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


685 


ness  to  sinners,  extol  it  beyond 
measure.  St.  Ephraim  calls  her 
''the  most  powerful  resource  of  all 
sinners,  the  sure  haven  of  all  who 
have  suffered  shipwreck."^  "Thou 
art  their  only  hope,  0  Mary!"  ex- 
claims St.  Augustine.^  "I  consent  to 
speak  no  more  of  thy  mercy,"  says 
St.  Bernard,  "  if  ever  any  one  could 
say  that  he  asked  it  in  vain !  "^ 
"  0  Mary  I "  cries  St.  Bonaventure, 
"  the  sinner,  were  he  even  the  out- 
cast of  the  world,  is  never  reject- 
ed by  thee ;  but  thou  dost  welcome 
him  with  maternal  kindness,  and 
quittest  him  not  till  thou  hast  recon- 
ciled him  to  his  dreadful  Judge!"* 
Admiration,  praise,  eternal  bene- 
diction to  that  God  who  has  left 
such  an  asylum  for  the  miserable 
transgressor  of  his  laws !  Confi- 
dence, boundless,  unfailing  confi- 
dence in  Mary,  whether  we  beseech 
her  to  obtain  forgiveness  for  our 
sins,  the  conversion  of  our  brethren, 
or  the  cure  of  our  spiritual  infir- 
mities. Confidence,  once  more,  in 
Mary,  when  discouragement  or  even 
despair  threatens  to  destroy  our  good 

>  De  Laudib.  B.  V. 

«  Serm.  de  Annunciat. 

»  Serm.  de  Assumpt.  *  In  Psalt. 


resolutions  and  our  virtuous  incli- 
nations ;  let  us,  therefore,  exclaim 
with  the  Church,  "Hail,  holy  Queen ! 
Mother  of  mercy !  our  life !  our 
sweetness!   and  our  hope!"^ 

As  the  Apostle  St.  Peter  saw,  in 
a  vision,  a  vast  number  of  unclean 
creatures  purified  by  the  power  of 
God  and  taken  up  to  heaven,®  so 
do  we  see,  0  Mary,  with  admira- 
tion, a  multitude  of  souls  defiled  by 
sin,  converted  through  thy  interces- 
sion, cleansed  from  their  sins,  and 
"brought  to  the  haven  of  eternal 
salvation."  ^  Ah !  thou  art  truly,  for 
the  greatest  sinners,  a  more  secure 
asylum  than  was  the  fortress  of 
Bethsura  for  the  Jews  of  old  "  who 
had  forsaken  the  law ;"  ^  surer  than 
the  altar  of  which  Adonias  "  took 
hold"  in  order  to  escape  the  ven- 
geance of  King  Solomon.^  Many 
and  many  a  time  might  the  just 
Judge,  appeased  by  thy  mediation, 
say  to  thee  as  David  said  to  Abi- 
gail :  "  Thou  hast  kept  me  to-day 
from  coming  to  blood,  and  reveng- 
ing me  with  my  own  hand."^°  How 
often    hast    thou    deigned   to   "  be 


*  Scdv.  Beg. 
'  Acts  X. 
'  Ps.  cvi.  30. 


» 1  Mac.  X.  14. 
»  3  Kings  i.  50. 
">  1  Kings  XXV.  3a 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIROIN. 


mindful  of"  the  little  acts  of  hom- 
age done  thee  by  those  who  might 
well  be  likened  to  the  sinful  "Ra- 
hab,  or  the  children  of  Babylon,"^ 
and  saved  them  from  the  gulf  of 
perdition.  Multiply,  0  Mary!  mul- 
tiply unceasingly  these  instances  of 
thine  admirable  goodness  to  so 
many  poor,  misguided  sinners,  who 
are  hastening  to  everlasting  destruc- 
tion; they  are,  by  the  close  bonds 
of  Christian  charity,  as  it  were, 
"  members  of  ourselves," '  and  hence 
it  is  that  we  say  to  thee. 

Refuge  of  Sinners,  pray  for  us. 

Refugium  peccatorum,  orapro  Twbis. 


MEDITATION  XLIV. 

COMFORT    OF    THE     AFFLICTED,     PRAY 
FOR    US. 

WHERE  are  the  souls  without 
affliction,  hearts  without  an- 
guish, or  eyes  without  tears  ?  This 
world  is  for  man  but  a  school  of 
misfortune,  where  he  must  learn  to 
rise  to  God,  to  humble  himself  be- 
fore him,  to  pray  to  him,  and  to 
aspire    to    a  better  world,   to  the 


Ps.  IxxxvL  4. 


» 1  Cor.  xii.  27. 


*  felicity  of  heaven ;  and  to  all  the 
many  sorrows  of  life  is  added  the 
natural  horror  of  death,  which  is, 
nevertheless,  inevitable,  and,  meet- 
ing us  at  every  turn  under  divers 
forms,  seems  to  say,  "Your  turn 
shall  soon  come."  Ah  I  if  we  only 
considered  the  griefs,  the  cruel  de- 
ceptions, the  profound  sorrows,  the 
inconsolable  mournings,  the  heart- 
rending cares,  known  to  God  alone, 
should  we  not  be  tempted  to  ex- 
claim, in  the  words  of  Bossuet,  "  Sad 
it  is  that  we  must  live ! " 

But  for  us.  Christians,  God,  in  his 
admirable  goodness,  has  deigned  to 
prepare,  side  by  side  with  these 
troubles,  an  inexhaustible  source  of 
ineffable  consolation :  it  is  the  heart 
of  Mary — a  heart  full  of  compas- 
sion ;  the  heart  of  a  Mother,  such  as 
never  was  or  never  shall  be  here 
below;  the  heart  of  a  Mother  who 
identifies  herself  with  her  children, 
who  in  some  measure  forgets  herself 
to  "weep  with  them  that  weep,"^ 
and  to  relieve,  by  the  most  tender 
attentions,  the  various  ills  where- 
with they  are  afflicted. 

0  Mary !  what  a  precious  gift  art 
thou  from  God  to  us,  who  mourn 

*  Bom.  xii.  15. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  TEE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


687 


and  weep  in  this  valley  of  tears.^ 
Beloved  Mother,  the  very  remem- 
brance of  thee  is  enough  to  lighten 
the  load  of  sori'ow  which  oppresses 
the  heart,  to  assuage  the  bitterness 
with  which  it  is  filled  to  overflow- 
ing, to  heal  its  most  inveterate  and 
most  painful  wounds !  Thou  wert 
thyself  so  grievously  afflicted,  thou 
so  holy,  thou  the  august  Mother  of 
our  God ;  thou  hadst  to  drain  a 
chalice  far  beyond  all  human  power 
to  bear ;  thou  wert  plunged  into  an 
ocean  of  inconceivable  affliction  I 
And  yet,  even  in  thy  greatest  ex- 
tremity, thou  wert  so  calm,  so  re- 
signed, so  entirely  given  up  to  the 
divine  will.  Where  is  the  sinner 
(and  wo  are  all  sinners)  that  does 
not  feel  relieved  in  his  affliction, 
seeing  that  thou,  notwithstanding 
thine  innocence,  hadst  to  bear  the 
full  measure  of  human  grief,  and  to 
undergo  the  most  excruciating  tor- 
tures ?  Who  is  there,  besides,  that 
does  not  feel  a  sentiment  of  pious 
consolation,  thinking  of  all  thy  ma- 
ternal tenderness  for  us,  thy  lively 
sympathy,  thy  devotion,  thine  ever- 
active  and  compassionate  charity? 

'  Lamentations  of  Jeremias,  ii.  18. 

»  Cant.  iv.  11.  »  Cant.  ii.  13, 14. 


Yes,  our  divine  Mother  has  fot 
us,  unhappy  as  we  are,  an  expan- 
sive and  benevolent  tenderness  be- 
yond our  reach  of  comprehension. 
The  celestial  Spouse  compares  the 
sweetness,  the  gentleness  expressed 
in  all  her  words  while  on  earth, 
to  every  thing  sweetest  in  nature. 
"  Thy  lips,"  says  he,  "  are  as  a  drop- 
ping honeycomb,  honey  and  milk 
are  under  thy  tongue."  ^  And,  else- 
where, wishing  to  excite  our  admi- 
ration of  Mary's  ravishing  sweet- 
ness, he  is,  as  it  were,  captivated 
by  it  himself.  "Arise,  my  love,  my 
beautiful  one,  and  come,  let  thy 
voice  sound  in  my  ears,  for  thy 
voice  is  sweet."  ^  Hence  St.  Ber- 
nard might  well  say  that  "  she  was 
all  benignity,  all  goodness,  that  she 
made  herself  all  to  all,  and  showed 
unto  all  a  superabundant  charity."* 
"  0  Mary ! "  exclaims  that  holy  doc- 
tor, "0  Mother,  inexpressibly  ami- 
able, still  and  always  does  thy 
name  penetrate  the  heart  with  a 
holy  emanation  of  that  divine  sweet- 
ness wherewith  the  Loxd  enriched 
thy  fair  soul !"'  " No,  no,"  adds  St. 
Antoninus,  "  there  is  not  one  among 

♦  Serm.  de  Verbis  Apoc.  Signum  magnum. 

•  Serm.  Paneg.  B  M.  V. 


688 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


the  saints  in  heaven  who  compas- 
sionates our  miseries  like  that  bless- 
ed Virgin  Mary."^ 

Let  us  then  apply  to  that  heaven- 
ly comfoi-ter  in  all  our  troubles,  es- 
j)eciaHy  our  spiritual  troubles;  let 
us  pour  them  forth  into  her  mater- 
nal heart;  she  will  not  betray  our 
confidence,  for  "  she  is  the  sweetest 
relief  for  anguish,"  says  St.  John 
Damascene,  "the  surest  remedy  for 
moral  sufferings." ' 

Who  could  measure,  0  blessed 
Virgin,  "the  breadth,  and  length, 
and  height,  and  depth"'  of  thy  mer- 
ciful goodness !  "  From  thine  in- 
fancy mercy  grew  up  with  thee,  and 
it  came  out  with  thee  from  thy 
Mother's  womb ;"  *  it  was  for  men, 
he/ore  the  foundation  of  the  Church, 
like  the  morning-star  in,  the  clouds ; 
after^  like  the  full-orbed  moon  ;  and 
since  thou  hast  ascended  to  heaven, 
it  has  shone  with  all  the  splendor 
of  the  glorious  sun.  0  Thou  whom 
we  love  to  call,  after  God,  "  the  com- 
fort of  our  life,'*  our  hope  in  the  day 
of  affliction,"^  thou  whom  the  Lord 
employs  to  change  our  grief  and 
mourning  into  joy,  as  he  formerly 

»  p.  4,  t.  15,  c  2.        » Orat  2  de  Dormit.  Deip. 
» Ephes.  iii.  18. 


f  made  use  of  the  pious  Esther  to 
succor  and  console  his  people,  be 
also  our  support  in  our  sufferings 
and  our  desolation !  "We  will  ap- 
proach thee,  0  Mary,  with  that  lively 
faith,  that  sincere  piety,  which  ought 
to  distinguish  thy  true  servants. 
Grant  always  that  sighs  and  tears, 
sorrow,  and  suffering,  and  tribula- 
tion, may  be  profitable  to  all  who 
say  to  thee,  in  the  fullness  of  their 
filial  affection. 

Comfort  of  the  Afflicted,  pray 
FOR  us. 

Consolatrix  Affllctorum,  ora  pro 
nobis. 


MEDITATION   XLV. 

HELP    OF    CHRISTIANS,    PRAY    FOR    US. 

THOU  wert,  in  every  age,  0 
Mary,  the  succor,  the  protect- 
ing arm  of  thy  Son's  disciples,  and 
the  Church  their  mother;  but  this 
was  especially  the  case  on  certain 
memorable  occasions  when  all  seem- 
ed to  conspire  for  the  annihilation 
of  the  admirable  work  of  the  divine 
Jesus ! 

*  Job  xxxi.  18.  »  Tobias  x.  4. 

« Jerem.  xviL  17. 


ITliWYOKK,  D.  k  J  SAiLIER  A  CO 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


689 


Islamism,  in  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, threatened  to  invade  Europe 
and  destroy  Christianity.  A  for- 
midable fleet  sailed  proudly  into 
the  Gulf  of  Lepanto,  under  the 
ensign  of  the  Crescent;  the  ships 
of  the  faithful,  though  inferior  in 
number,  hesitated  not  to  range 
themselves  before  them  in  battle 
array,  trusting  in  thy  protection, 
and  Juan  of  Austria,  their  chief, 
made  a  vow  to  visit,  in  person, 
thine  august  sanctuary  of  Loretto. 
Meanwhile,  the  city  of  Rome  re- 
sounded with  the  solemn  and  public 
singing  of  the  Rosary,  intended  to 
propitiate  thee  on  behalf  of  the 
Catholic  arms.  On  a  sudden,  the 
holy  Pope,  Pius  Y.,  cries  out,  under 
thine  inspiration,  "The  Christian 
fleet  has  conquered !"....  And  so 
it  had ;  ofiicial  news  speedily  ar- 
rived announcing  the  entire  defeat 
of  the  Mussulmans ;  and,  in  memory 
of  such  a  magnificent  testimony  of 
thy  protection,  the  same  holy  Pon- 
tiff added  to  the  Litany  which  we 
all  so  love  to  repeat  in  thy  honor, 
that  new  invocation.  Help  of  Chris- 
tians^ pray  for  us  !  .  .  .  .  Often  since 
then,  0  glorious  Queen,  hast  thou 
vouchsafed  to  manifest  thy  protect- 


*  ing  care  of  thy  people  in  a  manner 
equally  striking. 

Under  the  walls  of  Vienna,  in  the 
seventeenth  century,  two  hundred 
and  thirty  thousand  Turkish  soldiers 
were  put  to  flight  by  a  Christian 
army  incomparably  less  numerous. 
This  took  place  within  the  octave 
of  thy  Nativity,  and  on  the  very 
day  when  solemn  supplications 
were  offered  up,  in  the  city  of 
Munich,  to  Mary  the  Help  of  Chris- 
tians. The  honor  of  that  brilliant 
victory  was  referred  to  thee  by  the 
conqueror  himself,  who,  on  the 
morning  of  the  action,  having  as- 
sisted at  the  holy  sacrifice  and 
participated  in  the  divine  myste- 
ries, had  encouraged  his  officers  by 
promising  them  the  assistance  of 
Heaven  through  thine  intercession. 
Thirty  years  after,  the  Emperor 
Charles  YL  obtains  a  signal  victory 
over  the  same  enemies  of  the  Chris- 
tian name,  on  the  day  when  thy 
protection,  0  divine  Yirgin,  was 
solemnly  invoked  for  him  in  Rome  I 
and,  very  soon  after,  on  the  octave- 
day  of  thy  glorious  Assumption, 
Corfu  hails  thee  with  joyful  accla- 
mations for  having  put  to  flight  the 
infidels  by  whom  it  was  besieged. 


690 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


Admirable  series  of  victories  gain- 
ed over  the  Crescent  by  Mary's 
assistance!  They  shall  live  for- 
ever in  the  grateful  hearts  of  the 
faithful,  who  owe  her  the  conso- 
lation of  celebrating,  every  year, 
the  solemnity  of  the  holy  Rosary 
throughout  the  whole  extent  of  the 
Catholic  world! 

But  that  was  not  enough  for  the 
glory  of  tlie  Blessed  Virgin  I  Provi- 
dence had  oi*dained  that  her  title 
of  Help  of  Christians  should  be  con- 
secrated by  a  special  festival.  Dur- 
ing his  long  and  arduous  struggle 
against  the  most  formidable  prince 
and  captain  of  modern  times,  Pius 
VII.  had  never  ceased  to  invoke 
that  heavenly  Help,  His  confidence 
was  not  betrayed.  Napoleon,  that 
mighty  Colossus,  fell ;  the  venerable 
old  man  returned  in  triumph  to  the 
Eternal  City,  and  he  decreed  that 
the  annivei-sary  of  that  joyful  day 
should  be  solemnized  by  the  special 
feast  of  Our  Lady,  the  Help  of  Chris- 
tians. 

Yes,  the  constant,  the  powerful, 
the  universal  Help  of  Christians! 
Help  against  the  might  of  armies ; 
help  against  the  oppression  of  polit- 
ical power;  help  against  persecu- 


*  tions;  help  against  all  the  storms 
that  hell  can  raise  around  the 
Church  of  God  on  earth,  and  which 
tend  to  retard  her  precious  con- 
quests, to  diminish  the  number  of 
the  faithful,  to  draw  multitudes  of 
souls  to  destruction.  Let  us  every 
day  invoke,  with  new  fervor,  the 
Help  of  Christians^  that  she  may 
vouchsafe  to  avert  all  these  dan- 
gers. But  let  us  also  supplicate 
her  for  ourselves,  that  we  may  be 
confirmed  in  faith  and  in  virtue; 
that  we  may  prevail  over  the  scan- 
dals of  every  kind  by  which  we  are 
surrounded ;  for  it  is  written,  "  Let 
him  who  stands,  take  heed  lest  he 
fall."^  Let  us,  then,  have  recourse 
to  her  with  all  the  confidence  she 
deserves.  "All  is  subject  to  her 
control,"  says  St.  Antoninus.^  "  Thy 
name  alone  is  omnipotent,  after 
God,"  exclaims  St.  Bonaventurel^ 
0  Mary  I  "  invincible  shield  "  *  of 
Christians,  who  hast  so  wonderfully 
manifested  thy  protection,  to  thee, 
still  more  than  to  Judith,  it  belongs 
to  say,  "  Wo  be  to  the  nation  that 
riseth  up  against  my  people :  for 
the  Lord  Almighty  will  take  revenge 


•  1  Cor.  X.  12, 
» Serm.  6L 


'  In  Can..  4. 
*  Wisdom  V.  20. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


691 


on  them."^  Eternal  glory  be  to 
thee  for  having  "  broken,"  in  our 
behalf,  "the  powers  of  bows,  the 
shield,  the  sword,  and  the  battle,"  ^ 
and  for  having  given  us  such  con- 
soling motives  for  trusting  in  thee 
against  all  the  enemies  of  God's 
children  and  of  his  holy  Church. 
With  her  we  love  to  say,  "  Vouch- 
safe to  assist  those  who  groan  under 
the  weight  of  their  misery;  deign  to 
animate  the  slothful,  to  strengthen 
the  weak,  to  console  the  afflicted. 
Vouchsafe  to  pray  for  all  Christian 
people,  to  intercede  for  the  clergy, 
and  for  the  devout  female  sex.  Let 
all  the  faithful  feel  the  effects  of 
th}^  powerful  succor,  but  especially 
those  who  are  mindful  of  thee,"^ 
and  implore  thee  with  a  sweet  and 
filial  confidence. 

Help  of  Christians,  pray  for  us. 

Auxilium  Christianorum^  ora  pro 
nobis. 


MEDITATION   XLYL 

QUEEN  OF  ANGELS,  PRAY  FOR  US. 


L 


ET  US  rise  on  the  wings  of  faith 
to  that  immortal  country  where 


t  God  himself  is  the  infinite  reward  of 
the  just,*  and  renders  to  every  man 
according  to  his  works.^  What 
shall  we  see  there  ?  The  thrones 
of  pontiffs,  martyrs,  apostles,  proph- 
ets, patriarchs,  and  @ur  eyes  will 
contemplate  with  delight,  with  ec- 
stacy,  that  vision  of  grandeur  and 
glory.  But  in  vain  would  we  look 
for  Mary  there.  Let  us  go  still 
higher,  even  up  to  the  choirs  of 
angels ;  the  cherubim,  the  sera- 
phim, all  those  "  thousands  of  thou- 
sands"^ of  pure  spirits  who  shine 
before  "the  holy  of  holies"^  like 
changeless  suns ;  is  it  there  that 
the  Virgin  by  excellence  enjoys  her 
beatitude?  No,  no,  higher,  higher 
still.  Above  angels  and  archangels, 
near  the  throne  of  the  glorified 
Man-God,  another  throne  will  meet 
our  dazzled  eyes,  another  throne 
only  lower  than  that  of  Jesus,  and 
loftier  than  those  of  all  the  heav- 
enly powers ;  and  on  that  throne 
sits  a  daughter  of  Eve  invested  with 
glory  only  less  than  that  of  Jesus, 
but  richer,  more  entrancing  than 
that  of  even  the  highest  angels  of 
the   heavenly  hierarchy ;    it  is   the 


»  Judith  xvi.  20.  »  Ps.  Ixxv.  4. 

*  Sancta  Maria,  Succurre  miseris,  etc. 


*  Gen.  XV.  1. 

»  St.  Matt.  xvi.  27. 


*  Dan.  vii.  10. 
'  Dan.  ix.  24 


692 


ME.)ITJTIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


most  Blessed  Virgin,  the  Creator's 
masterpiece,  the  Queen  of  Angels. 

"She  is,  in  fact,"  says  St.  Epi- 
phanius,  "above  all  beings,  except 
God  alone."  *  "  Her  dignity  as 
Mother  of  the  Creator,"  says  St.  John 
Damascene,  "makes  her  the  Queen 
of  all  creatures."^  "She  who  is  en- 
titled to  call  God  her  Son,"  exclaims 
St  Bernaixi,  "must  necessarily  be 
superior  to  all  the  choirs  of  angels. 
Ah!  do  homage,  ye  heavenly  spir- 
its, to  the  Mother  of  your  divine 
King,  ye  who  adore  the  blessed  fruit 
of  our  beloved  Virgin's  womb!"' 
••  Jesus,"  says  St.  Antoninus,  "  has 
placed  on  her  head  a  diadem  of 
glory  and  magnificence,  which  makes 
the  angels  themselves  subject  to  this 
divine  Queen."* 

And  was  it  not  this  future  great- 
ness and  glory  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 
that  the  Archangel  Gabriel  honored 
beforehand,  when  he  saluted  her 
with  so  much  veneration,  and  in 
terms  so  pompous  and  magnificent  ? 
Veneration  and  honor  lawfully  due 
to  her  who  was  to  be  invested  with 
the    admirable   quality   of  beloved 


*  De  Landib.  Virg. 

*  Lib.  4  Fidei  orthod.,  c.  15. 

*  HoiL.il.  super  Missus  est. 


Daughter  of  the  Eternal  Father,  be- 
loved Mother  of  the  Son,  beloved 
Spouse  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  who 
was  to  be  raised  by  her  divine 
maternity  above  all  the  powers  of 
earth  and  heaven.  Moreover,  how 
could  the  celestial  messenger  fail  to 
recognize  "  his  Queen  in  her  whom 
he  saluted  as  Mother  of  his  divine 
King  ?"^  And  if  the  angels  are  in- 
finitely inferior  to  the  human  nature 
of  the  Incarnate  Word,  for  St.  Paul 
says,  "  To  which  of  the  angels  hath 
God  said  at  any  time,  Thou  art 
my  Son,  this  day  have  I  begotten 
thee?"^  why  should  they  not  be  in- 
ferior to  lier  who  could  likewise  say 
to  that  same  Jesus,  Thou  art  my 
Son,^  I  bore  thee  in  my  "  womb,  and 
nourished  thee?"® 

But  who  then  is  this  creature  of 
such  exalted  dignity,  before  whom 
the  angels  bow  down  penetrated 
with  respect  and  admiration,  this 
creature  whom  they  hasten  to  serve, 
repeating  in  a  transport  of  holy  joy, 
"  Rule  thou  eternally  over  us  and  thy 

Son  ?"^ Ah !  it  is  the  humble 

daughter  of  Anne  and  Joachim,  it 


*  Serm.  de  Assumpt. 

»  St  Athan.,  Serm.  de  Deip. 

•  Heb.  i.  5. 


'  Heb.  i.  5. 

»  2  Mac.  vii.  27. 

» Judg.  viii.  22 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


693 


is  the  obscure  Virgin  once  betrothed  * 
to  a  poor  mechanic ;  it  is  the  piti- 
able young  Mother  who  found  in 
Bethlehem  only  a  stable,  a  crib,  a 
little  straw  whereon  to  place  her 
new-born  infant,  who  was  forced  to 
fly  her  native  land  and  take  refuge 
in  a  strange  country  to  save  the 
precious  life  of  her  adorable  child, 
who  lived  always  simple,  always 
hidden,  even  after  the  glorious  re- 
surrection and  ascension  of  her  di- 
vine Son.  The  way  to  glory,  solid 
glory,  the  only  glory  worthy  the 
name,  eternal  glory,  is,  then,  the 
way  of  humility  in  this  world.  To 
be  little  in  the  eyes  of  others,  little 
in  one's  own  eyes,  and  great  before 
the  Lord,  by  a  simple,  unostenta- 
tious virtue,  this  is  the  precious 
secret  which  Mary  teaches  us  by 
her  life,  as  Jesus  teaches  it  by  his 
divine  precepts  and  his  divine  ex- 
ample, as  he  remains  ever  before 
our  eyes  in  the  ineffable  mystery  of 
the  Eucharist.  Let  us  imitate  him, 
let  us  imitate  his  divine  Mother, 
and  humble  ourselves  that  we  may 
be  eternally  exalted.^ 

>  St.  Matt,  xxiii.  12. 


"Hail,  O  Queen  of  Heaven  enthroned, 
Hail,  by  angels  mistress  own'd ! "  * 

What  is  there,  after  God,  so  great 
as  thee,  who  received  infinite  ma- 
jesty into  thy  womb,  thee  whom 
that  infinite  majesty  vouchsafed  to 
obey !  "  Miracle  on  both  sides," 
justly  observes  St.  Bernard.  "In 
the  Son  a  miracle  of  humility,  in 
the  Mother  a  miracle  of  greatness 
and  elevation!"^  0  Mary!  Queen 
of  Angels,  vouchsafe  to  be  mindful 
of  thy  servants  on  earth,  look  down 
on  them  with  pitying  love  and  kind- 
ness, as  .afflicted  brethren,  unfortu- 
nate children.  Deign  to  assist  us, 
to  keep  us  ever  in  the  way  of  sal- 
vation, till  the  moment  of  our  final 
departure  from  this  world  of  trial ; 
vouchsafe  to  send  our  angels  to  visit 
and  console  us  if  we  aj-e  condemned 
by  divine  justice  to  the  temporary 
fire  of  expiation,  and  plead  for  us 
that  we  may  be  speedily  admitted 
into  heaven.  May  we  merit  these 
inestimable  favors  by  constantly 
saying  with  sincere  devotion: 

Queen  of  Angels,  pray  for  us. 

Regina  Angelorum,  ora  pro  nobis 

*  Hymn  Ave,  Beg.  cad.    '  Homil.  1  sup.  Missus  est. 


eM 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIBOIN. 


MEDITATION  XLYH. 

QUEKN   OP   PATRliUlCHS,    PRAY   FOR   US. 

ON  earth,  the  holy  patriarchs 
had  "saluted  from  afar"*  with 
a  lively  faith,  a  sweet  and  firm 
hope,  that  wondrous  woman  whom 
the  Loi"d  had  announced,  in  the  be- 
ginning, as  about  to  bring  forth  the 
Saviour  of  the  world.  In  heaven 
they  offered  her,  with  unequalled 
joy,  the  tribute  of  their  love  and 
veneration,  as  having,  through  Our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  introduced  them 
"into  the  everlasting  dwellings."^ 

Fii-st,  it  is  Adam  who  admires 
and  blesses  in  Mary  the  new  Eve, 
the  true  "Mother  of  all  the  living,"' 
whose  heel  has  crushed  the  head  of 
the  infernal  serpent,*  the  seducer  of 
the  first  Eve;  she  whose  divine  Son 
came  to  repair  the  primitive  fall  in 
80  marvellous  a  manner  that  the 
Church  cries  out  in  the  fervor  of  her 
gratitude,  "  0  happy  transgression ! 
which  obtained  for  us  a  Redeemer 
so  great  and  so  admirable!"^ 

After  Adam,  Noah,  chosen  to  be 
the  second  fathw  of  mankind,  doom- 


*  ed  to  perish' in  the  Deluge,  contem- 
plates with  delight  her  whom  the 
Church  calls  "  our  life  and  our 
hope  ;"*  Abraham,  who  did  not  hesi- 
tate to  sacrifice  to  God  his  only  son, 
on  whose  life  naturally  depended 
the  existence  of  the  people  destined 
to  bring  forth  the  Messiah,  Abra- 
ham honors  and  praises  with  trans- 
port the  Mother  of  the  adorable  only 
Son  of  whom  Isaac  was  the  symbol,^ 
and  in  whom  "  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth  have  been  blessed,"^  accord- 
ing to  the  promises  of  God.  Then 
it  is  Jacob  who  celebrates  the  glory 
of  that  excellent  Virgin,  of  whom 
was  born  on  earth  "the  salvation 
of  the  Lord,"^  the  object  of  his  most 
ardent  wishes.  Again,  it  is  Joseph, 
the  Saviour  of  Egypt,^"  who  renders 
solemn  homage  to  the  Mother  of 
"  the  Saviour  of  the  world,"  "  whose 
sanctity,  sufferings,  and  glory  were 
so  admirably  prefigured  by  his  own 
innocence,  misfortunes,  and  subse- 
quent elevation ;  Moses,  too,  admires 
and  extols  her  who  has  since  given 
to  the  world  "  the  divine  Prophet, 
like  unto  him;"^'^  like  him,  legislator, 


'  Heb.  xi  13. 

•  St  Luko  xvL  9. 

*  Gen.  iii  20. 


*  Gen.  iii.  15. 

»  Rom.  Miss.,  Holy  Sat 

•  Salv.  Reg. 


•>  Heb.  xi.  19. 

•  Gen.  xxii.  17, 18. 

»  Gen.  xlix.  18. 


"  Gen.  xli.  45. 
»'  St  John  iv.  42. 
"  Deut  xviii  15, 18. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


695 


miracle-worker,  and  liberator;  in  a 
word,  all  "  the  chief  fathers  and 
heads  "  of  the  elect  of  the  Lord,  now 
happy  inhabitants  of  the  heavenly 
Jerusalem,^  all  delight  to  acknowl- 
edge that  it  is  through  her  the  im- 
mortal diadem  encircles  their  radi- 
ant brow,  crying  to  her  forever : 
"  Thy  dominion  is  of  truth,  and 
meekness,  and  justice ;  and  thy 
right  hand  shall  conduct  thee  won- 
derfully I  "^ 

But  what  was  it  that  merited 
for  them  this  inestimable  crown  ? 
Their  fidelity  to  God,  their  faith  in 
the  future  Redeemer,  and  their  de- 
sire to  "see  his  day,"^ — fidelity, 
faith,  desire,  which  had  attained  the 
highest  degree  of  perfection  in  the 
soul  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  before 
she  was  favored  with  the  blissful 
embassy  from  above.  If,  for  in- 
stance, the  faith  and  fidelity  of 
Abraham  were  little  less  than  mir- 
aculous, how  must  it  be  with  Mary, 
elevated  so  high  in  heaven  above 
that  holy  patriarch,  in  heaven  where 
each  takes  precedence  according  to 
his  merit !  If  Abraham  so  longed 
to   see  the   coming   of  Christ,  how 


'  1  Paral.  viii.  28. 
«  Ps.  xliv.  5 


'  St.  John  viii.  56. 
*  Orat.  6,  in  S.  Deip. 


intense  must  have  been  that  same 
desire  in  the  soul  of  her  of  whom 
St.  Proclus  said,  that  "  no  patriarch 
could  in  any  way  be  compared  to 
her!'"^ 

For  us,  0  ineffable  happmess  I 
we  have  not  to  desire,  we  have  but 
to  enjoy ;  we  have  not  only  the 
sweet  consolation  of  hope,  but  the 
delicious  fruit  of  reality.  Jesus 
came  "from  heaven;^  he  hath  visited 
the  earth f^^  he  hath  enlightened, 
sanctified,  and  saved  it,  endowed  it 
with  gifts  the  most  magnificent,  and 
spiritual  resources  the  most  pre- 
cious. Still  more,  he  has  fixed  his 
dwelling  "in  this  valley  of  tears," ^ 
which  would  have  been  but  too 
highly  favored  by  possessing  him 

for  some  years,  nay,  moments 

Alas !  and  we  are  regardless  of  his 
continual  and  adorable  presence ; 
and  we  neglect  to  visit  that  divine 
guest,  who  seems  to  forget  himself, 
and  to  make  it  "to  delight  to  be 
with  the  children  of  men!"^  Oh  I 
might  it  not  be  truly  said  of  us 
what  John  the  Baptist  said  of  the 
Jews,  contemporaries  of  the  divine 
Jesus:  "There  standeth  one  in  the 


«  St.  John  iii.  13. 
«  St.  Luke  i.  78. 


'  Salv.  Reg. 

« Prov.  viii.  31. 


me 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


midst  of  you,  whom  you  know  not ; 
the  latchet  of  whose  shoe  I  am  not 
worthy  to  loose  I"  ^ 

0  Mary  I  "  sweet  hope  of  the  pa- 
triarchs,"^ who  didst  possess  in  a 
manner  so  intimate  Him  who  was 
their  "desire,"  make  us  appreciate 
the  infinite  happiness  that  we  en- 
joy in  possessing  Him  ourselves, 
together  with  all  the  graces  of 
which  he  is  the  inexhaustible 
source.  As  the  Messiah  to  come 
had  been  the  centre  of  thy  most 
ardent  wishes,  so  the  Messiah,  when 
he  did  come,  was  the  centre  of  all 
thine  afifections;  and  he  has  been, 
under  thine  auspices,  the  only  ob- 
ject of  the  love  and  devotion  of 
those  illustrious  founders  of  religious 
ordei"s  known  in  the  Church  as  the 
Patriarchs  of  the  New  Testament. 
May  it  be  so  with  us,  0  divine 
Mother!  May  our  faith  especially 
become  so  lively,  that  we  may 
clearly  see  and  sensibly  feel  that, 
by  the  adorable  mystery  of  the  con- 
tinual presence  of  Jesus  on  our 
altai-s,  "earth  becomes  a  heaven,"* 
and  that  the  holy  Eucharist  ought 
to    be    the    chief    object    of    our 

•  St  John  i.  26,  27. 

•  St  Ephraim,  de  Laudib.  B.  V. 


*  thoughts,  desires,  and  affections! 
In  order  that  we  may  faithfully  dis- 
charge this  pious  duty  to  the  glory 
of  thy  divine  Son, 

Queen  of  Patriarchs,  pray  for 
us. 

Regina  Patriarcharum,  ora  pro 
nobis. 


MEDITATION"  XLYIH. 

QUEEN  OF  PROPHETS,  PRAY  FOR  US. 

LIVING  prodigies  of  supernatu- 
ral knowledge,  the  prophets  of 
old  drew  the  most  perfect  picture 
of  the  Messiah,  many  ages  before- 
hand. "The  most  ancient  made, 
as  it  were,  the  first  sketch;  those 
who  came  after  them  successively 
finished  the  imperfect  work  of  their 
predecessors.  The  nearer  they  came 
to  the  event,  the  more  lively  became 
their  colors  ;  "  and  when  the  picture 
was  completed,  the  last,  as  he  with- 
drew, pointed  out  the  holy  Precur- 
sor who  was  to  say,  'Behold  the 
Lamb  of  God  who  taketh  away  the 
sins  of  the  world!'"* 

»  S.  Chrys.,  Homil.  24,  in  1  Cor. 

*  Letters  of  M.  Drack,  a  converted  Babbin. 


MEDITATIONS    ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE    BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


697 


But  while  painting  the  several  * 
stages  of  the  Saviour's  mortal  life, 
the  divers  characters  of  his  person 
and  ministry,  the  marvellous  fruits 
of  his  mission,  could  they  not  per- 
ceive the  august  Mother  of  the  Man- 
God,  that  admirable  daughter  of 
Eve,  whose  glorious  co-operation  in 
the  salvation  of  the  world  had  been 
announced  by  the  Lord  himself  at 
the  very  beginning?^ 

Ah !  undoubtedly  the  sweet  and 
majestic  figure  of  Mary  must  often 
have  made  their  hearts  throb  as 
they  wrote  the  prophetic  history  of 
her  divine  Son ;  how  often  must  this 
have  been  the  case  with  David,^ 
with  Ezechiel,^  with  Isaiah,^  who 
were  favored  with  special  revela- 
tions of  the  greatness  of  the  Virgin- 
Mother  I 

Now  that  they  behold  her  glory 
unveiled,  in  the  mansions  of  eternal 
bliss,  now  that  they  see  her  crowned 
"  as  universal  sovereign  of  every 
creature,"^  how  joyfully  do  they 
render  homage  to  their  heavenly 
Queen !  how  profoundly  do  they 
venerate  the  excellence  of  the  di- 

»  Gen.  iii.  15.  »  Ezech.  xliv.  2. 

*  Ps.  xliv.  *  Is.  vii  14. 

*  S.  J.  Damascene,  Lib.  4,  de  Fide  Orthod. 


vine   lights  wherewith  she  herself 
was  favored  by  the  Lord! 

It  was  only  on  certain  phases  of  , 
the  Redeemer's  life  that  each  of  the 
prophets  was  enlightened  :  but  thou, 
Queen  of  Prophets,  thou  didst  em- 
brace the  whole  course  of  their  pre- 
dictions, thou  didst  penetrate  their 
whole  meaning,  according  to  the 
thought  of  St.  Liguori;*'  thou  hast 
seen  and  heard  what  they  desired 
to  see  and  hear !  ^  The  prophets, 
animated  by  the  sacred  fire  of  in- 
spiration, reached  an  elevation  of 
thought  and  tone  which  charms  and 
astonishes  us  in  their  writings ;  and 
thou,  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,^ 
transported  with  joy  in  God  thy  Sa- 
viour,^ thou  hast  composed,  in  his 
honor,  a  hymn  of  gratitude,  in  which 
we  find  a  fullness  of  fueling,  a  sub- 
limity of  expression,  a  divine  enthu- 
siasm far  exceeding  these  ancient 
oracles  of  the  Most  High !  Thou 
didst  predict,  thou,  the  poor  and 
humble  daughter  of  the  tribe  of 
Juda,  that  "all  generations  should 
call  thee  blessed;"^*'  an  astontshing 
prophecy   which   all   ages   and   all 

*  Sermon  on  the  Sorrows  of  Mary. 

»  St.  Luke  X.  24.  •  St.  Luke  i.  47. 

«  St.  Luke  i.  35.  "  St.  Luke  i.  48. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRQIN. 


nations  have  constantly  fulfilled  for 
eighteen  centuries!  Thou  didst  like- 
wise foretell  the  future  destiny  of 
the  Church,  the  true  people  of  Grod, 
the  ti'ue  Israel  which  the  Lord 
"hath  received,  being  mindful  of 
his  mercy ;  as  he  spoke  to  our  fa- 
thers, to  Abraham  and  to  his  seed," 
which  is  to  last  "forever;"^  and  the 
perpetual  combats,  the  perpetual 
triumphs  of  the  Church  have  ever 
since  testified  the  divinity  of  the 
inspiration  which  dictated  the 
words  I 

"How  happy  are  we,"  says  the 
great  bishop  of  Meaux,  speaking  in 
this  connection;  "how  happy  are 
we,  in  that  God  has  vouchsafed  to 
bind  himself  to  us  by  promise  !  He 
might  have  given  us  what  he 
would ;  but  "why  promise  it  to  us, 
if  not,  as  Mary  said,  to  transmit  his 
mercy  from  age  to  age  ;"^  that  mer- 
cy so  admiiably  manifested  by  the 
coming  of  the  Messiah,  who  himself 
promises  to  preserve  his  work  "even 
to  the  consummation  of  the  world."  ^ 
Let  us  rest,  with  unshaken  faith,  on 
his  divine  word:  "heaven  and  earth 
shall  pass   away,  but  it  shall   not 


*  pass  away."*  Let  us  profit  by  the 
faithful  accomplishment  of  Mary's 
prophecy  and  her  Son's  promise, 
from  the  dawn  of  Christianity  to 
the  present  day,  in  order  to  revive 
our  confidence  in  the  other  words 
of  the  Holy  Gospel ;  and  let  us  give 
ourselves  wholly  up  to  the  blessed 
hopes  of  faith,  wherein  we  ought 
"to  drown  all  the  false  hopes  with 
which   this   world   seeks   to  amuse 


'  St  Luke  i.  54,  55. 
•  Elev.  sur  le*  llyst. 


*  St.  Matt,  xxviii.  20. 

*  St.  Matt.  xxiv.  35. 


"5 


US. 

In  the  ecstasy  of  thy  gratitude  to 
the  Lord,  the  future  was  opened  to 
thine  eyes,  0  Mary,  and  thou  didst 
announce  the  pious  and  solemn 
worship  wherewith  "  all  genera- 
tions" were  to  honor  thee,  together 
v^ith  the  perpetuity  of  the  Church, 
which  is  to  live,  and  struggle,  and 
triumph,  "even  to  the  consumma- 
tion of  the  world."  Ah !  it  is  with 
sweet  consolation  that  we  behold 
the  marvellous  fulfillment  of  thy 
words,  through  the  lapse  of  so  many 
ages;  it  is  with  heartfelt  joy  that 
we  recognize  in  thee,  with  St.  Basil, 
her  whom  Isaiah  had  designated 
under  the  title  of  "prophetess,"^ 
and  to  whom  "  the  seers  of  IsraeV 


*  Bossuet,  Elev.  sur  les  Myst. 

•  In.  Is.  proph.,  c.  8. 


» Is.  XXX.  10. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


699 


give  testimony"^  in  their  predic- 
tions regarding  the  divine  Redeem- 
er. 0  thou  whom  David  calls  "  the 
glorious  daughter  of  the  king,  clothed 
round  about  with  varieties ! "  ^  vouch- 
safe to  obtain  for  us  that  we  may 
always  join  our  feeble  voices  in  the 
universal  concert  which  proclaims 
thee  "  blessed  ; "  to  rest  always  on 
the  infallible  oracles  of  the  Gospel ; 
never  to  let  ourselves  be  shaken 
either  by  scandals  or  by  persecu- 
tions, but  to  "  persevere  faithfully  to 
the  end,"^  in  the  faith  and  works 
which  she  alone  inspires. 

Queen  of  Prophets,  pray  for  us. 

Regina  Prophetarum,  ora  pro  no- 
bis. 


MEDITATION   XLIX. 

QUEEN  OF  APOSTLES,  PRAY  FOR  US. 

TT/^HAT  the  most  learned  phi- 
'  »  losophers,  the  most  eloquent 
orators,  the  ablest  and  most  power- 
ful men  never  thought  of  undertak- 
ing; nay,  what  they  could  never 
have  accomplished,  even  if  they  had 
dared   to   attempt    it,   twelve  poor 

'  Acts  X.  43.  « Ps.  xliv.  15. 

»  St.  Matt.  X.  22. 


*  fishermen  of  Galilee,  without  any 
human  resource,  not  only  undertook, 
but  happily  accomplished.  The 
Apostles  divided  the  world  amongst 
themselves  for  conquest,  to  establish 
"  all  over  the  earth  a  new  worship, 
a  new  sacrifice,  a  new  law,  promul- 
gated by  Jesus,  crucified  in  Jeru- 
salem. All  the  inducement  they  had 
to  offer  was  this :  Come  and  serve 
Jesus ;  whosoever  gives  himself  to 
Him  shall  be  happy  after  his  death ; 
but  in  the  mean  time  he  must 
undergo  all  manner  of  suffering."* 
And,  to  preach  this  doctrine,  they 
brave  torments,  nay,  death  itself; 
and  they  "  draw  all  things  to  thein- 
selves"^  and  soon  the  whole  heathen 
world  adores  Jesus  and  follows  his 
Gospel. 

Divine  zeal,  divine  devotion,  and, 
undoubtedly,  divine  success !  But 
what  part  had  Mary  in  this  gieat 
work,  to  merit  the  title  of  Queen  of 
Apostles  ?  Ah  !  that  august  Virgin, 
who  had  a  right  to  that  title  from 
the  very  pre-eminence  of  her  divine 
maternity,  contributed  wondeifully 
to  the  formation,  increase,  and  sup- 
port of  the  infant  Church. 

*  Bossuet,  Panegyric  on  St.  Andrew. 
»  St.  John  xii.  32. 


ATtoas  or 


UTJLXT  OF  ZBE  BiEvam  wmRiw 


J^wmkwet  Inr,  mtke  lMgi»-  »  of  vhoM  StAwAi  ui  StBosi. 

ini^  tlHf^  pMB  idfoift  br  1  iuiImu   did   Bot   htMUIe.   to  a j 

d»A|piiliespnpMittaft>  I  "&at  tef  were  tke  disc^ln  of  Her 

I  fill,  to  As  SiTioH^   \  wko  bffo^ghl  Him  falkJ^ 

fMOHHMBdttlin,   to    "^reoeif^  tte  I       AaA,  m  tet,  H  was  Wuy  wbo 

«f  tke  HoIt  Gkoet,"'  do  we  |  ■»!  kave  lemled  totteApasOn 

irst^     *Jk^   wk»   csoM  ;  tones  whick  ecnld  sol  toive 

saiTs  St  Aatoaton^  *ttat  I  id»  toeer  nigmiance:  ud  wUch 

feel  icccite  wttk  tiMs.  en  f  ^h^  woe  jet  to  ■■ke  kaown  to 

Ike  ^  rflVjrtmjfet  tte  mmiiI    |  the  wokU:  it  was  Aewto  Ind  to 

■kufiflb  tter  were  aD  londsii  fhon  witk  Ike  predous  end 

hw  Ike   Hoir  Gkost  m  eoBsofii^  detoOs  ef  tiw  kiddoi  fife 

be  waMt-  of   JJesae :   fer.    accoidu^  to    Ike 

:  wxuds  of  tbe  Gospel,  ''eke  kepi  all 

Yeis  torihi;*  uhmiiui  SL  TWwm  l   X  Ikei&e iSkemm, puadeiiag  Ikeai  in  ker 


»X  m\ 


tte 

to&e 

ApoeOeB  a^  BfaBgeEsto.**    Aad 
doiiii  ibai  ske  was 


St  A^braee  said  Ikal  ""It 
of  God;  1  ker  Ikat  St  Jbk^   tbat  saUEne 


LM. 


of  Ike  diviatt^  of  Ike 


Worf?^ 


firy,e.SI:& 


*aL]i^»a.]9L 


«.T;  .^rs^  ■* 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LIT  ANT  OF  TEE  BLESSED  VTRGIN. 


im 


be  called  Queen  of  Aposdles  from  ho* 
benign  influence  on  the  spread  of 
the  GospeL  Her  example  was  an 
effective  lesson:  was  she  not,  in  a 
woitL  the  most  faithfiil  image  of  the 
divine  Jesus,  ''the  most  strikii^ 
reflex  of  his  life?"*  says  St  Law- 
rence Justinian.  Her  disocmrae  had 
a  marvellous  efficacy:  it  is  writtai 
that  *-  from  the  fuUness  of  the  heart 
the  mouth  speaketk"'  and  the  ^beaat 
of  Mary  was,"  says  St  BCTnardine, 
"a  furnace  erf  divine  love."*  Ho* 
prayers  were  at  once  the  poresl^ 
the  most  humble,  the  most  fervent; 
and  who  can  tell  with  what  zeal 
and  fervor  that  divine  Mother  begged 
of  Heaven  the  development  of  her 
Son's  great  work? 

In  imitation  of  Mary,  let  us  ever 
concur,  as  far  as  we  are  able,  in 
promotii^  the  interests  of  the 
Church,  and  assisting  the  pious 
missionaries  who  still  carry  on  the 
work  of  the  first  apostles.  Let  us 
be  apostles  ourselves,  by  our  ex- 
ample, our  discoorse,  our  co-opera- 
tion  in  good  works,  so  that  "  the 


*  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  may 
be  gl<HTfied  in  ns"* 

O  Mary,  whom  Jesus  left  on  earth, 
after  his  glorious  ascension,  to  exer- 
dse  a  zeal  more  than  ^xistolic,  ^  to 
be  the  strength  and  support  of  his 
Church;"*  thou  who  didst  not  only 
partidpate  in  all  the  giflbs  whidi 
the  Apostles  received  from  Heaven, 
but  wast  also  their  light  and  th^ 
model,  oh!  how  justly  art  fliou 
called  the  Queen  of  those  tw^e 
heroef  whose  names  are  written  in 
the  foundati(His  of  "the  holy  dty.*** 
May  thy  heart,  so  zealous  for  die 
glory  of  Jesus,  conununicate  to  oars 
some  sparks  of  tlmt  saered  fire 
which  pioiK  souls  always  seek  to 
diffuse  aroond  them!  Grant,  at 
least,  that  by  a  good  and  bdy  life. 
"mar  light  may  so  shine  before  men, 
that  they  may  see  amr  good  woiks, 
and  glorifr  our  Fatiier  who  is  in 
heaven."' 

Qama   cm   Afobtlss, 
US. 

Regima  Apotkiormm,  arm  pro 
bis. 


De  trimmpk  agom,  Ckrid. 
>  SL  JUtL  si.  31. 


«S 


iz.de  Fiae. 


^tAT     POE 


*  Boa.,  Serm.  mr  T  twwjrf 

•  Apo&  zzL  10^  14. 


«aL]fitt.^l6. 


702 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


MEPITATION  L. 

QUEEN   OF   MARTYRS,    PRAY  FOR    US. 

TT7H0  will  give  us  to  describe 
the  sorrows  of  the  Virgin- 
Mother  in  suitable  terms  ?  0  Mary  I 
how  well  mightest  thou  say  that 
thy  affliction  was  "great  as  the 
sea."^  Attend  and  see  if  there  be 
any  sorrow  "like  unto  my  sorrow!"^ 

We  are  moved  by  the  sight  of 
blood,  we  cannot  view  with  indiffer- 
ence that  of  one  of  our  fellow-creat- 
ures shed  by  violence;  we  suffer 
cruelly  if  it  be  that  of  a  friend,  still 
more  if  it  be  that  of  a  brother; 
more,  ah!  much  more,  if  it  be  that 
of  a  loving  and  beloved  son.  But, 
if  it  be  the  most  tender  of  mothers 
who  has  to  witness  that  sad  spec- 
tacle, how  much  deeper  and  more 
acute  is  the  feeling !  And,  if  the 
son  whom  she  sees  immolated  be 
an  only  son,  endowed  with  the 
rarest  qualities,  ah  I  no  human 
tongue  could  express  the  extremity 
of  that  moral  suffering. 

Thou  wert  that  Mother,  0  Mary! 
Jesus  was  that  only  Son,  that  in- 
comparable Son  at  whose  execution 


•  Lament,  ii  13. 
<  Lament  ii.  12. 


*  Stahat. 

*  St.  Luke  ii.  35. 


t  thou  hadst  to  assist.  0  thou  whom 
the  Church  so  aptly  styles  "  the 
Mother  of  sorrow,"'  tell  us — for  we 
can  neither  feel  nor  describe  it — 
tell  us  how  sharp  the  sword  was 
which  pierced  thy  heart,*  at  every 
stroke  of  the  hammer  when  Jesus 
was  nailed  to  the  Cross;  tell  us 
how  great  was  thine  anguish,  what 
a  long  and  fearful  agony  was  thine, 
w^hen,  for  three  hours,  thou  wert 
forced  to  contemplate  that  most 
amiable  Son  so  cruelly  suspended 
on  an  infamous  gibbet.  Or  rather 
be  silent,  0  divine  Mary!  keep  up 
that  silence,  so  heroic,  so  eloquent, 
so  sublime,  which  thine  immense 
grief  imposed  on  itself  on  Calvary ; 
that  superhuman  silence  tells  us 
more,  infinitely  more,  than  all  the 
cries,  all  the  groans,  all  the  sobs  of 
a  desolate  mother!  ....  Oh!  how 
willingly  wouldst  thou  have  given 
thy  life  for  his ;  what  a  consolation 
it  would  have  been  for  thee  at 
least  to  mingle  thy  blood  with  his. 
But  no ;  it  was  necessary  that  thou 
shouldst  be  "more  than  martyr," 
according  to  St.  Bernard^  and  St. 
Bonaventure,^  by  suffering  all  that 

»  Serm.  12,  de  Prcerogativis  B.  M.  V. 
•  In  Spec.,  lect.  4. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


703 


must  naturally  have  killed  thee, 
with  the  certainty  that  death  would 
not  come  to  terminate  thy  inex- 
pressible torments.  Thus  it  was 
that  thou  wert  to  win  the  glorious 
title  of  Queen  of  Martyrs  by  the 
unheard-of  excess  of  thy  sufferings, 
compared  with  which  St.  Anselm 
"estimates  lightly  all  the  sufferings 
of  all  the  heroes  of  Christianity,"^ 
who,  nevertheless,  "endured  scourg- 
ing, chains,  and  imprisonment,  were 
stoned,  sawed  asunder,  tortured  in 
every  possible  way,  they  of  whom 
the  world  was  not  worthy."^ 

But  Calvary  was  not  the  only 
scene  of  the  Virgin's  martyrdom. 
When  the  sacred  body  of  our  Lord 
had  been  taken  down  from  the 
Cross,  tradition  says  that  it  was 
laid  in  her  arms  before  being  con- 
signed to  the  tomb.  Who,  then, 
can  conceive  w^hat  was  passing  in 
the  heart  of  such  a  mother  at  such 
a  moment?  To  hold  in  her  arms 
the  inanimate  body  of  her  beloved 
San,  that  body  so  cruelly  torn  and 
mangled ;  to  regard  with  her  lov- 
ing eyes  the  deep  wounds  through 
which  had  flowed  the  precious  blood 

•  De  excellent.  Virg.,  c.  5. 
»  Heb.  xL  36,  37,  38. 


f  that  was  to  regenerate  the  worl'^ ; 
to  retrace  in  her  mind  all  the  fright- 
ful scenes  of  the  passion — oh,  what 
torture !  St.  Augustine  says  that 
"  all  the  sorrows  of  Jesus  had  been 
the  sorrows  of  Mary,  that  the  Son's 
cross  and  nails  had  been  also  th6 
Mother's."^  Hence,  all  that  she  had 
before  felt,  all  that  had  crushed  and 
torn  her  tender  heart,  was  renewed, 
but  with  still  increased  bitterness, 
with  extreme  desolation,  with  un- 
equalled and  inexpressible  suffer- 
ings. 

What  a  lesson  for  us  all,  children 
of  the  Gospel!  Jesus  and  Mary 
entered  upon  eternal  glory  by  the 
way  of  suffering  and  pain.  Jesus, 
the  Holy  One,  by  excellence ! 
Mary,  the  holiest  of  creatures !  And 
we,  sinners  by  nature,  sinners  by 
inclination,  would  we  pretend  to 
gain  it  by  any  other  way  ?  The 
Cross  is  the  earthly  portion  left  us 
by  the  Man-God— the  Cross,  which 
is,  as  it  were,  the  sure  pledge  of 
the  "inheritance  incorruptible  and 
undeiiled,"*  which  he  promises  to 
our  patience,  to  our  resignation,  to 
our  tried  fidelity,  for  it  is  written, 

*  Serm.  de  Pass.  Dom. 

*  1  Pet  i  4 


704 


MEDITATIONS  CA'  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


"If  we  Buflfer  we  shall  also  reign 
with  him."* 

0  tender  Mother,  who  didst  en- 
dure, at  the  foot  of  the  Cross,  suffer- 
ings much  more  excruciating  than 
the  martyrdom  of  the  body;  0  Thou 
whose  prayer  and  example  must 
have  greatly  encouraged  all  those 
''  who  overcame  by  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb,  and  by  the  word  of  their 
testimony,"^  in  whose  name  the  glo- 
rious St.  Stephen  offers  thee  his 
palm  and  his  crown,  deign  to  com- 
passionate our  troubles  and  sus- 
tain our  weakness.  Turn  away  the 
chalice  from  us  if  it  become  too 
bitter  for  om-  feeble  virtue,  or,  other- 
wise, obtain  for  us  strength  to  say 
boldly  with  the  Saviour,  "  Thy  will 
be  done  I" ^  Make  us  well  under- 
stand that  saying  of  the  divine 
Master,  that  "whosoever  doth  not 
carry  his  Cross  and  go  after  him^ 
cannot  be  his  disciple;"*  and  that 
we  may  have  the  happiness  "in 
our  patience  always  to  possess  our 
souls." '^ 

Queen  of  Martyrs,  pray  for   us. 

Regiiia  Martyrum,  ora  pro  nobis. 

'  2  Tim.  ii.  12.  »  St.  Matt.  xxvL  42. 

•  Apoa  xii  11.  *  St.  Luke  xiv.  27. 

'  St  Luke  xxi.  19. 


MEDITATION  LI. 

QUEEN  OF  CONFESSORS,  PRAY  FOR  US. 

GLORY  to  you,  noble  confessors 
of  the  faith,  who  counted  it  as 
precious  "  gain  "  to  brave  the  wrath 
of  the  enemies  of  Christ,  and  boldly 
proclaim  yourselves  his  disciples  at 
the  peril  of  your  lives!  Glory  to 
you,  who,  when  Providence  did  not 
call  you  to  such  trials,  still  pro- 
fessed your  subjection  to  that  divine 
Master  by  the  practice  of  every 
evangelical  virtue,  by  the  eminent 
sanctity  of  your  life!  But  still 
greater  glory  to  Mary,  by  so  many 
titles  your  august  Queen! 

You  proved  yourselves  ever  and 
always  the  devoted  servants  of  the 
divine  Saviour ;  but  was  not  Mary 
still  more,  more  courageously  de- 
voted to  her  divine  Son?  Your 
heart  was  penetrated  with  an  ar- 
dent and  generous  love  for  him; 
but  was  not  Mary's  heart  a  furnace 
of  incomparable  love  ?  You  braved, 
for  him,  outrages,  dangers,  obstacles 
of  every  kind;  but  did  not  Mary 
participate  in  all  the  sufferings  and 
privations  of  his  mortal  life,  and  in 
all  the  persecutions  which  he  had 
to  undergo?     How  many  times  was 


%f/>*\^\^ 


V-^l# 


705 


rdest 
btion, 
;vhen 
ndon 
com- 
thou 
jemer 

tailed 
blime 
vhich 
make 

3SSon, 

3Ci0U8 

rank 

',   hu- 

,  pov- 

t  love 

for  her 

glory 
to  his 
.ndon- 
ice  in 
e  vir- 

very 
that 

"the 

Teas- 
Da- 

'.    all 


'hod. 


-*^- 


MEDITATIONS    ON  THE  LITANY  OF  TEE   BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


705 


he  calumniated,  reviled  by  his  ene-  f 
mies !  How  many  times  did  the 
contumely  heaped  on  the  Son  revert 
to  the  Mother  !  Consider  the  scoff- 
ing tone  in  which  those  who  refused 
to  believe  in  Jesus  said,  "  Is  not  his 
mother  called  Mary?"^  how,  even 
in  the  extremity  of  his  torment,  his 
enemies  loaded  him  with  derision, 
contempt,  and  bitter  reproach ;  and 
Mary,  standing  beneath  the  in- 
famous gibbet,  must  she  not  have 
had  her  share  of  their  hatred  and 
vituperation  ? 

In  the  midst  of  all  the  ribaldry, 
all  the  blasphemous  sarcasms  ut- 
tered by  the  persecutors  of  Jesus, 
0  Mary,  "0  woman,  by  excellence, 
the  pride  and  glory  of  thy  sex,  how 
gi'eat  is  thy  faith,"  ^  how  admirable 
are  thy  love  and  thy  devotion !  All 
the  Apostles  of  Jesus  deserted  him, 
with  the  single  exception  of  St. 
John;  even  Peter,  their  chief,  who 
had  so  boldly  protested  that  he 
would  be  faithful  even  unto  death, 
denied  him  three  times  publicly  and 
on  oath ;  and  thou,  in  presence  of 
the  furious  Jews,  in  presence  of  the 
executioners  reeking  with  the  blood 
of  Jesus,  thou  display  est  the  heroism 


•  St.  Matt.  xiii.  55. 


*  St.  Matt.  XV.  28.        i        »  Serm.  146, 


of  thy  great  soul,  thou  regardest 
the  bleeding  Victim  with  adoration, 
love,  and  tender  devotion,  when 
Heaven  itself  seems  to  abandon 
him !  Who,  then,  can  ever  be  com- 
pared with  thee,  0  Mary!  0  thou 
whose  faith  in  the  divine  Redeemer 
was  so  magnanimous! 

And  who,  moreover,  ever  equalled 
this  divine  Virgin  in  the  sublime 
practice  of  all  the  virtues  which 
distinguish  a  holy  soul  and  make 
its  life  an  eloquent  Gospel  lesson, 
or  in  the  possession  of  the  precious 
gifts  which  secure  an  eminent  rank 
in  heaven?  Purity,  modesty,  hu- 
mility, meekness,  detachment,  pov- 
erty, obedience,  piety,  fervent  love 
of  God,  inexhaustible  charity  for  her 
neighbor,  burning  zeal  for  the  glory 
of  God,  perfect  submission  to  his 
adorable  will,  absolute  abandon- 
ment to  his  providence,  patience  in 
every  trial;  in  a  word,  all  the  vir- 
tues shine  in  Mary,  in  the  very 
highest  degree.  Hence  it  is  that 
St.  Peter  Chrysologus  calls  her  "  the 
living  assemblage  of  all  the  treas- 
ures of  sanctity;"^  St.  John  Da- 
mascene, "  the  sanctuary  of  all 
virtues."  * 


*  Lib.  iv.  de  Fide  Orthod. 


708 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


Church  I  How  many  times  has  the  ^ 
astonished  world  beheld  young  and 
timid  daughters  of  Mary  fearlessly 
braving  every  danger,  every  obsta- 
cle, every  plague,  every  threat,  every 
torment  I  Every  day  do  we  still 
behold  religious  communities  say- 
ing, often  at  the  peril  of  their  life, 
to  all  human  ills,  "Be  my  father 
and  my  brethren ;"  to  all  the  infir- 
mities, to  all  the  necessities  of  mind 
and  body,  "Be  my  mother  and  my 
sistei-s!"  Sublime  spiritual  prog- 
eny of  the  divine  Virgin,  ah!  it  is 
she  who  protects,  who  sustains  you 
as  "  chaste  virgins,"  reserved  for 
"Christ,"^  and  against  the  weak- 
ness of  your  sex,  the  seductions  of 
the  world,  the  assaults  of  hell,  and, 
when  necessary,  against  persecutors 
and  all  the  instruments  of  their 
cruelty !  The  Church  puts  in  her 
mouth  those  words  of  "Wisdom:  "I 
love  them  that  love  me.'"^  But  the 
greatest  proof  of  love  that  can  be 
given  her,  is  it  not  the  imitation 
of  the  vii-tue  by  which  she  was  most 
distinguished,  and  which  is,  to  our 
fallen  nature,  the  most  difficult;  is 
it  not  the  vow  which  you  made,  like 

'  2  Cor.  xi.  2. 

«  Brev.  Rom.  in  Festis  B.  M.  V.;  Prov.  viii.  17.    -  ; 


her,  to  live  "as  angels'"  in  a  mortal 
body? 

It  is  from  this  same  vow  that  the 
spirit  of  devotion  and  of  sacrifice 
derives  its  origin  and  its  strength ; 
for,  by  disengaging  the  heart  from 
family  ties,  it  leaves  it  free  to  con- 
secrate all  its  energies  to  the  ser- 
vice of  God  and  good  works.  She 
who  has  no  other  spouse  than  Jesus 
"  thinketh  on  the  things  of  the  Lord, 
that  she  may  be  holy  both  in  body 
and  in  spirit."*  Let  us  admire  that 
truly  celestial  spirit  which  produces, 
in  the  true  Church,  such  marvellous 
fruits  as  to  excite  the  envy  of  the 
numerous  sects,  sterile  because  they 
are  separated  from  her.  Let  us  beg 
of  the  divine  Jesus  that  we  may 
each  have  a  share,  according  Xo  our 
special'  vocation,  in  that  zeal  for 
voluntary  immolation  to  his  glory, 
and  to  practise,  also,  according  to 
our  state,  that  sublime  virtue  which, 
according  to  St.  Ambrose,  "makes 
the  heroes  of  martyrdom,  and  makes 
us  brethren  of  the  angels ;"  ^  which 
even  raises  our  merit  above  that 
of  the  celestial  spirits ;  "  for,"  says 
St.  Jerome,  "to  gain  angelic  glory 

»  St.  Mark  xii.  25.  *  1  Cor.  vii.  34 

*  Lib.  1  de  Virg,  circa  initium. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED   VIRGIN. 


709 


in   a  mortal  body,   is  much  more  f 
than  to  possess  it  by  nature."^ 

0  divine  Queen  of  Virgins,  who 
come,  triumphant,  to  lay  before  thee 
the  lily  of  their  purity,  the  palm  of 
their  victory,  august  Mother  of  that 
divine  Lamb  who  is  "  the  guide  of 
virginity,"^  how  joyfully  do  we  glo- 
rify thee  for  having,  by  thine  exam- 
ple and  assistance,  called  forth  and 
fostered  so  many  wondrous  virtues 
on  this  earth.  Ah!  vouchsafe  to 
multiply,  more  and  more,  the  num- 
ber of  thy  beloved  daughters,  who 
adorn  the  Church  like  blooming 
flowers,  and  embalm  it  with  a  per- 
fume whose  sweetness  is  not  of  this 
world. 

Deign  to  inspire  us,  0  Queen,  with 
love  and  respect  for  a  virtue  which 
does  so  much  honor  to  humanity, 
which  "took  its  rise  in  heaven,"^ 
where  it  enjoys,  as  its  reward,  the 
privilege  of  forming  the  train  of  the 
Lamb.*  0  thou  under  whose  aus- 
pices so  many  thousands  of  virgins 
have  gained  everlasting  glory,  grant 
that,  attracted  by  the  celestial  "  odor 
of  thy  virtues,^  we  may  be  brought 
to  the  King  of  kings,'"  ^  following  in 


'  Serm.  de  Assumpt, 
*  Jerem.  iii.  4. 


'  S.  Ambrose,  Ibid. 
*  Apoc.  xiv.  4 


the  pure  way  which  thou  hast  mark- 
ed out  for  us ! 

Queen  of  Yirgins,  pray  for  us. 

Regina  Virginum,  ora  pro  nobis. 


MEDITATION  LIIL 

QUEEN  OF  ALL  SAINTS,  PRAY  FOR  US. 

THE  Saints  have  illustrated  the 
Church  by  fair  and  admirable 
virtues;  they  have  astonished  the 
world  by  the  heroism  of  their  zeal, 
their  courage,  their  devotion,  the 
prodigies  of  their  humility,  their 
patience,  their  charity;  they  enter- 
ed this  everlasting  dwelling  with  an 
abundant  harvest  of  merits,  which 
the  Lord  "weighed,"  even  to  the 
least,  "  in  a  just  balance,"  ^  and  en- 
dowed with  "  a  great  reward."  ® 

0  Mary !  thou  art  their  queen  :  if 
the  Saints  have  been,  amongst  the 
faithful,  as  so  many  rare  flowers 
adorning  the  garden  of  the  militant 
Spouse  of  Christ,  thou  didst  shine, 
in  that  mystical  garden,  as  the 
queen  of  all  flowers;  thou  didst 
show  forth,  by  thine  incomparable 


*  Cant.  i.  3. 
« Ps.  xliv.  15. 


^  Job  xxxi  6. 
•  Heb.  X.  35. 


710 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRQIN. 


example,  "  that  immense  treasure  of   ^ 
grace  wherewith  thou  wert  endow- 
ed, a  treasure  incomprehensible  to 
man  or  angel  I" ^ 

The  Saints  manifested  in  them- 
selves, more  or  less  sensibly,  some 
traits  of  the  life  of  their  divine 
Master ;  in  each  of  them  there 
shone  some  particular  virtue,  and 
"in  the  Father's  house,"  where 
"there  are  many  mansions,"^  each 
receives  that  share  of  special  glory 
which  he  gained  during  his  time  of 
probation. 

0  Mary!  thou  art  their  queen: 
what  each  had  of  particular  merit 
thou  hadst  whole  and  entire  ;  every 
characteristic  of  Jesus,  thine  ador- 
able Son,  was  retraced  in  thee  as 
clearly  as  it  could  be  in  a  creature : 
all  his  virtues  were  practised  by 
thee,  and  in  a  degree  so  high,  so 
perfect,  that  St.  Anselm  said  of 
thee,  that  "  after  the  sanctity  of  the 
Holy  of  holies,  there  is  not,  nor  can- 
not be,  any  like  to  thine !"^  And 
now,  in  the  celestial  regions,  thou 
art  invested  with  a  glory  commen- 
surate  to  thy  sublime  merit ;    thy 

•  S.   Bernardine,   Serm.   5,   de  Nativ.   B.    F., 
c  12. 

•  St  John  xiv.  2. 


crown  is  composed  of  the  united 
splendor  of  the  crowns  of  all  the 
Saints ;  yet  that  is  not  enough :  thy 
glory  surpasses  theirs,  even  as  all 
their  virtues  are  inferior  to  thine, 
and  that  it  is  through  the  merits  of 
Him  whom  thou  didst  bring  into 
the  world,  that  they  obtained  grace 
to  practise  those  same  virtues. 

The  Saints  have  wonderful  influ- 
ence with  God  on  our  behalf:  "  The 
Lord,"  says  St.  Leo,  "is  truly  admir- 
able in  giving  them  to  us,  not  only 
for  models,  but  also  for  most  power- 
ful protectors. "  *  Innumerable  facts 
proclaim  to  the  world  that  "they 
reign  for  ever  and  ever*^  in  the  city 
of  God,"®  and  that,  from  the  height 
of  their  sublime  thrones,  they  also 
reign  over  the  earth  by  a  mysterious 
influence. 

0  Mary!  of  all  these  powerful 
intercessors,  of  all  these  immortal 
kings,  thou  art  still  the  Queen. 
Thou  prayest  not  as  they  do,  but 
"  commandest  in  some  way :  for 
how  could  it  be,  0  Blessed  Virgin ! 
that  He  who  was  born  of  thee,  al- 
though omnipotent,  could  resist  that 


» De  excel.  Virg. 

*  In  Natcdi  8.  LaurenL 


» Apoc  xxii.  5. 
•  Ibid.  iii.  12. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


711 


maternal  authority  which  He  him- 
self gave  thee."  ^  Yes,  "  thy  re- 
quests are  almost  orders,"  says  St. 
Antoninus,^  "  and  what  thou  wili- 
est," says  St.  Anselm,  "  is  sure  to  be 
done ! " ^ 

Ah  I  may  that  admirable  Virgin, 
to  whom  all  Saints  do  homage  for 
their  crowns,  be  one  day  our  Queen  I 
And  for  that  end,  what  have  we  to 
do?  To  be  holy  while  on  earth. 
Now,  to  be  holy  is  to  live  "  the  life 
of  God,"*  according  to  the  magnili- 
cent  idea  of  the  great  Apostle  of 
nations;  it  is  to  possess  his  grace, 
and  to  labor  constantly  to  preserve 
and  increase  it  in  one's  self;  it  is 
to  love  the  Creator  sincerely,  "  with 
our  whole  heart,  and  with  our  whole 
soul,  and  with  all  our  strength  :"* 
for  he  who  loves  him  so  is  •  united 
to  him  in  an  ineffable  manner ;  and 
"  he  that  shall  persevere  to  the  end, 
he  shall  be  saved,"  ^  he  shall  become 
eternally,  in  heaven,  a  "partaker  of 
the  divine  nature,"^  of  the  glory  and 
beatitude  of  God.  "  Oh !  let  us 
raise,"  says   St.  Augustine,  "let  us 


'  S.  p.  Damiau,  Serm.  de  NcUiv.  B.  V. 

«  T.  II.,  in  3  part. 

»  De  excellent.  Virg.  c.  12. 

*  Ephes.  iv.  18. 


*  raise  our  hopes  and  direct  all  our 
desires  to  that  eternal  possession 
of  God,  who  is  the  sovereign  good 
and  the  source  of  all  true  goods."  ^ 
Let  us  beware  of  incurring  the  an- 
athema reserved  for  those  who  "  set 
at  nought  the  trim  desirable  land,"^ 
so  worthy  of  all  our  most  fervent 
aspirations. 

0  Mary!  who  admirably  united 
in  thine  own  person  all  the  merits 
of  all  the  Saints ;  0  thou  who  didst 
surpass  them  all,  in  this  world,  by 
thy  virtues  as  well  as  privileges, 
and  who,  in  heaven,  art  so  superior 
to  them  in  power  and  glory — with 
them,  with  all  the  happy  inhabit- 
ants of  the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  we 
bow  before  thee,  august  Mother  of 
our  Eedeemer,  who  "  standest  on  his 
right  hand,  in  gilded  clothing ! "  ^® 
Thou  rulest  all  the  elect,  0  living 
"habitation  j^f  God;""  placed,  as  it 
were,  *^on  the  top  of  mountains,  and 
high  above  the  hills ! "  ^^  If  we  con- 
sidered only  thy  marvellous  great- 
ness we  would  not  dare  to  raise  our 
eyes  to  thee,  heavenly  Queen ;  but 


"  St.  Luke  X.  27. 
«  St.  Matt.  xxiv.  13. 
»  2  Peter  i.  4. 
•  In  Psalm.  102. 


» Ps.  cv.  24. 
'•  Ps.  xliv.  10. 
"  Ephes.  ii  22. 
"  Mich.  iv.  1. 


m 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED   VIRGIN. 


we  know  all  thy  charity,  all  thy 
goodness,  all  thy  mercy,  and  our 
confidence  in  thee  is  unbounded ; 
by  thine  assistance  we  hope  to  lead 
a  holy  life,  and  to  gain  a  share  of 
that  kingdom  of  God  where  we  shall 
ever  rejoice  for  having  said  to  thee, 
here  below,  with  a  piety  worthy  of 
thy  sweet  majesty: 

Queen  of  all  Saints,  pray  for  us. 

Ragina  Sanctorum  omnium^  ora  pro 
nobis. 


MEDITATION  LIY. 

QUEEN    CONCECVED    WITHOUT    SIN,    PRAY 
FOR   us. 

IF  we  have  now  the  sweet*  con- 
solation of  being  able  to  salute 
Mary  as  Queen  conceived  without 
Sin,  we  owe  it  to  the  piety  of  our 
bishops,  who  petitioned  the  Holy 
See  to  that  effect.  The  Scripture 
calls  God,  in  an  absolute  manner, 
"the  King,"^  to  express  the  excel- 
lence of  his  supreme  Majesty ;  is  it 
not  fitting,  then,  to  honor  the  sover- 
eignty of  her  who  is  "above  all, 
except   God,"^   by   calling   her  the 

•  Pa.  iliv.:  cxliv.       *  S.  Bern.,  Serm.  6,  c.  6. 
»  Acts  of  the  Martyr  St.  Andrew. 


Queen  f  And  after  the  invocation 
which  implores  her  as  Queen  of  All 
Saints,  what  other  could  be  more 
appropriate  than  that  which  honors 
at  the  same  time  her  regal  grandeur 
and  the  privilege  of  her  exemp- 
tion from  original  sin  ? — a  privilege 
which  w^ould,  of  itself,  distinguish 
her  from  all  the  elect,  even  though 
she  were  not,  by  so  many  other 
titles,  superior  to  them  — a  privilege 
constantly  proclaimed  by  the  tra- 
ditions of  the  Church,  the  faithful 
echo  of  the  Apostolic  teaching. 

In  his  discourse  to  the  proconsul 
Egius,  St.  Andrew  hiuiself  gives 
Mary  the  title  of  "  Immaculate ;"  he 
compares  her  to  "  that  earth  where- 
of the  first  man  was  formed,  which 
had  not  received  the  malediction 
of  the-  Lord,  the  consequence  and 
punishment  of  the  primitive  fall."^ 
Origen,  who  lived,  very  near  the 
time  of  the  Apostles,  speaks  of  her 
as  "formed  in  grace,  free  from  the 
pestilential  breath  of  Satan;"''  St. 
Amphilocus,  as  "  without  spot  or 
stain  ;"^  St.  Epiphanius,  as  "fairer 
by  nature  than  all  the  angelic  host, 
the  immaculate  sheep  who  brought 

*  Homil.  vi.  in  Luc. 
» IV.  Disc,  in  S.  Deip. 


MEDITATIONS   ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE   BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


713 


forth  tbe  divine  Lamb  ;"^  St.  Ephra-  * 
im,  as  "  Virgin  without  spot,  or  stain, 
or  corruption,  an  absolute  stranger 
to  all  sin,  to  all  imperfection ;"  ^  St. 
Cyril,  as  "preserved  from  the  orig- 
inal stain."  ^ 

Is  it  necessary  to  quote  other 
organs  for  the  transmission  of  the 
primitive  belief?  Who  does  not 
know  that  St.  Jerome,*  St.  Augus- 
tine,^ St.  Fulgentius,^  St.  Ildefonso,^ 
St.  John  Damascene,^  St.  Peter 
Damian,^  St.  Anslem,^"  St.  Bonaven- 
ture,"  and  even  St.  Thomas,^^  likewise 
bear  witness  to  this  uninterrupted 
tradition  of  the  Church ;  that  the 
testimony  of  the  holy  doctors  is 
supported  by  the  monuments  of  both 
the  Greek  and  Latin  churches,  the 
words  of  the  sacred  liturgy,  the 
customs  of  dioceses,  and  those  of 
religious  orders ;  finally,  that  on 
the  invitation  of  the  illustrious  Pius 
IX.,^^  the  several  bishops  of  the  Cath- 
olic Church  have  attested,  in  an  au- 


'  De  Laudib.  Virg. 

»  Orat.  in  S.  Dei  Oen. 

»  In  Evang.  Joan.  I.,  vL  c.  15, 

<  In  Fs.  77. 

»  De  natura  et  gratia,  c.  36. 

«•  Serm.  de  Laudib.  M. 

»  Dispul.  de  V.  M. 

«  Orat.  de  not.  B.  V.  M. 


thentic  manner,  the  attachment  of 
the  faithful  to  this  belief.  So  that 
this  truth  is  recommended  by  its 
antiquity,  universality,  perpetuity, 
which  are  the  principal  foundations 
for  the  dogmas  of  Christianity. 

Moreover,  who  does  not  under- 
stand, that,  if  the  personal  union  of 
the  divine  nature  and  the  human 
nature  in  Jesus  Christ  rendered  ab- 
solutely necessary  the  conception  of 
the  Man-God  in  the  state  of  grace, 
the  divine  maternity,  "the  nearest 
possible  approach  to  that  union,"  ^* 
would  have  been  totally  incompati- 
ble with  the  conception  of  Mary  in 
a  state  of  sin?  What!  she  whom 
God  had  announced  from  the  begin- 
ning of  the  world  as  one  who  was 
to  escape  the  bite  of  the  infernal 
serpent,  as  one  destined  even  "  to 
crush  his  head,"^^  could  she  ever 
have  been  struck  by  his  dart,  or  be 
for  one  moment  "under  his  pow- 
er?"^^     Could  she  who  was  to  be 


9  Or.  12  de  nat.  M. 

"  De  concept.  V.,  c.  18. 

»  Serm.  11  de  B.  V. 

"  In  Lib.  I.  Sent.  disc.  44,  q.  1,  art  3. 

"  Encyc.  Let.  2d  Febr.  1849. 

"  Dionys.  Garth.  1.  2  de  laud.  V. 

•*  Gen.  iii.  15. 

•«  lOid.  16. 


n4 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


the  repairer  of  Eve's  transgression, 
be  left  inferior  to  Eve,  who  was 
created  in  the  state  of  grace  ?  She, 
in  fine,  who  was  to  live  for  nine 
months  the  same  corpoi*al  life  with 
the  Incarnate  Woi*d,  could  she  have 
been,  at  the  first  moment  of  her 
existence,  struck  with  the  divine 
malediction,  odious  to  the  Lord,  "  a 
child  of  wrath  ?"^ 

Oh !  no,  no ;  such  could  never  be 
the  case.  Virgin  so  tenderly  beloved 
by  God  and  man  !  Ah  !  the  latter 
well  understands  and  feels  it,  thanks 
to  the  ideas  of  sin,  of  grace,  and  of 
the  infinite  sanctity  of  God  given  us 
by  Christianity;  the  latter  loves  to 
proclaim,  in  the  face  of  heaven  and 
earth,  that  it  would  be  neither  just 
nor  possible  that  the  Son  of  God 
would  have  to  turn  away  in  disgust, 
even  for  one  moment,  from  her  who 
was  to  be  his  mother.  But  man 
also  attaches  a  measureless  import- 
ance to  the  shunning  of  sin ;  he  con- 
sidei-s  it,  as  Mary  did,  the  greatest 
of  all  happiness  to  be  in  favor  with 
God;  man  "watches  and  prays "^ 
assiduously,  in  order  to  preserve 
the  treasure  of  divine  grace;   man 

«  Ephes.  ii.  3. 

•  St,  Mark  xiii.  33. 


tries,  by  his  good  works,  daily  to 
strengthen  its  sacred  bonds,  daily 
to  increase  its  inestimable  fruits. 

0  Mary !  0  blessed  Queen !  0 
Queen  of  queens  I  Queen  conceived 
without  Sin  I  this  is  the  last  flight 
of  our  hearts  to  thee ;  this  is  the 
last  ray  of  glory  which,  on  earth, 
we  add  to  thy  crown  I  What  a 
happiness  for  us  to  be  able  to  say 
to  thee,  that  "the  Lord  possessed 
thee  in  the  beginning;"^  that  "  thou 
art  undeflled,  and  fair,  and  without 
spot  or  stain!"*  Ah!  be  always 
the  Queen  of  our  hearts,  0  thou 
who  hast  the  signal  honor  of  being 
exempt  from  the  original  anathema 
pronounced  on  all  men ;  and,  that 
this  dominion  may  be  pleasing  to 
thee,  grant  that  we  may  apply  our- 
selves more  and  more  to  serve  God 
with  purity,  with  fervor.  Hoping 
to  obtain  that  grace,  we  say  to  thee, 
with  all  possible  humility,  confi- 
dence, and  love. 

Queen    conceived    without    Sin, 

PRAY    FOR    us. 

Regina  sine  Lobe  concepta,  ora  pro 
nobis, 

»  Prov.  viii.  22.   • 
*  Cant  V.  2  ;  iv.  7 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


715 


MEDITATION  IN. 

9 

LAMB  OF  GOD,  WHO  TAKEST  AWAY  THE 
SINS  OF  THE  WORLD,  SPARE  US,  O 
LORD. 

THE  Church  terminates  all  her 
invocations  in  honor  of  the  Vir- 
gin by  a  passionate  appeal  to  her 
adorable  Son,  under  the  touching 
emblem  of  "the  Lamb  who  taketh 
away  the  sins  of  the  world."  ^  And 
first,  she  makes  us  consider  him  as 
the  Judge  whose  mercy  we  have  to 
implore ;  the  Lamb  who  sitteth  on 
a  lightning  throne;^  he  who  is  to 
judge  us  by  his  Cross,  "  the  sign  of 
the  Son  of  Man,"^  the  sign  of  "ruin 
and  of  resurrection"*  to  all  of  us, 
according  as  our  works  have  been 
contrary  or  conformable  to  the  sa- 
cred maxims  which  proceed  from  it. 
Alas  I  we  do  not,  as  often  as  we 
should,  consider  Jesus  in  his  char- 
acter of  Judge.  We  love  to  con- 
sider him  under  the  figure  of  a  good 
Shepherd,^  a  good  Father,^  a  tender 
Mother,^  and  that  is  only  what  we 
are  bound  to  do,  since  he  seems  to 
delight  in  representing  himself  un- 


«  St.  John  L  29. 
*  Apoc.  iv.  5  ;  v.  6. 
»  St.  Matt.  xxiv.  30. 


*  St.  Luke  ii.  34. 
» St.  Luke  XV. 
'Ibid. 


der  these  similitudes  in  the  holy 
Gospel,  in  order  to  make  us  sensi- 
ble of  the  inefi"able  treasures  of  his 
goodness  and  his  love  for  us.  But 
we  forget  that  if  we  do  not  worthily 
correspond  to  so  much  love  and  so 
much  goodness,  we  are  but  the  more 
criminal  for  having  "  detained  the 
truth  of  God  in  our  hearts  ;"^  we  for- 
get that,  the  greater  that  goodness, 
the  more  ardent  and  the  more  gen- 
erous that  love,  we  are  the  more 
bound  to  be  sensible  of  it ;  we  for- 
get, in  fine,  that,  if  we  are  so  un- 
grateful to  that  "  Lamb  of  God,"  ^ 
so  mild,  so  amiable,  so  tender  to  us, 
as  to  violate  his  absolute  right  to 
our  will,  our  affections,  the  use  of 
all  our  faculties,  we  expose  our- 
selves to  find  only  in  him,  in  the 
other  world,  "  the  terrible  lion  of  the 
fold  of  Juda,"^**  before  whom  the 
reprobate  shall  one  day  cry  out  "  to 
the  mountains  and  to  the  rocks : 
Fall  upon  us,  and  hide  us  from  the 
face  of  him  that  sitteth  upon  the 
throne,  and  from  the  wrath  of  the 
Lamb."^^ 

But  what!  is  not  that  Lamb  all 

'  St  Matt.  xxiu.  37.  '  St.  John  L  29. 

•  Rom.  L  18.  '"  Apoc.  v.  5. 

"  Apoc.  vi  16. 


716 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


goodness,  all  meekness,  all  charity  ?^  * 
Oh  yes !  Jesus  has  well  proved  it  to 
us;  he  did  for  us  things  that  men 
do  not  even  for  those  they  tenderly 
love.  But  then  he  is  as  just  as  he 
is  good,  all  his  perfections  being 
equally  infinite ;  and  if  we  reject 
the  mild  reign  of  his  incomparable 
love,  must  not  his  justice  reign  in 
its  turn  at  the  end  of  this  life,  which 
is  given  us  to  choose  one  or  the 
other?  Now,  let  us  sincerely  "judge 
oui*selves :"  ^  is  it  not  true  that  we 
have  but  little  gratitude?  What 
do  I  say  ?  is  it  not  true  that  we  are 
ungrateful,  that  we  treat  Jesus  as 
though  we  owed  him  nothing,  and 
sometimes  even  as  if  we  were  anx- 
ious to  irritate  his  justice  against 
us?  Is  it  not  true  that  whosoever 
it  stiikes  has  well  deserved  eternal 
punishment  ?  .  .  .  .  Yes,  if,  on  the 
subject  of  the  ineffable  mystery  of 
the  Eucharist,  we  may  truly  say, 
considering  the  mystery  of  the 
Cross,  Love  explains  love!  so,  re- 
gai-ding  on  one  «iide  the  prodigies 
of  the  goodness  and  tenderness  of 
Jesus  for  men,  on  the  other,  the  in- 
difference, the  odious  and  obstinate 


'  1  John  iv.  8.  « 1  Cor.  xi.  31. 

» Ps.  L  19. 


ingratitude  of  so  many  sinners,  we 
may  well  exclaim.  The  Incarnation, 
the  Redemption,  the  Eucharist, 
Heaven,  sufficiently  account  for 
Hell  I  .  .  .  .  And  even  Hell  itself, 
is  it  not,  in  the  adorable  designs 
of  Providence,  as  it  were,  the  last 
means  of  forcing  men  to  work  out 
their  salvation  when  all  nobler  mo- 
tives have  failed  to  effect  it. 

But  we  who  have,  perhaps,  often 
deserved  that  Hell,  we  who  have 
perhaps  too  long  overlooked  the 
claims  of  the  Lamb  of  God,  we  who 
have  abused  his  blessings,  outraged 
his  love,  ah!  let  us  ask  pardon  of 
him  for  our  unworthy  conduct;  let 
us  excite  ourselves  to  a  profound 
sentiment  of  sorrow,  thinking  of  the 
grievous  wrongs  wherewith  he  has 
to  reproach  us ;  let  us  pi-ostrate 
ourselves  before  him,  with  a  truly 
"  contrite  and  humbled  heart,"  ^  say- 
ing to  him  still  more  by  feeling  than 
by  word : 

"  Lamb  of  God,  who  takest  away 
the  sins  of  the  world,"  ^  spare  us,  0 
Lord!  Spare  us,  0  sovereign  Mas- 
ter of  all  things,  0  sovereign  "Judge 
of    the    living   and  of  the   dead,"^ 

*  St.  John  L  29. 

•  Acts  X.  42. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


717 


spare  us!  It  is  true  we  are  but 
ungrateful  sinners,  who  have  slight- 
ed thy  ineffable  love,  foolishly 
despised  thy  rewards,  as  though 
heaven  were  not  worth  some  exer- 
tion, and  who  have  braved  thy 
justice,  as  though  the  threat  of  its 
chastisements  were  not  serious !  .  .  . 
0 1  how  culpable  we  are!  ....  But 
treat  us  not  according  to  our  merits, 
treat  us,  rather,  according  to  thine 
infinite  mercy,  which  we  now  im- 
plore, striking  our  breast  like  the 
humble  publican,^  and  crying  with 
all  our  heart,  "  Spare,  0  Lord,  spare 
thy  people  ; "  ^  that,  by  the  interces- 
sion of  thy  divine  Mother,  thy  clem- 
ency may  be  glorified  in  us ;  ^  that 
in  us  may  be  fulfilled  the  saying  of 
the  Prophet  Joel,  "The  Lord  hath 
spared  his  people."* 

Lamb  of  God,  who  takest  away 
the  sins  of  the  world,  spare  us,  0 
Lord. 

Agnus  Dei,  qui  tollis  peccata  mun- 
di,  parce  nobis,  Domine. 

'  St.  Luke  xviii.  13. 

» Joel  ii.  17. 

'  Isaiah  xxx.  18. 

*  Joel  ii.  18. 

» Apoc.  i.  18. 


MEDITATION  LVI. 

LAMB  OF  GOD,  WHO  TAKEST  AWAY  THE 
SINS  OF  THE  WORLD.  GRACIOUSLY 
HEAR    US,    0    LORD. 

AFTER  having  asked  the  divine 
Lamb  to  forgive  us,  we  urge 
and  beseech  him  to  vouchsafe  to  hear 
our  request.  The  first  cry  of  our 
heart  was  one  of  lively  repentance, 
of  profound  and  bitter  sorrow.  The 
second  is  a  cry  of  humble  supplica- 
tion, imploring  Infinite  Goodness  for 
a  great  and  signal  favor,  on  which 
depends  our  eternal  salvation :  Gra- 
ciously hear  us,  0  Lord  ! 

The  Church  makes  us  here  repeat 
the  title  of  Lord  to  "  the  Lamb  who 
taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  world," 
in  order  to  penetrate  us  more  and 
more  with  the  infinite  greatness  and 
majesty  of  that  incomparable  bene- 
factor whom  we  have  had  the  mis- 
fortune to  offend,  and  to  render  us 
more  and  more  contrite  for  our  of- 
fences. But  it  is  also  to  remind  us 
that  He  to  whom  we  pray  is  the 
absolute  master  of  all  things;  that 
he  has  "  the  keys  of  death  and  of 
hell;"^  and  that,  consequently,  our 
prayer  cannot  be  too  humble,  too 
fervent  I     Ah !  let  it  be  then  with 


rl8 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


all  our  hearts  that  we  ejaculate, 
Graciously  hear  us^  0  Lord  I  For 
we  know  too  well,  alas!  that  we 
are  very  guilty,  but  we  know  not, 
and  can  never  know  with  certain- 
ty, whether  God  has  forgiven  us. 
AMierefore  it  is  that  we  should 
every  day  bewail  our  sins,  every 
day  endeavor  to  repair  them  before 
the  Loi-d,  and  every  day,  with  new 
ardor,  beseech  our  good  God  to  for- 
get "our  former  iniquities."^  David, 
though  assured  of  his  pardon  by  the 
mouth  of  the  prophet  Nathan,  who 
said,  "the  Lord  hath  taken  away 
thy  sin,"^  had  still  his  crime  con- 
stantly before  his  eyes;'  he  be- 
sought the  Most  High  to  "wash 
him  yet  naore  from  his  iniquity;"* 
even  in  the  night  he  watered  his 
couch  with  his  tears.*  Ah!  what, 
then,  should  we  do,  we  who  "have 
wrought  iniquity,"^  alas!  too  often, 
and  have  not  received  from  the 
infallible  lips  of  a  prophet  the  as- 
surance of  our  reconciliation   with 

God! 

St.  Paul,  that  great  Apostle,  who 
merited  to  be  taken  up  to  the  third 


•  Ps.  IxxviiL  8. 

•  2  Kings  liL  13. 


»  Ps.  L  6. 
«Ps.L4. 


» Ps.  tL  7. 


f  heaven,  has  not  he  also  said,  "  I  am 
not  conscious  to  myself  in  anything; 
yet  in  this  I  am  not  justified?"^ 
What  then  ?  that  admirable  servant 
and  minister  of  God,  who  had  re- 
ceived so  many  marks  of  his  good- 
ness and  love ;  that  illustrious  saint, 
who  had  performed  numberless 
achievements  for  the  glory  of  his 
divine  Master,^  in  a  word,  the  in- 
comparable St.  Paul  dares  not  be- 
lieve himself  justified !  And  we 
whose  life  has  been  so  far  from 
resembling  his,  we  who,  after  com- 
mitting many  and  grievous  sins, 
have  done  little  or  nothing  to  ex- 
piate them,  we  live  as  though  we 
were  sure  of  going  straight  to 
heaven.  Ah !  rather,  how  great 
should  be  our  humility,  how  un- 
ceasing our  contrition!  "The  no- 
bler the  victim,"  says  Bossuet,  "  the 
more  acceptable  the  oifering  :  there 
is  no  doubt,  then,  that  it  is  incom- 
parably more  meritorious  to  humble 
our  heart  before  God  than  to  mor- 
tify our  body  for  his  sake."^  But 
while  humbling  our  soul  before  the 
Lord,  let  us  at  the  same  time  bewail 

•  Ps.  cv.  6.  »  1  Cor.  iv.  4. 

•  2  Cor.  xi 

•  n.  Panegyric  on  St.  Francis  of  Paula,  p.  203. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


719 


unceasingly  our  misfortune  in  having 
defiled  our  baptismal  robe  of  inno- 
cence, and  in  some  sort  "trodden 
under  foot"^  the  adorable  blood  of 
that  divine  Lamb  who  became  our 
victim.  "  The  more  we  deplore  the 
misery  into  which  we  have  fallen, 
the  more  do  we  approach  the  good 
we  have  lost.  Let  us,  then,  never 
cease  to  pour  forth  tears  so  effec- 
tive, that  our  sorrow,  substituted 
for  an  eternal  punishment,  may,  in 
some  measure,  iiftitate  that  intoler- 
able perpetuity  by  continuing  at 
least  till  our  last  agony.'-' ^ 

0  Lamb  of  God,  adorable  victim, 
"  slain  in  figure  from  the  beginning 
of  the  world,"  ^  in  every  oblation 
offered  under  the  Mosaic  law  ;  slain 
in  dread  reality  on  the  rock  of  Cal- 
vary, on  the  very  spot  where  Adam 
of  old  was  buried,'^  "so  that  as  all  die 
in  Adam,  in  thee  all  may  receive 
life;"^  immolated,  ever  since,  in  a 
mystical,  but  not  less  real  manner, 
on  our  altars,  where  thou  art  always, 
"  as  it  were,  slain ;"®  when  we  pray. 


•  Heb.  X.  29. 

'  Bos.,  II.  Panegyric  on  St.  Francis  of  Paula, 
p.  196.  '  Apoc.  xiii.  8. 

*  S.  Ambrose,  Origen,  Tertullian,  S.  Athana- 


*  entreat  thee  to  be  propitious  to  us, 
do  we  not  correspond  with  the  de- 
sire of  the  heart  which  loved  us 
even  to  excess  ?  ^  No,  no,  it  belongs 
not  to  the  designs  of  thy  justice  to 
treat  us  without  mercy,  since  it  is 
thou  who  givest  us  the  grace  to  re- 
pent, to  implore  thee  with  our  whole 
heart,  and  to  wish  to  efface  the  sins 
of  the  past  by  penance.  It  is,  then, 
thy  will  that,  uniting  with  the  au- 
gust Pontiffs,  and  other  ministers 
of  the  Church,  who  pray  unceas- 
ingly for  all  its  members,  with  the 
Blessed  Virgin  ever  pleading  for  us 
all,  we  should  say  to  thee,  with  the 
deepest  soitow  and  humiliation,  but 
also  with  the  most  firm  confidence, 
that  "  so  having  prayed,  we  shall 
be  heard."  ^  0  God  our  Saviour, 
graciously  hear  our  supplication : 

Lamb  of  God,  who  takest  away 
the  sins  of  the  world,  graciously 
HEAR  US,  0  Lord. 

Agnus  Dei^  qui  Mis  peccata  mundi^ 
exaiidi  nos,  Domine. 


sius,  S.  Epiphanius,  S.  Cyril  of  Jerusalem  :   See 
Biblioth.  Choisie  des  Peres,  par  Guillon,  t.  ix. 
*  Origen,  in  Maith.  '  Ephes.  ii.  4 

J,       «  Apoc.  V.  6.  •  Eccles.  xxxiii.  4. 


720 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


MEDITATION  LVU. 

LAMB  OF  GOD,  WHO  TAKEST  AWAY  THE 
SINS  OF  THE  WORLD,  UAVE  MERCY 
ON   US. 

HERE  we  still  peiisist  in  asking 
pardon  for  our  sins,  and  be- 
seech the  divine  Lamb  to  have  mercy 
wi  us.  This  time  we  do  not  add  the 
title  of  Lord;  we  wish  so  to  speak 
that  the  divine  Jesus  may  forget  his 
greatness  and  his  majesty  so  out- 
raged by  us,  to  remember  only  his 
infinite  mercy,  that  adorable  com- 
passion which  he  himself  made  so 
lively  and  so  tender  by  deigning  to 
be  "tempted  in  all  things  like  as 
we  are."^  Thus  we  make  a  last 
appeal  to  the  adorable  heart  of  our 
Saviour — an  appeal  which  cannot 
fail  to  be  efficacious.  Is  it  not,  in 
fact,  as  if  we  said  to  him,  0  Thou 
"  who  delivered  thyself  for  us,"^  who 
art  "the  propitiation  for  our  sins,"' 
ah !  doubtless  we  do  not  deserve  to 
be  heard  when  we  ask  thy  forgive- 
ness for  those  we  have  had  the 
misfortune  to  commit,  but  we  ap- 
peal to  that  ineffable  pity  which 
thou  feelest  for  us;  save  us,  save 
us,  divine  Lamb,  save  us,  at  least, 

'  Heb.  iv.  15.        » Ephes.  v.  2.        '1  John  il  2. 


f  through   pure   compassion,  through 
pure  mercy  I  .  .  .  . 

If  David  formerly  said  to  God 
with  a  sublime  confidence,  based 
on  a  sublime  sentiment  of  his  in- 
finite mercy,  "  Thou  wilt  pardon  my 
sin,  for  it  is  great;"*  if,  before  the 
Incarnation  or  Redemption  (mys- 
teries wherein  that  same  mercy  was 
so  fully  manifested),  he  had  so  high, 
so  enlarged  an  idea  of  that  abyss 
of  goodness  which  loves  to  pour 
itself  forth,  on  th6  penitent  sinner 
in  a  dew  of  grace  and  pardon ;  what 
an  idea,  what  sentiments  should  we 
ourselves  have  when  we  address 
ourselves  to  that  infinite  goodness 
manifested  to  us  in  the  divine  na- 
ture of  a  God  become  our  victim! 
....  Ah !  if  we  would  know  how 
deeply  the  tender  and  loving  heart 
of  that  divine  Lamb  is  moved  by 
any  appeal  to  his  compassion,  let 
us  open  the  Gospel.  During  the 
whole  course  of  his  mortal  life,  who 
ever  said,  Have  mercy  on  its  !  with- 
out obtaining  his  request?  Two 
blind  men  follow  him  crying,  Son 
of  David,  "have  mercy  on  us!"' 
He  touches  their  eyes,  and  they  are 
opened  to  the  light.     A  Chananean 


*  Ps.  xxiv.  IL 


•  St.  Matt.  ix.  27. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN 


721 


woman,  whose  daughter  is  torment-  ^ 
ed  by  the  devil,  cries  out  in  her 
turn,  "  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on 
nie ! "  "  Be  it  done  to  thee  as  thou 
wilt,"  says  Jesus  answering,^  and 
her  daughter  is  cured  that  very  mo- 
ment. "  Have  pity  on  my  son," 
said  an  afflicted  father  to  him ;  "  he 
suffereth  much."^  Jesus  instantly 
cures  him.  Near  Jericho,  a  blind 
man,  named  Bartimeus,  also  im- 
plores his  compassion  —  "  Son  of 
David,  have  mercy  on  me ! " '  Jesus 
speaks,  and  the  blind  man  recovers 
his  sight.  Ten  lepers  cry  out  from 
afar  off,  "  Jesus,  Master,  have  mercy 
on  us!"'^  and  they  obtain  their  cure. 
That  admirable  sympathy  for  all 
human  miseries,  that  tender  pity 
which  made  St.  Peter  say  of  him 
that  he  ''went  about  doing  good,"^ 
can  it  be  that  Jesus,  glorified,  has 
ceased  to  feel  it  ?  Ah !  see,  rather, 
how  he  delights  to  manifest  it  more 
and  more  by  the  continual  prodigy 
of  the  adorable  Eucharist !  Does 
he  not  in  that  mystery  place  his 
blood  and  his  merits  at  our  dis- 
posal ?  Does  he  not  offer  himself 
every  day  and  every  hour  as  a  vic- 

'  St.  Matt.  XV.  22,  28.         *  St.  Matt.  xvii.  14 
'^  St.  Mark  x.  4.7. 


tim  of  propitiation  for  our  sins,  and 
of  impetration  for  all  the  graces  of 
which  we  stand  in  need  ?  Does  he 
not  therein  make  a  continual  sac- 
rifice of  his  glory,  which  is,  as  it 
were,  annihilated  under  humble  spe- 
cies ;  the  sacrifice  of  his  liberty, 
bound  in  some  way  to  the  will  of 
his  ministers ;  the  sacrifice  of  the 
operation  of  his  justice,  so  often 
provoked  by  the  crimes  of  sinners, 
and  suspended  by  the  marvellous 
mildness  of  his  mercy  ?  For  nearly 
two  thousand  years  has  this  Lamb 
of  God  unceasingly  manifestcid  in 
this  stupendous  miracle  his  incom- 
parable devotion  to  our  salvatiijn ; 
how  then  could  we  doubt  the  liveli- 
ness, the  tenderness,  the  generosity 
of  his  compassion  for  hearts  touched 
with  repentance  and  desirous  of  his 
love?  Let  us,  then,  wholly  give 
ourselves  up  to  the  sweetest  confi- 
dence, and  say  to  him: 

"  Lamb  of  God,  who  takest  away 
the  sins  of  the  world,"  have  mercy  on 
us,  who  are  much  to  be  pitied,  and 
so  utterly  unworthy  of  thy  goodness. 
Ah !  if  thou  didst  but  consider 
thine  infinite  justice,  thou  wouldst 

*  St.  Luke  xvii.  13. 
» Acts  X.  3a 


T2'2 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGTN. 


strike  the  ungrateful  wretches  who 
have  returned  thee  evil  for  good, 
coldness  or  insult  for  tlie  tenderest 
love.  But  we  implore  tliat  pity, 
that  inexhaustible  mercy  wherewith 
thy  heart  overflows  for  penitent  sin- 
nei*8 ;  we  implore  that  adorable 
blood  which  quenches  the  fire  of 
"the  wrath  of  God,"^  and  effects 
"  the  remission  of  sins ;"  '^  and  that 
our  prayers  may  be  more  effectual 


Apoc.  XV.  7. 


«  Col.  i.  14. 


with  thee,  we  unite  them  with  those 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  our  good  and 
sweet  Mother,  and  by  her  sacred 
lips  wo  offer  thee  this  pious  sup- 
plication which  the  Church  places 
on  those  of  her  children,  w^hatsoever 
their  condition  may  be — 

Lamb  of  God,  who  takest  away 
the  sins  of  the  world,  have  mercy 

ON    US. 

Agnus  Dei.,  qui  toUis  peccata  mundi, 
<f  miserere  nobis. 


LITANY  OF 

THE 

BLESSED   VIRGIN. 

O  UB  tuum  prsesidium  confugimus, 
^  Genitrix,  nostras  deprecationes  r 

sancta  Dei 

y ITE  fly  to  thy  patronage,  0  holy  Mother 
"  ^    of  God,  despise  not  our  petitions  in  our 

le  despicias 

in  necessitatibus  njDstris  ;  sed  a  periculis  cunctis 

necessities  ;  but  deliver  us  always  from  all  dan- 

libera nos  semper,  Virgo  gloriosa  et  benedicta. 

gers,  0  glorious  and  blessed  Virgin. 

Kyrie  eleison. 

Lord,  have  mercy. 

Kyrie  eleison. 

Lord,  have  mercy. 

Christe  eleison. 

Christ,  have  mercy. 

Ghriste  eleison. 

Christ,  have  mercy. 

Kyrie  eleison. 

Lord,  have  mercy. 

Kyrie  eleison. 

Lord,  have  mercy. 

Christe  audi  nos. 

Christ,  hear  us. 

Christe  exavdi  nos. 

Christ,  graciously  hear  us. 

Pater  de  coelis  Deus, 

Fili  Redemptor  mundi  Deus, 

»l 

God  the  Father  of  heaven,                           H| 
God  the  Son,  Redeemer  of  the  world,    §  § 

Spiritus  Sancte  Deus, 

i*'! 

God  the  Holy  Ghost,                                 §  | 

Sancta  Trinitas,  unus  Deus, 

3 

Holy  Trinity,  one  God,                                ^ 

Sancta  Maria,  Ora  pro  nobis. 

Holy  Mary,  Pray /or  us 

Sancta  Dei  Genitrix, 

Holy  Mother  of  God, 

Sancta  Virgo  virginum, 

Holy  Virgin  of  virgins. 

Mater  Christi, 

Mother  of  Christ, 

Mater  divinge  gratise, 

Mother  of  divine  grace. 

Mater  purissima. 

Mother  most  pure. 

Mater  castissima, 

? 

Mother  most  chaste, 

Mater  inviolata. 

Mother  inviolate,                                            ^ 

Mater  intemerata 

"S 

Mother  undefiled,                                          **i 

Mater  amabilis, 

1 

Mother  most  amiable,                                    ^ 

Mater  admirabilis, 

1 

Mother  most  admirable,                                g 

Mater  Creatoris, 

Mother  of  our  Creator, 

Mater  Redemptoris, 

Mother  of  our  Redeemer, 

Virgo  prudentissima, 

Virgin  most  prudent. 

Virgo  veneranda. 

Virgin  most  venerable. 

Virgo  prsedicanda. 

Virgin  most  renowned. 

Virgo  potens, 

Virgin  most  powerful, 

Virgo  Clemens, 

Virgin  most  merciful, 

1 


Yirgo  fidelU, 

Speoulam  jastituB, 

Sedes  npientiaB, 

Causa  nostne  laetitia, 

Yas  spirituale, 

Yas  honorabile, 

Yas  insigne  deTotiom% 

Bosa  m  jstioa, 

Turris  Davidioa, 

Turris  ebnmea, 

Domas  anrea, 

Foederis  area, 

Janna  cceli, 

Stella  matatina, 

Solus  infirmorum, 

Befuginm  peccatomm, 

Consolatrix  afflictorum, 

Auxilium  Christianomm, 

Regina  Angelorum, 

Regioa  Patriarchamm, 

Regina  Prophetamm, 

Rf^na  Apostolomm, 

Regina  Martyrnm, 

Regina  Confessorum, 

Regina  Yirginnm,  « 

Regina  Sanctorum  omnium, 

Regina  sine  labe  originali  concepta, 

Agnus  Dei,  qui  tollis  peccata  mundi. 

Farce  nobis,  Domine. 

Agnus  Dei,  qui  tollis  peccata  mundi, 

Exaudi  nos,  Domine. 

Ag^us  Dei,  qui  tollis  peccata  mundi. 


Minerere  nobis. 
Chrisie  audi  noa 
Ckrixte  exaudi  nos. 
Ant.  Sub  taum  prsesidium  confugimus,  sancta 
Dei  Genitrix,  nostras  deprecation es  ne  despicias 
in  neoessitatibus  nostris  ;  sed  a  periculis  cunctis 
libera  nos  semper.     Viri»o  gloriosa  et  benedicta. 
V.  Ora  pro  nobis,  sancta  Dei  Genitrix. 
B.  Ut  digni  efficiamur  promissionibus  Christi. 


I 


f 


Yii'gin  most  faithful, 

Mirror  of  justice, 

Seat  of  wisdom, 

Cause  of  our  joy. 

Spiritual  Vessel, 

Vessel  of  honor, 

Vessel  of  Singular  devotion, 

Mystical  Rose, 

Tower  of  David, 

Tower  of  ivory. 

House  of  gold, 

Ark  of  the  covenant, 

Gate  of  heaven, 

Morning  star, 

Health  of  the  sick, 

Refuge  of  sinners, 

Comforter  of  the  afiiicted. 

Help  of  Christians, 

Queen  of  Angels, 

Queen  of  Patriarchs, 

Queen  of  Prophets, 

Queen  of  Apostles, 

Queen  of  Martyrs, 

Queen  of  Confessors, 

Queen  of  Virgins, 

Queen  of  all  Saints, 

Queen  conceived  without  original  sin, 

Lamb  of  God,  who  takest  away  the  sins  of 
the  world, 

Spare  us,  0  Lord. 

Lamb  of  God,  who  takest  away  the  sins  ol 
the  world, 

Graciously  hear  us,  0  Lord. 

Lamb  of  God,  who  takest  away  the  sins  o^ 
the  world. 

Have  mercy  on  us. 

Christ,  hear  us. 

Christ,  graciously  hear  u.% 
Ant.  We  fly  to  thy  patronage,  O  holy  Mother 
of  God,  despise  not  our  petitions  in  our  neces- 
sities ;  but  deliver  us  always  from  all  dangers, 
O  glorious  and  blessed  Virgin. 

V.  Pray  for  us,  O  holy  Mother  of  God. 
B.  That  we  may  be  made  worthy  of  the  pro- 
mises of  Christ. 


1 

MEDITATIONS  ON   THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN.                  725 

Oremus. 

Let  us  pray. 

Gratiam    tuam,   qusesumus,   Domine,   menti- 

Pour  forth,  we   beseech   thee,  0  Lord,  thy 

bua  nostris  infunde  :  ut  qui,  Angelo  nuntiante, 

grace  into  our  hearts ;  that  we  to  whom  the  In- 

Christi Filii  tui  Incarnationem  cognovimus,  per 

carnation  of  Christ,  thy  Son,  was  made  known 

Passionem  »J«  ejus  et  Crucem  ad  Resurrectionis 

by  the  message  of  an  angel,  may,  by  his  Pas- 

gloriam  perducamur.      Per  eundem   Christum 

sion  *J«  and  Cross,  be  brought  to  the  glory  of 

Dominum  nostrum. 

his  resurrection.     Through  the  same  Christ  our 

Lord. 

R.  Amen. 

R.  Amen. 

V.  Divinum  auxilium  maneat  semper  nobis- 

V.  May  the  divine  assistance  remain  always 

cum. 

with  us. 

R.  Amen. 

R,  Amen. 

Saluc 

E  eg  in  a. 

O  ALVE,  Regina,  Mater  misericordiae  ; 
*^     Vita,  dulcedo,  et  spes  nostra,  salve. 

TTAIL.  holy  Queen,  Mother  of  mercy ; 

-*--■-    Our  life,  our  sweetness,  and  our  hope,  all 

hail. 

Ad  te  clamamus,  exules  filii  Hevse  ; 

To  thee  we  cry,  poor  banished  sons  of  Eve  ; 

Ad  te  suspiramus,  gementes  et  flentes  in  hac 

To  thee  we  sigh,  weeping  and  mourning  in 

lacrymarum  valle. 

this  vale  of  tears. 

Eia  ergo,  Advocata  nostra, 

Therefore,  0  our  Advocate, 

Illos   tuos  misericordes  oculos   ad  nos  con- 

Turn   thou   on    us    those    merciful    eyes    of 

verte ; 

thine  ; 

Et  Jesum,  benedictum  fructum  ventris  tui 

And  after  this  our  exile,  show  us 

Nobis  post  hoc  exilium  ostende, 

The  blessed  fruit  of  thy  womb,  Jesus, 

0  Clemens,  0  pia,  0  dulcis  Virgo  Maria. 

0  merciful,  O  kind,  0  sweet  Virgin  Mary. 

V.  Ora  pro  nobis,  sancta  Dei  Genitrix. 

V.  Pray  for  us,  0  holy  Mother  of  God. 

R.  Ut  digni  efficiamur  promissionibus  ChristL 

R.  That  we  may  be  made  worthy  of  the  pro- 

mises of  Christ 

IHcmorarc. 

J^TEMORARE,  0  piissima  Virgo  Maria,  non 
•^'^  esse  aiiditum  a  sseculo,  quemquam  ad  tua 

"O  EMEMBER,  0  most  gracious  Virgin  Mary, 
-*-^  that  never  was  it  known,  that  any  one 

currentem    prsesidia,   tua   implorantem   auxilia, 

who  fled  to  thy  protection,  implored  thy  help, 

tua  petentem  suffragia,  esse  derelictum.     Ego, 

and  sought  thy  intercession,  was  left  unaided. 

tali  animatus  confidentia,  ad  te,  Virgo  virginum, 

Lispired  with  this  confidence,  I  fly  unto  thee,  0 

Hater,  oarro.  Ad  te  veuiu ;  coram  te  gemens 
peooaior  asaiaia  Noli,  Mater  Yerbi,  verba 
mea  despioere,  sed  audi  propitia  et  exaudi. 
Amen. 


Virgin  of  virgins,  my  Mother.  To  thee  I  come  ; 
before  thee  I  stand,  sinful  and  sorrowful.*  O 
Mother  of  the  Word  Incarnate,  despise  not  my 
petitions,  but  in  thy  mercy  hear  and  answer  me. 
Amen. 

*  Here  you  may  make  your  request 


For  taying  the  "Salre  Begin* "  in  the  morning,  and  the  "Idtany  of  the  Blessed  Virgin"  in  the  evening,  adding  to 
«adi  the  following  Tersicle : 


V.  Dignare  me  laadare  te,  Virgo  sacrata. 

B,  Da  mihi  virtutem  contra  hostes  tuos. 
V.  Benedictus  Deus  in  Sanctis  suis. 
R.  Amen. 


V.  Vouchsafe  that  I  may  praise  thee,  O  sacred 
Virgin. 

a.  Give  me  strength  against  thy  enemies. 
V.  Blessed  be  God  in  his  Saints. 
S.  Amen. 


Ist  An  indulgence  of  100  days  every  day.  2d.  An  indulgence  of  7  years  and  7  quadragentB  every  Sunday.  3d.  A 
plenary  indulgence  on  any  two  Simdays  in  every  month,  on  all  the  Feasts  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  on  the  Feast  of  All  Saints, 
to  thow  who  repeat  the  above-mentioned  prayers  every  day,  with  the  usual  conditions ;  and  also  at  the  hour  of  death. 


An  indulgence  of  800  days  every  time  the  three  following  ejaculatory  prayers  are  said,  to  obtain  a  happy  death  : 

Jesus,  Joseph,  and  Mary,  I  give  you  my  heart  and  my  life. 

Jescs,  Joseph,  and  Mary,  assist  me  in  my  last  agony. 

Jesus,  Joseph,  and  Mary,  may  I  die  in  peace  in  your  blessed  company. 
For  saying  any  one  of  them,  100  days. 

Sixtns  v.,  anxious  to  propagate  more  and  more  the  devotion  to  Mary,  and  to  induce  the  Faithful  to  have  recourse  to 
her  intercession,  granted  by  the  Bull  "Reddituri,"  of  the  11th  July,  1687,  two  hundred  days'  indulgence  to  those  who 
should  redte,  with  a  contrite  heart,  the  "Litany  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,"  with  the  versicle  "Ora  pro  nobis,"  etc.,  and  the 
prayer  "Qratiam  tuam,"  etc.  Benedict  XIII.  confirmed  this  grant,  approving  of  a  decree  of  the  Congregation  of  Indul- 
gences of  the  12th  of  January.  1728.  Pius  VII.,  by  his  decree  "Urbis  et  Orbis."  of  the  30th  September,  1817,  extended 
the  indulgence  to  300  days,  made  it  applicable  to  the  souls  in  purgatory,  and  added  a  Plenary  Indulgence,  which  may  be 
gained  on  the  Feasts  of  the  Conception,  the  Nativity,  the  Annunciation,  the  Purification,  and  the  Assumption,  by  those 
who  say  this  Litany  every  day,  provided  that  they  go  to  confession  with  due  contrition,  receive  the  Holy  Commimion,  visit 
a  church  oi  public  chapel,  and  pray  there  according  to  the  intention  of  the  sovereign  pontiff.  ' 


MEDITATIONS  ON   THE  LITANY  OF   THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


727 


MEDITATION   UPON   THE   ANGELICAL   SALUTATION. 


After  the  TiOrd's  Prayer,  tlie  use  of  the  Antrelical  Salutation  has  now  become  ever3'where  more  general  among  the 
pious  Faithful ;  how  rightly  and  justly,  has  been  very  often  shown,  and  is  proved  by  the  fact  itself.  Be  it  that  the 
envious  gna^li  their  teeth,  tliat  the  -'Scourge  uf  Mary.'"  and  infidels  cavil;  yet  the  custom  of  saluting,  and  tlie  form  of 
praying  to  the  Virgin  cannot  be  otherwise  than  strongly  approved  by  us.  since  it  was  brought  from  heaven  by  a  messenger 
of  God  ;    for  who  is  there  who  can  doubt  that  he  came  an  ambiissador  taught  by  God  ? 

So.  therefore,  will  it  be  just  and  right,  even  at  this  day,  to  honor  the  Virgin  now.  whom  it  has  been  the  will  of  God 
BO  Ui  honor  of  old.  What,  then,  we  now  propose  to  do  is,  to  point  out  the  use  and  object  of  the  Angelical  Salutation.  For 
terse  as  it  is  in  expression,  yet  fruitful  in  mysteries,  its  frequent  repetition,  with  the  aid  of  a  little  attentive  reflection,  will 
cause  it  to  be  relished  the  more. 

Assuredly,  notliing  is  so  becoming  and  suitable  to  a  Christian,  as  frequently  and  devoutly  to  call  to  mind  his  Redemp- 
tion :  but  becau.se  the  Incarnation  of  the  Son  of  God  is  its  first  and  chief  mystery,  and  it  was  ordered  by  the  Divine 
Wisdom  that  this  should  be  accomplished  by  means  of  an  embassage  sent  from  heaven  to  a  Virgin,  how  can  it  be  denied 
that  it  is  a  pious  duty,  both  becoming  and  well-pleasing  to  God,  often  to  reflect  upon  the  very  words  with  which  it  was  his 
will  that  the  angel  should  announce  so  great  a  mystery,  expected  during  so  many  ages,  and  longed  for  with  sighs  so  many 
and  so  great ;  and  so  to  take  delight  in  the  Salutation  with  which  the  heaven-sent  ambassador  first  accosted  the  Virgin  who 
was  destined  to  so  great  a  work  ?  And  when  this  is  done  with  the  special  oi)ject  of  saluting  a  Virgin  who  was  so  highly 
beloved  and  chosen  of  all  by  God  to  be  his  Mother,  we  may,  with  feelings  of  the  utmost  gratitude  recall  the  benefit  of  our 
Eedemption,  and  the  work  of  our  Lord's  Incarnation. 

Now.  when  we  salute  the  Virgin,  what  kind  of  salutation  may  we  expect  from  her  in  return  ?  To  thost.  >yl".o  salute  her, 
undoubtedly  she  will  on  her  part  render  her  good  wishes  for,  or  rather  her  aid  towards,  their  salvation.  For  how  can  it  be 
that  a  Mother  would  ever  refrain  from  pouring  out  a  heart  so  tender,  so  maternal  as  hers,  upon  those  who  are  destined  to 
be  co-heirs  with  her  Son,  especially  when  we  bear  within  us  the  grateful  recollection  of  so  great  a  mystery  that  of  old  was 
accomplished  in  herself?  Surely,  then,  she  will  rejoice  in  addressing  her  Son  with  suppliant  prayers  for  the  promotion  of 
its  beneficial  effects  tipon  ourselves. 

For  what  can  be  more  pleasing  to  so  merciful  a  Mother  than  to  obtain  for  us  the  very  thing  for  the  sake  of  which  she 
became  the  Mother  of  God.  or  for  which  God  in  herself  was  made  man?  But  in  vain  is  she  God's  Mother,  and  God  man,  if 
man  become  not  partaker  of  the  divine  nature,  and  attain  salvation.  That  God  may  avert  this  from  us,  let  us  beseech  him 
through  his  Mother,  in  saluting  her  from  our  hearts. 


Hail  Mary. 

TTAIL.  and  rejoice,  O  most  blessed,  most 
-*— *-  pure,  and  most  worthy  Virgin  Mary!  O 
most  illustrious  Star  of  the  sea!  who  shinest 
more  brightly  than  all  the  rest  over  the  dark- 
ness of  this  world !  who  art  so  honorably  saluted 
by  the  Archangel  sent  to  thee  from  heaven,  and 
by  thy  kinswoman,  Elizabeth,  by  the  teaching 
of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  and  now,  too,  by  all  the 
congregation  of  the  faithful  from  the  desire  of 
thy  honor  and  love  !  Behold,  I  praise  thee  and 
salute  thee,  and  gratulate  thee,  O  most  holy 
Virgin  and  Mother !  and  I  praise  in  thee  God 
the  Father,  who  made  his  only  Son  to  be  thine 


* 


also,  and  to  be  at  the  same  time  the  Brother  of 
us  all.  I  praise  God  the  Son,  who  has  chosen 
thee  to  be  his  Mother,  that  by  thee  he  might 
show  himself  our  Saviour  ;  I  praise  God  the 
Holy  Ghostj  who,  by  his  own  wonderful  power, 
has  accomplished  that  unspeakable  work  in  thy 
womb! 


Full  of  grace. 


■^RATH 


and  malediction  is  on  all  the 
children  of  Adam ;  but  thou  hast  found 
grace  with  God  ;  nay,  thou  art  full  of  grace, 
free  from  everj'  fault,  and  filled  with  all  virtues 
and  endowments  of  gractf.     What  marvel  is  it  if 


•2S 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


thoa  Art  fall  of  grace,  when  the  fiiUneRS  of  the 
Qodhead  has  dwelt  corporeally  >  in  thee  I  when 
tilt  very  Fountain  of  grace  and  salvatiun  has 
pDined  himself  entirely  into  thee  alonu ;  and  by 
thee,  as  by  a  river  or  channel,  has  willed  him- 
Ki-lf  to  be  poured  out  upon  us  all!  In  less 
uieiuiure  has  grace  been  given  to  the  rest  uf  the 
Saints  ;  but  the  very  fullness  of  grace  has  pour- 
ed itself  into  thee.  For  even  though  we  do 
read  uf  some  who  were  full  of  grace,  yet  thou 
art  so  in  a  manner  exceedingly  and  pre-emi- 
nently different  from  those.  For  when  vessels 
are  tilled,  both  great  and  small,  all  are  full ;  but 
tht!  vessel  which  holds  the  most  has  the  grt-utest 
quantity  of  liquid.  How  great,  then,  must  be 
the  grace  that  is  in  thee,  to  enable  thee  to  con- 
tain God,  whom  not  the  whole  world  is  able  to 
contain  !  to*  enable  thee,  I  say,  to  be  the  Mother 
of  God,  the  Queen  of  Heaven,  the  Mistress  of 
the  Angels,  the  Mediatress  and  the  Advocate 
of  men ! 

But  to  what  purpose  art  thou  fvdl,  if  not  to 
overflow  to  us  also  ?  O  that  thy  fountains  may 
be  conveyed  abroad,*  that  those  sweet  odors, 
those  gifts  of  graces,  may  flow  forth  upon  us, 
that  we  may,  all  of  us,  receive  of  a  fullness  so 
great ! 

Let  thy  goodness,  O  Blessed  Virgin,  diffuse 
abroad  that  very  grace  of  which  thou  art  full, 
that  from  the  overflowing  stream  of  thy  bounty 
the  guilty  may  receive  pardon,  the  sick  cure, 
the  faint-hearted  strength,  the  afflicted  consola- 
tion, the  endangered  aid  and  deliverance.  O 
that  I  may  merit  to  obtain  even  one  small  drop 
out  of  a  fullness  so  great,  to  water  my  dry  and 
thirsty  heart ! 

The  Lord  is  with  thee. 

TTOW  rich  and  blessed  must  be  the  posses- 
-^-^  sion  of  her  who  possesses  the  Lord  her 
God !  What  good  must  there  not  be  there, 
where  is  present  the  Lord,  who  himself  is  the 


CoLa.9. 


«  Prov.  V.  16. 


Fountain  of  all  goodness  1  Doubtless  when  all 
things  are  God's,  nothing  is  lacking  to  him  who 
possesses  God.  True,  the  Lord  is  with  thee,  as 
he  is  with  all  just  persons ;  but  far  more  pre- 
eminently, by  special  grace,  and  by  a  particular 
providence,  is  he  with  thee ;  with  thee  in  thy 
heart,  with  thee  in  thy  womb  ;  Ihe.  Power  of  the 
Most  High  {Qod  the  Father)  ahall  overxhadovb 
thee.  The  Holy  Ghost  has  come  upon  thee. 
The  Word  made  flesh  has  come  forth  of  thee. 
The  Lord  is  with  thee  and  in  thee,  as  a  king 
upon  his  throne,  as  a  bridegroom  in  his  bridal 
chamber,  as  dear,  nay,  far  more  dearly  and 
closely  than  is  a  friend  in  a  friend.  Obtain, 
O  Lady,  that  my  Lord  may  be  with  me  by 
grace,  who  was  with  thee  by  the  closest  union 
of  love  and  corporal  presence  1  Doubtless  all 
blessings  will  be  with  him  in  whose  company  is 
the  Lord,  neither  shall  I  fear  any  evils,  if  the 
Lord  is  with  me. 

Blessed  art  thou  among  women. 

"OLESSED  indeed  among  women,  since  thou 
-*-'  alone  of  so  many  thousands  hast  pleased 
the  King  most  high.  Justly  blessed,  who  hast 
been  the  object  of  so  many  prayers  and  sighs, 
expected  for  so  many  ages,  foretold  by  so  many 
oracles  !  Truly  blessed  among  women,  who  art 
exempt  from  the  common  curse  and  condition 
of  women,  so  as  neither  to  continue  barren,  nor 
to  lose  thy  virginity,  nor  to  bring  forth  with 
pain! 

There  lies,  moreover,  a  hard  necessity  and  a 
heavy  burden  upon  all  the  other  daughters  of 
Eve.  If  they  are  fruitful,  they  suffer  pain  and 
defilement ;'  if  barren,  they  are  cursed.^  Thou 
art  at  once  both  fruitful  and  pure ;  and,  by 
being  devoid  of  pain,  hast  turned  into  a  blessing 
the  curse  of  Eve. 

Cursed  of  old  was  the  earth  in  the  work  of 
the  sinner,  which,  even  when  cultivated,  sprouts 
forth  thorns  and  briers  to  the  heirs  of  maledic- 


*  Gen.  iii.  16. 


*  Eiod.  xxiii.  26. 


MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  LITANY  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 


729 


tion.  But  blessed  is  the  earth  now  in  the  work 
of  the  Eedeemer,  which  brings  forth  to  all  men 
remission  of  sins,  and  the  fruit  of  Life,  and  has 
destroyed  the  sentence  of  the  original  curse 
upon  the  sons  of  Adam. 

O  Blessed  One,  in  that  thou  art  the  Mother 
of  a  Son,  in  whom  all  nations  shall  be  blessed  I 
Therefore  shall  all  generations  call  thee  blessed, 
because  he  that  is  mighty  has  done  to  thee  great 
things.  For  thou  conceivest,  but  without  con- 
cupiscence ;  thou  art  heavy  with  child,  but  not 
overburdened.  Thou  bringest  forth,  but  with- 
out travail.  Thou  knowest  not  a  man,  and  yet 
thou  bearest  a  Son.  O  what  a  Son  is  he ! 
Thou  becomest  the  true  mother  of  him,  whose 
true  Father  is  God :  thou  bearest  God,  and 
conceivest  of  God :  a  fruitful  Virgin,  a  chaste 
and  inviolate  Mother.  How  can  it  then  be  that 
thou  art  not  blessed  among  women  ? 

And  blessed  is  the  fruit  of  thy  wombj 
Jesus. 

"pijESSED,  I  say,  because  he  in  whom  all 
-*-^  nations  are  blessed  is  the  Author  of  grace 
and  the  foiintain  of  all  blessing.  Him  do  we 
bless  and  praise  in  thee,  O  Blessed  Virgin, 
whom  likewise  thy  soul  praises  and  magnifies 


alone  above  all,  because  he  has  done  to  thee 
those  great  and  wonderful  things  which  we 
admire  and  venerate  in  thee,  who  is  mighty 
over  all  things,  God  blessed  forever  ! 

Eve  ate  the  fruit  of  death,  and,  with  herself, 
brought  us  to  ruin.  Thou  hast  brought  forth 
to  the  world  the  Fruit  of  Life,  and,  behold !  we 
have  lived  again.  O  how  blessed  is  the  womb 
that  has  borne  and  produced  for  us  such  fruit ! 

Thou  rejoicest,  O  holy  Parent!  and  feastest 
now,  but  in  another  form,  upon  the  Fruit  of  thy 
womb.  Be  satisfied,  then,  O  Mother !  with  the 
glory  of  thy  Son,  but  scatter  to  thy  little  ones 
thy  crumbs !  Now  thou  art  Mistress  at  the 
table  ;  we,  the  dogs,  under  the  table.  As  the 
eyes  of  the  handmaid  are  on  the  hands  of  her 
mistress,  so  do  our  attendant  souls  expect  of 
thee  the  Sustenance  of  life.  By  thee  have  we 
partaken  of  the  Fruit  of  Life  at  the  Table  of  the 
Mysteries  that  are  thereon  ;  by  thee  let  us  par- 
take of  Jesus,  the  blessed  fruit  of  thy  womb,  at 
the  table  of  everlasting  joys  !     Amen.' 


'  Thus  much  more  has  been  written  than  our  purpose 
required,  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  dislike  the  frequent 
repetitions  of  the  "  Hail  Mary." 

Pope  Paul  V.  has  granted  an  indulgence  of  a  hundred 
days  to  those  who  recite  the  "Hail  Mary  "  at  the  stroke  of 
the  clock. 


>s*' 


/■ 


THE   J^^^   SHALL  BUD  LIKE    THE  LILY,  AND 
BLOSSnw   VTFPNALLT  BEFORE  THE  LORD. 


PATlMAiv    '    SAINT  juSEPTI : 


TO    W3. 


i'  '^''-  ,.AMNE 


IQUE  DE  Dli     , 


D.D.^ 


n.j).,  A. 


■■f. 


■^  >  .  I 


'D  BT 


ll>    III    IHWI  I 


THE 


ADMIEABLE    LIFE 


OF  THE  GLORIOUS 


PATRIARCH  SAINT   JOSEPH: 


TO   WHICH   IB  ADDED   THX 


LIVES  OF  ST.  JOACHIM  AND  ST.  ANNE 


TAKEN   FROM 


THE  CITE  MYSTIQUE  DE  DIEU, 

(ths  utstical  citt  ov  aoD.) 

TRANSLATED  FROM  THE  FRENCH  OF  THE  ABBIJ  J.  A.  BOULLAN,  DOCTOR  IN  THEOLOGY, 

BY 

MRS.    J.    SADLIER. 


PUBLISHED    WITH  THE  APPROBATION  OF   THE  LATE  MOST  REV.    JOHN  HUGHES,   D.  D., 
AND    THE  MOST  REV.   J.  McCLOSKET,  D.  D.,  ARCHBISHOP    OF  NEW   YORK. 


▲   NSW,   ENLABQED   AND   BSYISSD   SDITION. 

PUBLISHED  BY  D.  &  J.  SADLIER  &  CO.,  31  BARCLAY  STREET. 
'  MONTREAL :— CORNER  OF  NOTRE  DAME  AND  ST.  FRANCIS  X.iVIER  STS. 

1873. 


should  be  invited  to  assemble  in  the 
Temple.  It  was  precisely  the  day  on 
which  our  blessed  Lady  had  attained 
her  fourteenth  year. 

The  priest  Simeon  summoned  the 
chaste  Mary,  in  order  to  make  known 
to  her  this  resolution.  It  was  nine 
days  before  that  on  which  their  designs 
were  to  be  put  into  execution.  During 
this  time  the  most  blessed  Virgin  re- 
doubled her  prayers,  her  tears,  and 
sighs,  for  the  accomplishment  of  the 
will  of  God  in  an  event  which  caused 
her  the  greatest  pain.  The  Lord  con- 
soled  her,  saying:  "I  will  give  you  a 
spouse  who  will  not  oppose  your  holy 
desires,  but  who  will  rather,  by  the 
help  of  my  grace,  confirm  them.  I  will 
choose  him  for  you  perfect,  and  accord- 
ing to  my  own  heart,  and  I  will  elect 
him  for  you  from  among  my  servants." 
The  holy  angels  also  consoled  her,  say- 
ing: "The  Most  High  will  guide  you 
in  the  way  which  is  the  best,  the  most 
perfect,  the  most  holy." 

Joseph  was  born  at  Nazareth ;  nev- 
ertheless, by  the  disposition  of  the 
Most  High,  he  had  come  to  dwell  in 
Jerusalem,  because  of  certain  reverses 
of  fortune,  which  resulted  so  favorably 
for  him  that  he  had  the  happiness  to 
become  the  spouse  of  her  whom  God 
had  chosen  to  be  His  own  Mother, 
under  the  circumstances  that  we  are 
about  to  relate. 

The  day  aj)pointed  by  the  priests 
arrived.     Our  blessed  Lady  had  com- 


f  pleted  the  fourteenth  year  of  her  age. 
The  young  men  of  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
and  of  the  family  of  David,  from  whom 
the  august  Mary  was  descended,  who 
were  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  were 
assembled.  Joseph,  originally  of  Naz- 
areth, but  now  an  inhabitant  of  the 
holy  city,  was  invited  to  be  with  them, 
l)ecause  he,  too,  was  of  that  I'oyal  race. 
He  was  then  thirty-three  years  of  age, 
well-made,  and  possessed  of  an  agree- 
able physiognomy,  which  expressed  an 
incomparable  modesty.  He  was  indeed 
as  chaste  in  his  thoughts  and  deeds,  as 
in  his  inclinations ;  and  having  made  a 
vow  of  chastity  when  but  twelve  years 
old,  his  life  was  pure  and  irreproach- 
able before  God  and  man.  He  was  re- 
lated to  the  Virgin  Mary  in  the  third 
degree. 

Inspired  by  the  Most  High,  the  chief 
priest  placed  in  the  hands  of  each  of 
these  young  men  a  dry  rod,  in  order 
that  by  this  means  the  Lord  should 
manifest  him  whom  He  had  chosen  to 
be  the  husband  of  Maiy.  All  united 
their  prayers  to  those  of  the  priests,  for 
none  were  ignorant  of  the  virtues  and 
modesty  of  this  holy  maiden,  nor  of  the 
reputation  of  her  beauty,  and  her  pos- 
sessions, as  an  only  child ;  and  each  de- 
sired to  make  her  his  wife.  Joseph 
alone,  the  most  humble,  the  most  pious 
among  them,  deemed  himself  unAvorthy 
of  so  great  a  boon ;  and,  calling  to 
mind  his  vow  of  chastity,  he  resolved 
anew  to   observe  it,  resigning  himself 


LIFE    OF   ST.    JOSEPH. 


737 


to  the  divine  will  even  to  the  end  of  Ms 
life.  But  this  did  not  prevent  him  from 
entertaining  for  the  virtuous  maiden 
veneration  and  esteem  beyond  any  of 
his  compeers. 

All  were  engaged  in  pi-ayer,  when 
they  saw  blossoms  burst  forth  from  the 
rod  borne  by  Joseph,  and  at  the  same 
instant  a  beautiful  dove  was  seen  to 
descend,  which  alighted  on  the  head  of 
the  saint.  The  Lord,  at  the  same  mo- 
ment, spoke  to  him  interiorly,  and  said : 
"Joseph,  my  servant,  Mary  shall  be- 
come your  spouse;  receive  her  with 
assiduity  and  respect,  for  she  is  very 
agreeable  in  my  eyes ;  she  is  good  and 
most  pure  in  body  and  mind,  and  you 
will  do  all  that  she  will  tell  you."  The 
priests,  upon  this  sign  from  heaven, 
determined  to  give  St.  Joseph  to  Mary 
for  her  husband.  They  then  called  for 
her,  who  was  more  excellent  than  the 
sun,  more  beautiful  than  the  moon,  and 
she  appeared  with  a  majesty  more  than 
angelic;  with  a  loveliness,  modesty,  and 
grace  incomparable ;  and  the  priests  es- 
poused her  to  Joseph,  the  most  chaste 
and  the  most  holy  of  men.  The  august 
Mary,  with  mingled  modesty  and  ten- 
derness, took  leave  of  the  priests  and 
of  her  mistress, — asking  pardon  of  her 
companions,  and  expressing  her  grateful 
•sense  of  all  the  kindness  she  had  receiv- 
ed from  them;  then,  accompanied  by 
many  of  the  most  distinguished  minis- 
ters of  the  Temple,  she  departed  with 
her   saintly   spouse   for    Nazareth,   tlie 


*  country  of  the  newly  married  pair, 
where  lay  the  possessions  of  the  blessed 
parents  of  our  sweet  Lady. 

On  their  arrival  they  were  received 
and  visited  by  all  their  relatives  and 
friends,  with  the  rejoicings  usual  on 
similar  occasions ;  and  having  religious- 
ly acquitted  themselves  of  all  those 
duties  which  custom  commanded  in 
their  intercourse  with  the  world,  our 
holy  spouses  at  length  found  them- 
selves alone  in  their  house.  It  was  a 
custom  among  the  Jews,  that  tke  newly 
espoused,  during  the  first  days  of  their 
union,  sbould  study  together  their  nat- 
ural inclinations,  in  order  to  promote 
their  future  peace. 

On  one  of  these  days,  St.  Joseph  said 
to  his  spouse  Mary ;  "  I  give  thanks  to 
tbe  Most  High  God  for  having  granted 
me  the  favor  to  choose  me  for  your  hus- 
band, when  I  did  not  in  the  least  merit 
this  honor,  and  when  I  believed  myself 
unworthy  to  bear  you  company.  But 
His  Divine  Majesty,  who  can,  when  He 
will,  uplift  the  poor,  has  shown  His 
Mercy  towards  me.  I  desire  that  you 
will  aid  me  with  your  goodness  and 
your  virtues  in  offering  Him  my  thanks- 
givings. In  all  that  regards  His  service, 
I  will  be  your  servant.  I  pray  you  to 
supply  my  deficiencies  in  those  qualities 
which  I  have  not,  but  which,  as  your 
husband,  I  ought  to  possess.  Only 
make  your  wishes  known  to  me,  that  I 
may  fulfil  them." 

His  most  holy  consort  replied  to  the 


T» 


LIFE   OF   ST.    JOSEPH. 


fj^nt :  "  I  am  well  pleased  that  the  Most  f 
High,  having  destined  me  for  marriage, 
has  had  the  goodness  to  choose  you  for 
my  husband  and  my  master,  and,  with 
your  permission,  I  will  now  express  the 
thoughts  and  intentions  which  I  wish 
to  impart  to  you  on  this  subject." 

The  grace  of  the  Most  High  inflamed 
anew  the  heart  of  St.  Joseph  wdth  His 
divine  love,  "  Speak,"  he  said,  "  for 
tiiy  servant  heareth."  The  Queen  of 
the  universe  was  attended  by  her  thou- 
sand angels;  for  the  most  pure  Mary 
comprehended  the  respect  and  attention 
to  be  observed  in  conversation  with 
her  spouse;  and  that  she  might  have 
more  abundant  grace  and  merits,  the 
Lord  had  continued  in  her  the  reserve 
and  fear  that  she  had  in  speaking  alone 
with  a  man,  which  had  never  before 
happened  to  her,  except  it  might  be  in 
some  casual  encounter  with  the  chief 
priest  The  august  Virgin  then  said  to 
St  Joseph:  "It  is  just  that  we  offer 
thanks,  and  give  glory  and  praise  to 
our  God  and  Creator,  who  has  made  His 
mercy  to  shine  upon  us,  in  choosing  us 
for  His  service.  In  my  most  tender 
youth,  I  consecrated  myself  to  God  by 
a  vow  which  I  made,  to  be,  during  all 
my  life,  chaste  -in  body  and  mind,  and 
my  desire  to  preserve  my  faith  to  Him 
is  unchangeable.  I  trust  that  you  will 
help  me  to  fulfil  this  vow,  and  in  all 
things  else  I  will  be  your  servant. 
Accept,  my  husband,  this  holy  resolu- 
tion, and  confirm  it  by  your  own,  so 


that  we  may  obtain  the  eternal  joys  to 
which  we  aspire." 

The  chaste  Joseph,  filled  with  joy, 
replied :  "  In  declaring  to  me  your 
chaste  thoughts  and  holy  resolutions, 
you  have  penetrated  and  opened  my 
heart,  which,  until  you  li;id  revealed 
your  own,  I  was  unwilling  to  uncover. 
The  Lord  called  me,  also,  at  an  early 
age,  that  I  should  love  Him  with  an 
upright  mind.  Know,  then,  thai  in  my 
twelfth  year  I,  too,  made  a  promise  to 
serve  God  in  perpetual  chastity.  I  now 
renew  this  vow,  and,  with  His  grace,  I 
will  be  your  faithful  servant,  and  I 
pray  you  to  receive  my  chaste  affections, 
and  to  regard  me  as  your  brother." 

During  this  conversation  the  Most 
High  confirmed  anew  in  the  heart  of  St. 
Joseph  the  virtue  of  chastity,  and  the 
pure  and  holy  love  which  he  should 
bear  to  the  blessed  Virgin,  his  spouse. 
Thus  he  was  possessed  by  this  love 
in  an  eminent  degree,  and  our  august 
Queen  augmented  it,  and  enraptured 
his  heart  by  her  conversation.  By  this 
divine  assistance  the  holy  spouses  en- 
joyed inexpressible  consolation.  The 
august  Queen  promised  to  second  the 
desires  of  St  Joseph,  and  the  Most 
High  imbued  him  with  such  an  exalted 
purity,  and  such  an  absolute  control  of 
his  passions,  that  he  served  his  consort  * 
without  obstacle,  and  with  a  grace  as 
admirable  as  it  was  extraordinary.  In 
serving  her,  he  followed  the  will  and 
the  good  pleasure  of  the  Lord. 


{Snx  Laiii  of  tk  jUjotshti]. 


739 

oseph, 
pene- 
Her 
nility, 
r  pos- 
1  that 
i  him 
ull  of 
ardent 
ie  the 
•r  hav- 
ited  a 
dered, 
•  mien 
spouse 
rever- 
terms 
of  St. 
3  from 
hat  of 
m   the 

Blessed 
>u  per- 
)mises : 
Joseph 
of  my 
and  be 
jplied : 
,  I  will 
serve 

ibrated 
itil  the 
became 
ived  in 
•epared 


-  -.  ,-»J.JiiV-i«,.il^   < 


^"^^^^^WW 


if! 


\ 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


739 


They  made  a  division  of  the  eifects 
which  St.  Joachim  and  St.  Anne  had 
left  to  their  blessed  child.  One  part 
was  offered  to  the  Temple,  where  she 
had  been  educated ;  the  second  was  de- 
voted to  the  service  of  the  poor;  and 
the  third  was  placed  at  the  disposal  of 
St.  Josej)h.  For  herself,  our  Queen  re- 
served only  the  care  to  serve  and  em- 
ploy herself  within  the  house,  for  she 
dispensed  herself  always  from  the  affairs 
of  buying  and  selling. 

In  his  youth  St.  Joseph  had  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade,  as  being  one  of 
the  most  useful  to  gain  a  livelihood,  for 
he  was  without  property.  He  inquired 
of  his  saintly  spouse  if  she  would  con- 
sent that  he  should  practice  this  trade 
to  gain  something  for  the  poor,  and  also 
as  a  means  to  avoid  idleness.  The  most 
prudent  Virgin  consented,  and  reminded 
St.  Joseph  that  it  was  not  the  will  of 
God  they  should  be  rich,  but  poor,  and 
protectors  of  the  poor,  so  far  as  their 
means  permitted.  After  this,  the  two 
holy  spouses  had  an  humble  dispute,  in 
which  each  wished  to  obey  the  other  as 
superior.  But  the  most  humble  Mary, 
who  was  the  humblest  of  the  humble, 
was  victorious  in  her  humility,  and  the 
man  being  the  head,  she  would  not  per- 
mit the  order  of  nature  to  be  reversed. 
She  therefore  obtained  the  consent  of 
her  husband  to  receive  her  obedience  in 
all  things.  She  asked  only  permission 
to  give  alms  to  the  poor,  to  which  the 
saint  conseited. 


^ 


During  these  first  days,  St.  Joseph, 
by  a  new  light  from  above,  had  pene- 
trated the  character  of  his  spouse.  Her 
rare  prudence,  her  profound  humility, 
her  incomparable  purity,  and  her  pos- 
session of  every  virtue  beyond  all  that 
he  could  have  hoped,  enraptured  him 
with  admiration.  With  a  spirit  full  of 
joy,  and  his  heart  inflamed  with  ardent 
affection,  he  ceased  not  to  praise  the 
Lord,  and  to  offer  Him  thanks  for  hav- 
ing bestowed  on  him  so  unmerited  a 
treasure.  The  Lord  had  also  so  ordered, 
that  the  Queen  of  Heaven,  by  her  mien 
and  by  her  presence,  inspired  her  spouse 
with  such  mingled  sentiments  of  rever- 
ence and  respect,  that  we  find  no  terms 
to  express  them.  To  the  eyes  of  St. 
Joseph  a  radiant  splendor  shone  from 
the  features  of  our  Lady,  like  that  of 
Moses  when  he  descended  from  the 
mount. 

Afterwards,  in  a  vision,  the  Blessed 
Virgin  heard  these  words :  "  You  per- 
ceive how  faithful  I  am  in  my  promises : 
the  companionship  of  my  servant  Joseph 
will  aid  you  to  preserve  the  laws  of  my 
spouse;  obey  him  as  you  ought,  and  be 
careful  of  his  happiness."  She  replied : 
"  With  the  divine  favor  and  helj),  I  will 
obey  Thy  servant  Joseph,  and  serve 
him." 

Their  marriage  had  been  celebrated 
on  the  8th  of  September,  and  until  the 
25th  of  March,  when  the  Word  became 
Incarnate,  the  two  spouses  had  lived  in 
such  wise  that  the  Most  High  prepared 


lii 


LIFE    OF   ST.    JOSEPH. 


sympatliy,  and  to  promote  her  spiritual 
welfare.  If  this  journey  be  agreeable 
to  you,  I  will  make  it,  with  your  per- 
mission, being  entirely  submissive  to 
your  wilL  Consider  what  will  be  for 
the  best,  and  tell  me  what  I  shall  do." 
The  discreet  silence  and  humble  sub- 
mission of  Mary  were  pleasing  to  the 
Ijord.  He  therefore  disposed  the  heart 
of  Joseph  by  a  divine  light  to  do  as  she 
desired.  Guided  by  this  celestial  light, 
the  holy  husband  replied :  "  I  confide  as 
I  ought  in  your  great  virtue,  because 
I  know  that  your  well-regulated  will 
would  undertake  nothing  which  is  not 
for  the  greater  glory  of  God,  as  this 
journey  must  be.  And  that  no  one 
may  be  surprised  to  see  you  go  with- 
out your  husband,  I  will,  with  the 
greatest  pleasure,  accompany  and  serve 
you.  Determine,  then,  the  day  of  de- 
parture." 

The  Blessed  Virgin  thanked  her  pru- 
dent spouse  for  the  affection  which  he 
manifested  for  her,  and  they  decided 
to  set  out  immediately  for  the  house 
of  Elizabeth.  St.  Joseph  prepared  pro- 
visions for  the  journey,  —  some  fruit, 
bread,  and  a  few  small  fishes,  which 
he  purchased.  He  had  also  a  little 
beast  of  burden,  which  was  lent  him 
to  carry  his  provisions,  and  his  spouse, 
the  Queen  of  all  that  is  created.  With 
this  equipage  they  set  out  for  Judea. 
Tliey  had  scarcely  left  their  house, 
when  our  Queen,  kneeling  before  St. 
Joseph,  asked  his  blessing,  in  order  to 


♦  begin  the  day  in  the  name  of  the  Lord. 
The  saint  hesitated,  for,  by  long  expe- 
rience, he  knew  the  excellence  of  his 
spouse,  but  the  holy  and  sweet  impor- 
tunities of  the  august  Mary  conquered, 
and  he  blessed  her  in  the  name  of  the 
Most  High. 

"  At  that  time,"  saith  the  sacred  text, 
"Mary,  rising  up,  went  into  the  hill 
country  with  haste,  into  a  city  of  Ju- 
dea." Now  the  chaste  spouses,  Mary 
and  Joseph,  having  left  their  father's 
house,  and  forgotten  their  people,  took 
their  way  towards  the  house  of  Zacha- 
riah,  among  the  hills  of  Judea,  distant 
twenty- seven  leagues  from  Nazareth. 
The  roads  were  rough,  and  they  pos- 
sessed no  means  of  transport  except 
such  as  were  afforded  by  their  little 
animal;  nevertheless  the  most  humble 
and  modest  of  creatures,  Mary,  prayed 
St.  Joseph  to  use  it  for  himself.  The 
discreet  spouse  would  not,  by  any 
means,  consent  to  this ;  but  in  com- 
plaisance, he  allowed  her  from  time  to 
time  to  go  on  foot  with  him,  requesting 
her  with  great  respect  not  to  refuse 
him  this  gi'atification ;  and  the  Queen 
of  heaven  obeyed. 

They  continued  their  journey  in  these 
humble  debates,  and  thus  they  so  well 
employed  their  time,  that  there  was 
not  a  moment  which  was  not  filled  by 
some  act  of  virtue.  They  walked  alone, 
but  the  angels  assisted  them  in  all 
things;  yet  they  were  visible  only  to 
the    august    Mary.       Occasionally   she 


LIFE    OF   ST.    JOSEPH. 


743 


conversed  with  tliese  angels,  and  the 
most  pure  heart  of  our  sweet  Lady  was 
kindled  anew  with  divine  love.  St. 
Joseph  contributed  to  all  this  by  his  dis- 
creet silence,  concentrating  his  thoughts 
within,  and  yielding  himself  to  sublime 
contemplation.  At  other  times  the 
spouses  conversed  together  upon  many 
things  regarding  the  salvation  of  their 
souls,  the  coming  of  the  Messiah,  the 
prophecies  which  the  ancient  fathers 
had  received  on  this  point,  and  other 
mysteries  and  secrets  of  the  Most  High. 
During  this  journey  there  happened 
to  St.  Joseph  something  which  excited 
his  wonder.  Inspired  by  a  special 
grace,  he  bore  to  his  spouse  a  most 
tender  and  holy  love,  and  the  saint, 
being  of  a  noble  nature,  amiable,  agree- 
able, and  obliging,  was  inclined  to  an 
ever  watchful  care  for  her.  Now,  as 
the  Queen  of  heaven  carried  in  her 
virginal  bosom  the  Incarnate  Word, 
the  saint  was  sensible  that,  through  the 
words  and  conversation  of  his  spouse, 
new  impressions  were  made  upon  his 
soul,  but  of  the  cause  he  was  ignorant. 
He  found  himself  more  and  more  in- 
flamed by  divine  love,  and  in  a  higher 
knowledge  of  those  mysteries  which 
formed  the  subjects  of  their  conversa- 
tion; and  the  further  they  advanced 
on  their  way  and  in  their  discussions, 
the  more  these  favors  were  augmented. 
He  felt  also  that  the  words  of  his 
spouse  served  as  the  organ,  by  means 
of  which  these  favors  were  comrauni- 


*  cated  to  him.  It  was  not  possible  that 
the  discreet  St.  Joseph  should  not  re- 
flect upon  this  new  and  wondeiful  in- 
fluence.  But  although  it  would  have 
afforded  him,  filled  as  he  was  with 
wonder,  the  greatest  gratification,  with- 
out curiosity,  to  have  been  informed 
of  the  cause  of  it,  his  modesty  was 
such  that  he  could  not  venture  to  ask 
to  be  enlightened. 

Our  blessed  Lady  penetrated  the 
thought  of  her  spouse,  but,  ignorant 
of  the  way  by  which  God  would  con- 
duct this  mystery,  her  great  prudence 
and  her  own  discretion  taught  her,  al- 
though she  had  no  command  from  the 
Lord  to  conceal  it,  how  good  it  was  to 
guard  the  secret  of  the  most  sublime 
of  all  mysteries.  She  therefore  con- 
cealed it,  without  making  it  known  to 
her  spouse,  either  on  this  occasion,  or 
afterwards,  during  the  interior  pains 
which  St.  Joseph  suffered  on  this  ac- 
count. What  admirable  prudence ! 
Our  sweet  Lady  prayed  to  God  for  the 
saint,  imploring  the  divine  assistance, 
of  which  she  foresaw  he  would  have 
need,  and  of  which  we  shall  treat  in 
the  following  chapter. 

This  was  the  first  journey  which  the 
Incarnate  Word  made  in  this  world, 
four  days  after  his  entrance  into  it. 
Our  blessed  Lady  thus  served  as  a  car 
for  the  true  Solomon  (Cant.  iii.  9). 
This  journey  lasted  four  days,  during 
which  our  holy  travellers,  besides  those 
interior   virtues   which    have    God  for 


Hi 


LIFE   OF   ST.    JOSEPH. 


their  object^  peiformed  many  acts  of 
charity  towards  their  neighbors.  The 
Blessed  Virgin  cured,  among  othera, 
a  poor  sick  girl,  in  a  village  through 
which  she  passed,  on  the  first  day  after 
her  departure. 

At  length  the  august  Mary  and  her 
spouse,  Joseph,  arrived  at  the  city  of 
Judea,  where  Elizabeth  and  Zachariah 
then  dwelt.  This  city  was  distant,  as 
I  have  said,  twenty-seven  leagues  from 
Nazareth,  and  about  two  leagues  from 
Jerusalem,  near  the  spot  where  the  tor- 
rent of  Sorec  has  its  source.  It  was 
afterwards  entirely  ruined,  but  the  Lord 
does  not  permit  the  memory  of  places 
so  venerable  to  be  altogether  lost.  The 
Visitation  was  made  at  the  same  place 
where  these  divine  mysteries  are  now 
honored  by  the  faithful  who  dwell  in 
Palestine,  and  by  pilgrims  who  go 
there  to  offer  their  devotions. 

St  Joseph  went  on  before  to  give 
notice  to  the  inmates  of  the  house,  and, 
having  knocked  at  the  door,  he  saluted 
them,  saying :  "  May  the  Lord  be  with 
you,  and  fill  your  souls  with  His  divine 
grace."  St.  Elizabeth  had  been  already 
warned  of  their  coming,  for  the  same 
Lord  had  revealed  to  her  that  her 
cousin  Mary  of  Nazareth  was  on  her 
way  to  visit  her.  Now,  having  heard 
of  her  arrival,  she  came  forth  quickly, 
with  others  of  her  family,  to  receive 
the  holy  Virgin,  who  saluted  her  first, 
saying:  "The  Lord  be  with  you,  my 
dear  cousin."      "And    may  the    same 


Lord,"  replied  Elizabeth,  "reward  you 
for  having  taken  the  trouble  to  give 
me  this  consolation. 

The  two  cousins  having  retired  to- 
gether, it  was  then  that  the  great  mys- 
tery of  the  sanctification  of  John  the 
Baptist  was  operated ;  but  those  facts 
do  not  belong  to  this  history.  Coming 
out  of  their  retreat  in  the  dusk  of  the 
evening,  St.  Elizabeth,  who  was  in- 
formed of  the  happiness  of  the  chaste 
St.  Joseph,  of  which  he  was  himself 
ignorant,  bestowed  upon  him  every 
mark  of  esteem  and  veneration. 

After  the  saint  had  passed  three  days 
in  the  house  of  Zachariah,  he  asked  per- 
mission of  his  blessed  spouse  to  return 
to  Nazareth.  He  took  leave,  with  the 
promise  to  come  and  conduct  our  sweet 
Lady  home  when  she  wished  to  return. 
St.. Elizabeth  offered  him  presents,  pray- 
ing him  to  accept  them,  but  he  received 
only  a  few  things,  because  this  man  of 
God  was  not  only  a  lover  of  poverty 
but  he  had  also  a  magnanimous  and 
generous  heart.  He  then  took  the  road 
to  Nazareth  with  the  little  beast  that 
he  had  borrowed.  Having  arrived  at 
his  house,  he  was  served  there,  in  the 
absence  of  his  spouse,  by  a  relative  who 
lived  near, — the  same  who  had  been 
accustomed  to  bring  them  supplies  from 
without,  when  the  holy  Lady  was  there. 

After  having  passed  three  months,  less 
two  days,*  in   the  house  of  Zachariah, 

*  In  counting  eight  days  after  the  Word  was 
incarnate,  the  holy  Virgin  and  St.  Joseph  arriv- 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


745 


in  the  midst  of  events  and  prodigies 
which  do  not  belong  to  this  histor}'^,* 
the  august  Mary  thought  of  departure. 
St.  Joseph,  having  been  notified  by  St. 
Elizabeth,  left  Nazareth  to  re-conduct 
his  spouse  to  her  home.  On  his  arrival 
at  the  house  of  Zachaiiah,  he  was  re- 
ceived with  the  highest  marks  of  respect, 
for  the  holy  priest  already  knew  that 
the  great  patriarch  was  the  depositary 
of  the  mysteries  and  the  treasures  of 
heaven.  The  Blessed  Virgin  received 
him  with  discreet  demonstrations  of 
joy,  and  having  placed  herself  on  her 
knees  before  him,  according  to  her  cus- 
tom, she  asked  his  benediction.  After 
he  had  taken  some  repose,  they  fixed 
on  the  day  of  departure.  Having  taken 
their  leave,  the  happy  patriarch,  rejoiced 
to  possess  his  treasure  again,  although 
he  knew  not  as  yet  its  full  value,  set 
out  for  Nazareth.  The  Blessed  Virgin, 
as  usual,  asked  his  blessing,  and,  pursu- 
ing their  way,  in  four  days  they  reached 
their  place  of  destination.  During  their 
route,  the  same  effects  attended  their 
divine  colloquies  as  those  which  have 
been  already  indicated. 

The  discreet  Mary  perceived  that  she 
could  not  long  conceal  her  condition 
from  her  chaste  and  faithful  spouse. 
But  the  Lord  guided  all  by  means  the 
most  conducive   to   His   glory,  and   to 

ed  on  the  2d  of  April,  towards  evening,  at  the 
house  of  Zachariah.  If  we  add  three  months, 
less  two  days,  which  should  commence  the  3d 
of  April,  we  come  to  the  1st  of  July  inclusively, 


*  obtain  merits  for  St.  Joseph  and  the 
Virgin  Mother.  For  this  reason  He 
did  not  make  known  to  them  His  good 
pleasure.  On  their  journey,  the  august 
Queen  met  with  a  woman  who  had 
once  been  virtuous,  but  who,  tempted 
by  the  devil,  was  led  into  sin,  and  after- 
wards possessed  by  him.  As  soon  as 
our  blessed  Lady  saw  her,  she  discov- 
ered her  malady,  and,  using  her  queenly 
power,  commanded  the  evil  spirit  to 
depart  from  the  woman,  and,  having 
delivered  her  from  the  consequences 
of  her  sin,  she  obtained  for  her  the  gift 
of  perseverance. 

Our  holy  travellers  arrived  one  day 
at  an  hostelry,  the  master  of  which  was 
of  a  vicious  disposition,  and  led  a  dis- 
orderly life.  The  Lord  ordained,  as 
the  preparation  for  his  coming  happi- 
ness, that  he  should  receive  the  august 
Mary  and  St.  Joseph  with  marks  of 
benevolence  and  consideration.  He 
bestowed  attentions  and  rendered  them 
services  beyond  those  he  was  accustom- 
ed to  offer  to  other  strangers.  Our 
Queen,  who  knew  the  depraved  state 
of  his  conscience,  offered  prayers  for  her 
host,  and  procured  the  justification  of 
his  soul,  and  the  amendment  of  his  life. 

At  length  they  reached  Nazareth, 
when  the  Queen  of  heaven,  assisted  by 
the  holy  angels,  put  her  house  in  order. 

which  is  the  eighth  day  after  the  birth  of  John 
the  Baptist,  and  that  of  his  circumcision. 

*  All  these  details  will  be  found  in  the  Gitk 
Mystique  of  Maria  d'Agreda. 


746 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


St  Joseph  occupied  himself,  as  usual, 
for  the  subsistence  of  our  Lady,  and  she 
did  nothing  to  damp  the  hopes  of  her 
spouse.  After  her  return  home,  Lucifer 
tempted  the  august  Mary  in  every  way, 
but  he  was  vanquished  with  all  his 
infernal  legions,  and  precipitated  into 
the  depths  of  hell.  While  the  Lord 
had  permitted  Lucifer  to  show  himself, 
this  enemy  had  contrived  to  sow  discord 
among  the  neighbors  of  St.  Joseph. 
They  came  together,  and,  having  called 
for  the  innocent  Mary,  they  accused  her 
in  the  presence  of  her  husband,  and  in 
the  bitterest  terms,  of  troubling  the 
peace  of  their  families.  This  reproach 
was  keenly  felt  by  our  Queen,  because 
of  the  pain  which  it  caused  to  her 
spouse,  for  he  had  begun  to  remark 
something  of  her  condition ;  and  already 
suffered  anxiety  and  trouble  on  this  ac- 
count, as  we  shall  see  in  the  following 
chapter.  Now,  the  demon,  ignorant  of 
the  real  cause  of  this  trouble,  strove  to 
plant  the  seeds  of  discontent  within  the 
bosom  of  St.  Joseph,  so  as  to  make  him 
impatient  of  his  poverty ;  representing 
to  him  at  the  same  time  that  his  spouse 
Mary  remained  too  long  in  her  retreat 
and  devotions,  and  that  she  was  idle. 
But  St.  Joseph  being  of  an  upright  and 
magnanimous  heart,  and  of  great  perfec- 
tion, despised  these  diabolical  inventions, 
and  utterly  rejected  them.  Besides,  his 
internal  suffering  regarding  the  state 
of  his  spouse,  occupied  him  so  exclu- 
sively, that  it   obliged  him  to   forget 


every  other.  The  Lord  delivered  him 
from  this  temptation  by  the  intercession 
of  the  holy  Virgin,  leaving  only  that 
of  which  we  are  about  to  speak  in  the 
following  chapter. 


CHAPTER  IIL 

ST.  JOSEPH  DISCOVERS  THAT  MARY  IS 
ABOUT  TO  BECOME  A  MOTHER,  WITHOUT 
BEING  ABLE  TO  PENETRATE  THE  MYS- 
TERY   HE     ENDURES     GREAT     SUFFER- 

INGS    ON   THIS   ACCOUNT. 

TT  was  about  five  months  since  the 
-^  eternal  Word  had  become  incar- 
nate in  the  chaste  bosom  of  the  Virgin 
Mary,  when  St.  Joseph  began  to  ob- 
serve indications  of  it,  and  to  entertain 
suspicions.  It  was  the  more  apparent, 
because  the  proportions  of  her  pure 
form  were  so  perfect,  that  the  least 
change  was  percetible.  Deeply  concern- 
ed and  anxious,  St.  Joseph,  as  he  one 
day  observed  her  coming  forth  from 
her  oratory,  perceived  that  it  was  no 
longer  possible  to  doubt  the  testimony 
of  his  own  eyes.  The  heart  of  the  man 
of  God  was  penetrated  with  profound 
sorrow,  and  he  was  unable  to  resist 
the  harrowing  reflections  that  torment- 
ed his  spirit. 

It  may  not  be  without  utility  or  in- 
terest to  notice  some  of  these  reflec- 
tions, which  increased  the  violence  of 
his  gi'eat  affliction.     In  the  first  place 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


747 


he  entertained  a  most  cliaste  and  sin- 
cere love  for  his  faithful  spouse,  to 
whom,  since  the  commencement  of  their 
union,  he  had  devoted  all  the  tender- 
ness of  his  heart.  Besides,  his  desire 
to  serve  her  was  augmented  from  day 
to  day  by  the  unequalled  holiness  and 
attractive  manners  of  our  blessed  Lady. 
Our  saint,  therefore,  was  impelled,  by 
a  desire  natural  to  his  love,  to  find  a 
response  to  it  on  her  part.  The  Lord 
so  ordered  it,  that,  from  this  same 
desire,  the  holy  Joseph  was  still  more 
careful  to  serve  and  respect  our  blessed 
mistress. 

Thus  St.  Joseph  fulfilled  with  great 
zeal  his  obligations  as  a  most  faithful 
husband  and  guardian  of  the  mystery 
which,  as  yet,  was  hidden  from  him. 
But  the  more  assiduous  he  was  to 
serve,  to  honor  his  spouse  while  bear- 
ing for  her  a  love,  so  pure,  chaste,  holy, 
and  just,  the  more  eager  w^as  his  desire 
that  she  should  reciprocate  his  aifection. 
Nevertheless  he  did  not  disclose  this 
internal  conflict;  either  because  of  the 
respect  produced  by  the  humble  maj- 
esty of  his  spouse,  or  because  in  wit- 
nessing the  discreet  deportment  of  Mary 
— her  sweet  converse,  and  her  more 
than  angelic  purity  —  the  revelation 
would  have  been  too  painful. 

At  the  view  of  what  had  become  so 
evident,  he  was  lost  in  amazement. 
Still,  though  convinced,  he  would  not 
allow  his  imagination  to  go  beyond 
appearances.      Being   a  just   and   holy 


*  man,  and  seeing  the  fact,  he  suspended 
his  judgment  without  entering  into  the 
cause.  What  an  example  for  us !  It 
is  most  probable  that  if  he  had  been 
convinced  of  the  culpability  of  his  wife, 
the  violence  of  his  grief  would  have 
put  an  end  to  his  existence.  In  the 
second  place,  his  reflections  reminded 
him  that  he  had  had  no  agency  in  this 
condition  which  was  but  too  apparent. 
Dishonor  was  inevitable  when  it  should 
become  known ;  and,  as  St.  Joseph  was 
of  a  generous  and  noble  heart,  this 
apprehension  gave  him  great  pain.  Be- 
sides, he  considered,  with  rare  pru- 
dence, the  affliction  which  their  own 
infamy  would  bring  upon  them  if  the 
matter  came  to  be  divulged. 

But  that  which  caused  the  greatest 
grief  of  all  to  the  holy  spouse,  was  the 
fear  that  his  wife  would  be  stoned, 
according  to  the  law  which  ordered  this 
punishment ;  for  he  could  not  make 
himself  an  accomplice  to  hide  the  crime, 
if  it  existed.  All  these  considerations 
pierced  the  heart  of  St.  Joseph  with  the 
deepest  grief,  in  which  he  found  no 
consolation  except  in  the  irreproachable 
conduct  of  his  spouse.  Still,  on  the 
other  hand,  though  appearances  con- 
vinced him,  he  could  neither  find  means 
of  excuse,  nor  even  dare  to  communi- 
cate the  subject  of  his  grief  to  any 
human  being.  Our  saint  was  then  like 
one  environed  by  the  sorrows  of  death, 
and  he  felt  the  force  of  the  words, 
"  Jealouay  is  as  cruel  as  TielV 


He  would  have  sought  some  allevi- 
atioQ  for  his  pains  in  spiritual  consola- 
tion, but  grief  suspended  the  powers  of 
his  soul.  If  his  i*eason  inclined  to  fol- 
low the  suspicions  suggested  by  his 
senses,  the  reflections  that  he  made  on 
the  tried  holiness  of  his  most  wise  and 
prudent  spouse  caused  them  to  vanish 
like  ice  in  the  heat  of  the  sun,  or  smoke 
before  the  wind.  If  he  strove  to  check 
the  affections  of  his  chaste  love,  it  was 
impossible,  since  he  found  his  spouse 
always  more  worthy  of  being  loved. 
And  although  the  truth  was  concealed 
from  him,  she  had  more  power  »to 
attract,  than  the  seeming  deception  of 
her  infidelity  to  repel  him.  The  sacred 
ties  of  love  could  not  be  rent  asunder, 
because  they  reposed  on  the  solid  foun- 
dations of  truth,  reason,  and  justice. 

Our  saint  did  not  then  judge  it  expe- 
dient to  declare  his  grief  to  his  blessed 
spouse :  added  to  this,  the  gravity,  ever 
equal  and  divinely  humble,  which  he 
saw  in  her,  did  not  permit  him  to  take 
this  liberty;  for,  although  he  saw  marks 
so  unequivocal,  a  conduct  so  pure  and 
holy  as  hers  could  ill  accord  with  infi- 
delity. Such  a  fault  could  not  in  any 
manner  be  compatible  with  so  much 
purity,  holiness,  and  discretion;  nor 
with  that  assemblage  of  graces  whose 
growth  was  each  day  more  visible  in 
the  august  Mary. 

In  these  perplexities  the  saintly  hus- 
band addressed  himself  to  God  in 
prayer.    Placing  himself  in   His  pres- 


ence, "Eternal  God  and  my  Lord,"  he 
said,  "  my  desires  and  my  groanings 
are  not  hidden  from  Thy  divine  Maj- 
esty. I  find  myself  struggling  with 
violent  agitations,  I  have  given  my 
heart  to  the  spouse  whom  I  received 
from  Thy  hands,  I  have  trusted  in  her 
purity,  but  the  strange  appearances 
which  I  discover  in  her  cast  me  into 
the  most  afflicting  perplexity.  It  would 
be  rash  to  think  that  she  had  been 
unfaithful  and  had  offended  Thee,  see- 
ing in  her  such  gi-eat  purity  and  so 
eminent  a  holiness.  It  is,  nevertheless, 
impossible  to  deny  the  evidence  of  my 
senses,  and  sorrow  must  destroy  me 
unless  there  be  here  some  mystery  that 
I  have  not  discovered.  Reason  excul- 
pates, but  the  senses  condemn  her.  I 
see  plainly  that  she  conceals  from  me 
the  cause  of  her  condition.  What  shall 
I  do  ?  I  suspend  my  judgment,  igno- 
rant of  the  cause  of  what  I  see.  Re- 
ceive, O  God  of  Abraham,  of  Isaac,  and 
of  Jacob,  my  sighs  and  my  tears,  as  an 
acceptable  sacrifice.  I  cannot  believe 
that  Maiy  has  ofi'ended  Thee ;  but, 
being  her  husband,  I  cannot  presume 
the  existence  of  any  mystery  of  which 
I  can  be  unworthy." 

Saint  Joseph  persevered  in  his  sup- 
plications and  united  with  them  many 
other  affections  and  prayers.  He 
thought  there  must  be  in  all  this  some 
mystery,  but  his  humility  hindered  him 
from  being  assured  on  this  point.  All 
the   reasons  that  presented  themselves 


LIFE    OF   ST.    JOSEPH. 


749 


in  favor  of  tlie  holiness  of  our  most 
sweet  Lady,  contributed  only  to  per- 
suade him  that  she  had  committed  no 
fault.  At  the  same  time  the  saint 
nev^er  thought  of  her  being  the  mother 
of  the  Messiah,  for  he  could  not  have 
believed  himself  worthy  to  be  her 
spouse. 

Sometimes  he  suspended  his  suspic- 
ions ;  at  others  appearances  augmented 
them.  Sometimes  he  was  overwhelmed 
by  agitation;  sometimes  in  an  aching 
calm,  without  power  to  resolve  or  to 
believe  any  thing.  He  could  neither 
vanquish  his  doubts  nor  appease  his 
heart,  nor  find  that  certitude  of  which 
he  had  so  much  need,  to  regulate  his 
conduct  and  to  calm  his  mind.  And 
thus  it  was  that  the  sufferings  of  the 
holy  Patriarch  were  so  cruel.  They 
serve  as  evident  proofs  of  his  incom- 
parable prudence  and  sanctity,  and  they 
gained  him  such  merits  before  God  as 
to  render  him  worthy  of  the  favors  he 
was  about  to  receive. 

Throuo^h  the  knowledo;e  and  infused 
light  which  she  possessed,  our  blessed 
Lady  saw  all  that  passed  in  the  breast 
of  St.  Joseph.  But,  though  filled  with 
tenderness  and  compassion  for  the  suf- 
ferings of  her  spouse,  she  spoke  not 
on  the  subject  of  his  pain,  but  content- 
ed herself  to  serve  him  with  submis- 
sion and  exactitude,  because  it  was  not 
proper  to  disclose  the  secret  of  the 
great  King,  without  an  express  com- 
mand from  the  Lord. 


*  During  this  period,  while  he  was  in 
ignorance  of  the  mystery  of  his  spouse, 
St.  Joseph  thought  it  his  duty  to  main- 
tain his  superiority,  yet  with  great  mod- 
eration. In  this  he  imitated  the  an- 
cient Patriarchs,  from  whom  he  would 
not  degenerate,  whose  wives  were  very 
submissive.  Although  just  and  good, 
he  therefore  allowed  himself  to  be 
served  and  honored  by  the  Blessed 
Virgin  after  their  espousals,  preserving 
in  all  things  his  authority  as  chief, 
which  he  sweetened  by  his  rare  humil- 
ity and  great  prudence.  And  he  would 
have  had  cause  for  this  if  our  Lady 
had  been  like  other  women.  On  her 
part,  the  august  Mary  was  most  sub- 
missive and  obedient  to  her  husband, 
and,  although  she  was  above  all,  none 
ever  equalled  her  in  these  qualities. 
She  served  her  spouse  with  an  incom- 
parable respect  and  promptitude,  and 
thus  she  gave  opportunities  to  our 
saint,  while  she  served  him  at  table, 
or  occupied  herself  in  other  domestic 
affairs,  to  observe  her  closely,  and,  to 
the  great  affliction  of  his  soul,  assure 
himself  more  positively  of  the  truth. 
It  was  impossible  that  in  her  actions 
the  signs  of  her  condition  should  not 
be  more  evident,  but  this  did  not  hin- 
der her  in  her  tasks.  She  desired  nei- 
ther to  excuse  nor  to  justify  herself, 
because  this  would  not  have  accorded 
with  the  truth,  nor  with  her  angelical 
candor,  nor  with  the  grandeur  and  gen- 
erosity of  her  most  noble  heart;   and 


750 


LIFE    OF   ST.    JOSEPH. 


the  pains  of  St  Joseph  found  no  alle-  | 
viation.  The  Queen  of  heaven  could 
easily  have  alleged  the  truth  of  her 
irreproachable  innocence — having  excul- 
pated herself,  and  relieved  St.  Joseph 
of  his  pain  by  disclosing  the  mystery, 
but  she  would  not  hazard  the  justifica- 
tion of  so  mysterious  a  truth  upon  her 
own  testimony,  and,  with  great  wis- 
dom, she  abandoned  hei*self  to  the  di- 
vine Providence.  She  strove  to  console 
and  please  him  in  all  things,  often  ask- 
ing what  he  would  have  her  to  do. 
Many  times  she  served  him  on  her 
kne6«,  and  although  these  loving  ways 
might  in  some  sort  console  the  saintly 
spouse,  they  gave  him,  also,  additional 
causes  of  aiBiction  in  considering  the 
many  motives  to  love  and  esteem  her 
who  plunged  him  in  such  perplexity. 

St.  Joseph  could  not  entirely  conceal 
his  grief:  thus  he  often  found  himself 
pensive,  sad,  and  thoughtful.  Preoc- 
cupied by  his  sorrows,  he  sometimes 
spoke  to  his  spouse  with  more  harsh- 
ness than  formerly.  But  this  was  nei- 
ther fi'om  anger  nor  revenge,  for  he  had 
no  such  thought — it  was  merely  the  ef- 
fect inseparable  from  a  wounded  heart. 
Our  most  prudent  Lady,  on  her  part, 
changed  nothing  in  her  sweet  manners ; 
on  the  contrary,  she  took  greater  pains 
than  ever  to  comfort  her  spouse.  She 
served  him  at  table,  or  offered  him  a 
seat  Without  doubt,  this  painful  sea- 
son was  one  of  those  which  most  exer- 
cised not  only  St.  Joseph  but  our  bless- 


ed Lady.  Our  incomparable  Queen 
offered  continual  supplications  for  her 
spouse  to  the  Most  High,  that  He 
would  vouchsafe  to  regard  and  console 
him.  In  order  better  to  understand 
the  profound  humility  and  the  sublime 
vrisdom  of  the  august  Mary  in  these 
circumstances,  it  should  be  understood 
that  the  Lord  had  not  commanded  her 
to  keep  the  secret  of  the  mystery  of 
the  incarnation.  He  did  not  even  dis- 
close His  will  on  this  point  with  as 
much  clearness  as  in  other  matters.  It 
seemed  that  the  Lord  left  all  to  the 
wisdom  and  to  the  divine  virtues  of 
His  chosen  one. 

Thus  the  divine  Providence  gave  oc- 
casion to  the  most  pure  Mary,  and  to 
her  most .  faithful  spouse,  to  exercise  by 
heroic  actions,  each  according  to  their 
capacity,  the  virtues  and  gifts  which 
He  had  allotted  them.  He  was  pleased, 
as  one  might  say,  to  witness  the  faith, 
the  hope,  the  love,  the  humility  of 
these  upright  hearts  in  the  midst  of  so 
poignant  an  affliction.  The  Lord  seem- 
ed deaf,  accoi-ding  to  our  manner  of 
speaking,  for  His  greater  glory,  in  or- 
der to  give  to  the  world  this  example 
of  sanctity  and  prudence.  He  waited 
until  the  proper  time,  to  speak  was 
come.  Let  us  understand  from  this  the 
designs  of  God,  and  His  secret  ways 
with  the  souls  whom  He  cherishes,  and 
whom  He  would  render  capable  of 
receiving  His  favors  and  His  gifts.  We 
ought  to  use  every  effort,  and  employ 


LIFE    OF   ST.    JOSEPH. 


751 


all  our  care  to  acquire  efficaciously  a 
true  resignation,  to  this  divine  Provi- 
dence. If  men  only  knew  tlie  loving 
care  of  this  Father  of  mercy,  they  would 
be  happy  to  forget  themselves,  and 
cease  to  plunge  into  cares  at  once  bur- 
densome, useless,  and  dangerous.  It  is 
of  the  utmost  importance  to  the  crea- 
ture to  let  himself  be  guided  by  the 
hand  of  the  Lord,  because  men  are  igno- 
rant of  His  operations,  and  the  ends 
to  which  they  are  to  be  led  by  them. 

If  God  were  susceptible  of  being 
touched  like  men,  by  pain  or  jealousy, 
He  would  suffer,  in  perceiving  that  His 
own  creatures  desire  to  seek  the  least 
thing  in  any  other  than  Himself.  The 
Lord  regards  the  actions  of  men ;  He 
lovingly  corrects  their  faults ;  He  fore- 
sees their  desires ;  He  protects  them  in 
danger ;  He  fortifies  them  in  their  trials ; 
He  assists  them  in  their  afflictions. 
None  can  resist  Him,  or  hinder  His  will. 
He  executes  what  He  can ;  He  can  exe- 
cute all  that  He  wills,  and  He  will  give 
himself  entirely  to  the  just  who  are  in 
His  grace  and  confide  in  Him  alone. 
Who  can  conceive  the  greatness  and 
the  nature  of  the  gifts  which  He  pours 
into  hearts  disposed  to  receive  them ! 

Let  us  leave  all  to  His  providence, 
for  the  Most  High  will  give  us  what- 
ever is  most  sure  and  necessary  for  our 
salvation.  Except  the  pains  which  the 
august  Mary  endured  from  those  which 
were  suffered  by  her  most  holy  Son,  the 
most  severe  of  all  her  life  were  caused 


f  by  the  afflictions  and  perplexities  of  St. 
Joseph  in  the  circumstances  which  we 
have  just  related. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE    SUSPICIONS  OF  ST.    JOSEPH    INCREASE, 
AND  HE  RESOLVES  TO  LEAVE  HIS  SPOUSE 

THE    ANGEL    OF   THE    LORD    DECLARES 

TO    HIM    THE    MYSTERY    OF    THE    INCAR- 
NATION. 

ST.  JOSEPH  endeavored  to  calm  the 
painful  agitation  of  his  heart  by 
doing  his  utmost  to  remove  the  convic- 
tion of  his  mind  respecting  the  condi- 
tion of  his  wife.  But  the  indications 
which  became  every  day  more  visible 
in  her  holy  person  served  only  to  con- 
firm it.  The  further  our  Lady  advanced, 
the  more  amiable,  vigorous,  active,  and 
beautiful  she  became;  and  her  invincible 
charms  attracted  his  chaste  love,  with- 
out entirely  allaying  these  conflicting 
passions.  At  length  all  hesitation  was 
at  an  end ;  he  could  no  longer  entertain 
a  doubt  of  the  evidence.  His  heart 
was  conformed  to  the  will  of  God ;  nev- 
ertheless, through  the  weakness  of  the 
flesh,  his  spirit  was  exceedingly  sorrow- 
ful, and  nothing  remained  to  dissipate 
his  sadness.  He  felt  his  bodily  strength 
diminish — and,  although  no  particular 
malady  manifested  itself,  he  grew  thin, 
and  his  countenance  bore  the  marks  of 
deep  affliction.     And   as  he  preserved 


m 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


sUenoe,  not  seeking  consolation  else- 
where (as  men  usually  do),  the  suffer- 
ings of  the  saint  were  naturally  more 
intense. 

The  heart  of  the  gentle  Mary  was 
penetrated  by  a  sorrow  not  less  pro- 
found ;  but  she  resolved  to  redouble 
her  cares  for  the  health  of  her  spouse. 
She  continued  to  conceal  the  mystery 
which  she  had  no  command  to  dis- 
close, in  order  to  honor  and  to  pre- 
serve the  secret  of  the  celestial  King. 
So  far  as  regarded  herself,  she  left 
nothing  undone  to  promote  his  comfort 
— entreating  him  to  remind  her  of  any 
thing  which  might  contribute  to  re- 
store his  declining  health.  She  be- 
sought him  to  repose  himself,  and  to 
partake  of  some  little  refreshment ;  for 
it  was  but  right  to  supply  the  wants 
of  the  body,  in  order  to  obtain  strength 
to  labor  for  the  Lord. 

St  Joseph,  attentive  to  every  move- 
ment of  his  spouse,  and  sensible  of 
the  holy  effects  of  her  conversation  and 
presence,  said  within  himself:  "Is  it 
possible  that  a  woman  so  holy,  in 
whom  the  grace  of  God  is  so  percepti- 
ble, can  cast  me  into  such  perplexity  ? 
Who  can  I  find  to  equal  her,  if  I  leave 
her?  Where  find  consolation,  if  she 
fail  me  ?  But  all  these  trouble  me  even 
less  than  the  infamy  that  may  result 
fix)m  this  unhappy  affair;  or  that  I 
should  give  cause  to  believe  that  I  have 
been  the  accomplice  of  a  crime.  If  I 
make  myself  the  author  of  her  condi- 


^  tion,  it  will  be  a  falsehood  unworthy  an 
honorable  man,  and  opposed  to  my  con- 
science and  my  reputation.  In  such  a 
state  of  embarrassment,  what  shall  I 
do  ?  The  least  evil  that  can  happen  is 
to  absent  myself — to  leave  the  house." 

Our  blessed  Lady  being  sincerely 
afflicted  by  the  .resolution,  which  her 
spouse  had  just  taken,  addressed  her- 
self to  the  angels  of  her  guard  :  "  You," 
she  said,  "  who  obey  with  promptitude 
all  the  commands  of  the  Lord,  listen 
now  to  my  prayers.  Prevent  my 
spouse,  I  conjure  you,  from  executing 
this  intention  which  he  has  formed  of 
absenting  himself  from  me."  The  angels 
obeyed  their  Queen,  and  silently  con- 
veyed many  holy  inspirations  to  the 
heart  of  St.  Joseph.  They  persuaded 
him  anew  of  the  sanctity  and  perfection 
of  his  spouse  —  that  God  was  incompre- 
hensible in  His  works,  and  impene- 
trable in  His  judgments,  and  that  He 
is  most  faithful  to  those  who  trust  in 
Him. 

The  troubled  mind  of  St.  Joseph  was 
somewhat  soothed  by  these  inspirations, 
although  he  knew  not  from  whence 
they  came,  nor  by  what  order  he  re- 
ceived them.  Yet  as  the  cause  of  his 
grief  remained,  he  always  sank  again 
into  sadness,  and  returned  to  his  first 
resolution  to  desert  his  spouse.  Then 
our  blessed  Lady  addressed  herself 
directly  to  her  Son  whom  she  bore  in 
her   virginal    bosom.      "  It   would   not 

I    be  becoming,"  said  she,  "  that  thy  ser- 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


753 


vant  should  be  without  a  husband  who 
assists  and  shelters  her  from  calumny: 
do  not  permit  him  to  execute  his  design 
of  abandoning  me."  The  Most  High 
I'eplied :  "  I  will  speedily  console  my 
servant  Joseph,  and  after  I  shall  have 
declared  to  him,  through  my  angel,  the 
mystery  of  which  he  is  ignorant,  you 
may  speak  with  him  concerning  it.  I 
will  fill  him  with  my  spirit,  and  enable 
him  to  accomplish  all  that  he  should  do 
in  these  mysteries.  He  shall  aid  and 
assist  you  under  all  circumstances." 

The  august  Mary  comprehended  how 
important  it  was  that  St.  Joseph  should 
have  to  endure  this  affliction,  by  which 
his  spirit  was  exercised  and  prepared 
for  the  great  charge  that  was  to  be 
confided  to  him.  He  had  now  passed 
two  months  of  suffering,  and,  overcome 
by  his  apprehensions,  he  exclaimed : 
"  I  find  no  remedy  for  my  grief  but 
absence.  I  acknowledge  that  my  spouse 
is  perfect,  but  it  is  not  possible  for  me 
to  penetrate  the  mystery  of  her  con- 
dition, and  I  will  not  insult  her  virtue 
by  subjecting  her  to  the  penalties  of 
the  law.  I  will  depart  forthwith." 
The  saint  resolved  to  set  out  during 
the  night.  He  therefore  prepared  a 
small  packet  of  clothing.  Having  re- 
ceived a  trifling  sum  of  money  which 
was  due  to  him  for  work,  he  deter- 
mined to  leave  the  house  after  mid- 
night. But  as  he  was  accustomed  to 
meditate,  he  reflected  on  the  importance 
of  the  undertaking.      "Great  God,   of 


*  our  fathers  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob," 
he  exclaimed,  "  the  sorrow  which  breaks 
my  heart  is  not  hidden  from  Thy  divine 
clemency.  Thou  knowest,  besides,  O 
Lord  (though  in  other  things  I  am  not 
free  from  sin),  my  innocence  touching 
the  subject  of  my  grief.  I  choose  the 
lesser  evil  in  quitting  my  spouse,  and 
go  to  end  my  days  in  some  desert, 
there  to  abandon  myself  entirely  to  the 
care  of  Thy  providence.  Forsake  me 
not,  for  I  desire  only  what  is  for 
Thy  glory." 

St.  Joseph  prostrated  himself,  and 
made  a  vow  to  ofifer  in  the  Temple  of 
Jerusalem  a  part  of  the  small  sum 
which  he  had  reserved  for  his  journey, 
praying  the  Lord  to  defend  his  spouse 
from  calumny,  and  preserve  her  from 
all  evil.  Such  was  the  great  rectitude 
of  this  man  of  God,  and  such  the 
esteem  which  he  preserved  for  our 
blessed  Lady.  After  this  prayer,  he 
took  a  little  repose,  intending  to  depart 
without  seeing  her.  Our  blessed  Lady, 
from  her  oratory,  observed  all  that  St. 
Joseph  did,  or  proposed  to  do ;  for  the 
Most  High  revealed  it  to  her. 

The  divine  Majesty  permitted  that 
the  Blessed  Virgin  and  her  holy  spouse 
should  endure  these  interior  sufferings, 
in  order  that,  besides  the  merits  which 
so  long  a  martyrdom  would  procure 
for  them,  the  succor  of  the  divine  con- 
solations should  be  to  them  more  ad- 
mirable and  more  remarkable.  The 
august    Mary   practised    many   virtues 


754 


LIFE   OF   ST.    JOSEPH. 


during  this  period,  whereby  she  teaches  ^ 
U8  to  hope  for  relief  from  the  Most 
High  in  the  greatest  afflictions.  And 
what  an  example  is  not  that  of  St. 
Joseph  I  No  one  had  ever  stronger 
grounds  of  suspicion,  nor  more  of  dis- 
cretion to  control    his  judgment  than 

he. 

The  passion  of  jealousy  produces 
sharp  wounds  in  him  who  is  attacked 
by  it,  and  no  one  ever  felt  its  effects 
so  sensibly  as  St.  Joseph,  though,  in 
fact,  there  was  no  foundation  for  it,  if 
he  had  but  known  the  truth.  He  was 
endowed  with  a  singular  intelligence 
to  penetrate  the  sanctity  and  the  lovely 
character  of  his  spouse.  But  this,  in 
augmenting  his  esteem  for  her  whom 
he  was  about  to  lose,  augmented  his 
sorrow  to  find  himself  necessitated  to 
abandon  her. 

St.  Joseph  was  not  subject  to  the 
disorders  of  common  jealousy,  in  which 
the  passions  of  concupiscence  are  en- 
gaged, which  neither  reason  nor  pru- 
dence can  vanquish.  The  jealousy  of 
the  saint  arose  only  from  the  depth  of 
his  love  and  a  conditional  suspicion, 
viz.:  whether  his  chaste  spouse  recip- 
rocated his  affection ;  for  a  pledge  so 
dear  as  the  affection  of  a  wife  must 
not  be  shared  by  any  other.  When 
love  is  so  well  founded,  the  chains  that 
cement  it  are  very  strong,  and  the  more 
so  because  there  are  fewer  imperfections 
to  weaken  them.  There  was  nothing 
in  our  sweet  Lady  which  could  dimin- 


ish the  love  of  her  spouse.  On  the 
contrary,  all  that  she  had  received  from 
grace  and  from  nature  gave  him  new 
subjects  every  day  to  strengthen  his 
affection. 

After  the  saint  had  offered  the  prayer, 
of  which  we  have  already  made  men- 
tion, he  fell  asleep  in  this  sadness, 
which  had  sunk  into  despondency.  He 
was  sure  that  he  should  awake  in  time 
to  depart  at  midnight,  without  being 
seen,  as  he  thought,  by  his  spouse. 
Our  Lady,  on  her  part,  awaited  the 
remedy,  and  earnestly  sought  it  by 
her  humble  prayers.  She  was  con- 
soled by  an  assurance  that  the  pains 
of  her  spouse  had  now  reached  their 
highest  degree — the  hour  of  mercy  and 
consolation  for  that  sorrowing  heart 
could  not  long  tarry,  and  her  desires 
would  soon  be  accomplished.  And 
now  the  Lord  sent  the  archangel  Ga- 
briel, to  disclose,  by  a  divine  revela- 
tion to  St.  Joseph,  while  he  slept,  the 
mystery  which  was  to  be  accomplished 
in  his  spouse.  The  archangel  acquitted 
himself  this  embassy,  appeared  iu  a 
dream,  as  related  by  St.  Matthew,  and 
declared  to  him,  in  the  terms  quoted 
by  that  evangelist,  the  whole  mystery 
of  the  incarnation  and  redemption. 

There  are  various  reasons  why  the 
archangel  spoke  to  St.  Joseph  in  a 
dream,  and  not  in  his  waking  hours, 
although  the  mystery  had  been  mani- 
fested to  others  when  awake.  In  the 
first  place,  St.  Joseph  was'  so  prudent 


LIFE    OF    ST,    JOSEPH. 


755 


and  so  filled  with  esteem  for  tlie  Bless- 
ed Virgin,  that  stronger  proofs  were 
unnecessary  to  convince  him  of  the 
dignity  of  Mary,  and  of  the  mystery 
of  the  incarnation  ;  for  the  divine  in- 
spiration penetrates  easily  into  well- 
disposed  hearts.  In  the  second  place, 
his  trouble  had  begun  with  his  senses, 
and  it  was  but  just  that  they  should 
bQ  mortified  and  deprived  of  the  angelic 
vision,  since  they  had  permitted  the 
entrance  of  illusions  and  suspicions; 
therefore  the  truth  ought  not  to  enter 
by  their  means.  The  third  reason  is, 
that  although  St.  Joseph  committed 
no  sin  in  these  circumstances,  yet  his 
senses  had  undoubtedly  contracted  a 
species  of  stain,  and  it  was  proper  that 
t:ie  angel  should  fulfil  his  embassy  at 
a  time  when  these  senses,  which  had 
been  scandalized,  were  interdicted  by 
the  suspension  of  their  operations.  Be- 
sides these,  there  was  the  reason  which 
should  overrule  all  others,  that  such 
was  the  will  of  the  Lord,  who  is  just 
and  holy,  and  perfect  in  all  His  works. 
St.  Joseph  saw  not  the  angel  through 
any  image  or  form — he  heard  only  the 
internal  voice,  and  understood  the  mys- 
tery. He  heard  what  St.  Gabriel  said, 
"  that  he  should  not  fear  to  remain 
with  Mary  his  wife,  because  her  con- 
dition was  the  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
That  she  should  bring  forth  a  son, 
whom  he  should  call  Jesus;  that  He 
should  deliver  His  people  from  their 
sins ;  and  that  in  this  mystery  would 


^  be  accomplished  the  prophecy  of  Isaiah 
— '  A  Virgin  shall  conceive  and  bring 
forth  a  son,  who  shall  be  called  Em- 
manuel, which  means,  God  with  us.'" 
We  perceive  from  the  words  of  the 
celestial  ambassador,  that  the  saint  had 
separated  from  the  pure  Mary  in  in- 
tention, since  he  was  commanded  to 
receive  her  without  fear. 

St.  Joseph  awoke,  informed  of  the 
mystery  which  had  been  revealed  to 
him,  and  instructed  that  his  spouse 
was  the  Mother  of  God.  He  found 
himself  divided  between  the  joy  of  his 
happiness,  and  his  unhoped-for  dignity, 
and  sorrow  for  what  he  had  been 
about  to  do.  He  prostrated  himself 
instantly  on  the  ground,  and  made, 
with  humble  fear  and  inconceivable 
contentment,  heroic  acts  of  humility 
and  gratitude.  He  gave  thanks  to 
God  for  the  mystery  whidi  had  been 
disclosed  to  him,  and  for  having  made 
him  the  spouse  of  her  whom  He  had 
chosen  to  be  His  mother — him,  who 
did  not  deserve  to  be  her  servant. 
The  doubts  and  uncertainty  which  St. 
Joseph  had  suffered,  laid  in  him  the 
foundations  of  the  most  profound  hu- 
mility, necessary  for  him  to  whom 
was  confided  the  dispensation  of  the 
most  holy  counsels  of  the  Lord.  The 
remembrance  of  what  had  passed  served 
as  a  lesson  for  his  future  life. 

Having  rendered  thanks  to  the  divine 
Majesty,  the  holy  man  began  to  re- 
proach himself.     "  O  my  divine  spouse," 


said  he,  "most  sweet  dove,  chosen  by 
the  Most  High  to  he  His  own  mother, 
how  hath  thy  unworthy  servant  dared 
to  call  in  question  thy  fidelity!  How 
could  he,  who  is  only  dust  and  ashes, 
suffer  her  who  is  Queen  of  heaven  to 
serve  him  ?  Why  have  I  not  kissed 
the  earth  thy  steps  have  trod,  and 
served  thee  kneeling?  How  shall  I 
dare  to  raise  my  eyes  in  thy  presence, 
or  open  my  lips  to  speak  with  thee? 
Lord,  give  me  grace,  grant  me  strength 
to  pray  for  pardon !  Inspire  her  to 
show  me  mercy,  so  that  she  may  not 
reject  her  unworthy  servant  as  he 
deserves.  Alas  !  how  clearly  she  must 
have  penetrated  all  my  thoughts :  how 
can  I  have  the  boldness  to  appear  in 
her  presence  ?  I  see  now  the  grossness 
of  my  conduct,  and  my  stupid  mistake ; 
and  if  Thy  justice  for  my  chastisement 
had  permitted  me  to  execute  my  impru- 
dent intention,  what  wretcheness  would 
now  be  mine!  Thanks  to  Thee,  my 
God,  throughout  eternity,  for  so  great 
a  blessing.  I  will  present  myself  to 
my  princess,  my  spouse,  confiding  in 
the  sweetness  of  her  clemency,  and, 
prostrate  at  her  feet,  I  will  beseech 
her  pardon,  so  that  for  her  sake,  Lord, 
Thou  wilt  regard  me  with  pity,  and 
pardon  my  fault." 

St.  Joseph  went  forth  from  his  hum- 
ble chamber  very  unlike  what  he  was 
before  his  recent  slumber.  Now  he 
was  happy:  yet  he  dared  not  disturb 
our  blessed  Lady,  who  was  still  absorb- 


^k  ed  in  the  S"jveets  of  her  contemplation. 
While  awaiting  the  favorable  moment, 
the  man  of  God,  with  tearful  eyes,  un- 
bound the  little  packet  that  he  had 
prepared  —  but  with  sentiments  far  dif- 
ferent from  those  which  had  previously 
occupied  him.  Having  learned  the 
honor  due  to  our  blessed  Lady,  our 
saint  watered  the  house  with  his  tears  ; 
he  swept  it  and  prepared  other  little 
household  work,  which,  while  ignorant 
of  her  dignity,  he  had  intrusted  to  the 
care  of  his  blessed  spouse. 

He  now  resolved  to  change  his  de- 
portment towards  her,  by  appropriating 
to  himself  the  office  of  servant,  reserv- 
ing that  of  mistress  for  her  majesty. 
Further  on  we  shall  relate  the  loving 
disputes  which  he  had  with  our  queen 
to  decide  which  of  the  two  should  serve 
and  take  the  humbler  place.  At  the 
proper  time  the  saint  presented  himself 
at  the  chamber  of  our  blessed  Lady, 
who  awaited  his  coming  with  the  sweet- 
ness and  complacency  which  we  shall 
recount  in  the  following  chapter.  Let 
us  take  an  example  from  St.  Joseph, 
who  believed,  without  delay  and  with- 
out doubting,  that  which  the  angel 
revealed  to  him,  in  such  wise  that  he 
merited  to  be  elevated  to  a  great  bai-d, 
and  to  a  sublime  dignity.  And  if  he 
abased  himself  with  so  much  humility, 
not  having  committed  any  sin  in  what 
he  did,  but  only  in  having  been  greatly 
troubled  under  circumstances  which 
seemed   to  give   so   much  occasion  for 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


757 


anxiety,  consider  how  mucli  we  ought  * 
to  humiliate  ourselves — we,  who  are 
nothing  but  miserable  worms  of  the 
dust  —  by  weeping  over  our  negligence 
and  our  sins,  so  that  the  Most  High 
may  regard  us  as  father  and  spouse. 


CHAPTER  y. 

ST.    JOSEPH    ASKS     PARDON    OF    THE     HOLY 

MARY     HIS     SPOUSE HE     RESOLVES    TO 

SERVE    HER   IN    ALL   THINGS    WITH   PRO- 
FOUND   RESPECT. 

ST.  JOSEPH,  after  the  discovery  of 
his  error.  Waited  until  our  blessed 
Lady  should  come  forth  from  her  re- 
treat. As  soon  as  he  thouo-ht  it  was 
time,  he  opened  the  door  of  the  little 
chamber  occupied  by  the  mother  of 
the  heavenly  King,  and,  throwing  him- 
self at  her  feet,  he  exclaimed,  with 
humility  and  profound  veneration  :  "  My 
spouse.  Mother  of  the  Eternal  Word, 
behold  your  servant  prostrate  before 
you.  By  the  same  Lord  whom  you 
bear  in  your  most  chaste  bosom,  I  pray 
you  to  pardon  my  presumption.  Sure 
I  am  that  none  of  my  thoughts  can  be 
hidden  from  your  wisdom,  nor  from  the 
divine  light  which  you  have  received. 
Great  was  my  blindness  to  think  of 
deserting  you ;  but  you  know  that  I 
did  it  in  ignorance,  because  neither  the 
secret  of  the  great  King  had  been  re- 
vealed to  me,  nor  the  greatness  of  your 


dignity.  Forget,  I  ei  treat  you,  the 
many  deficiencies  of  a  vile  creature  who 
offers  his  heart  and  his  life  to  your  ser- 
vice ;  I  will  not  rise  from  your  feet  until 
you  have  pardoned  my  folly — until  I 
have  received  your  forgiveness  and  your 
benediction." 

The  august  Mary  listened  with  min- 
gled feelings  to  the  humble  words  of 
her  spouse.  She  rejoiced  in  the  Lord 
to  learn  that  St.  Joseph  was  informed 
of  the  mysteries  of  the  incarnation,  and 
that  he  revered  them  with  such  pro- 
found faith  and  humility.  But  she  was 
troubled  by  the  resolution  he  had  taken 
to  change  his  conduct  towards  her,  and 
with  the  respect  and  submission  with 
which  he  addressed  her.  Knowing  how 
much  she  ought  to  esteem  humility, 
she  was  disturbed  by  the  apprehen- 
sion that  St.  Joseph,  recognizing  in  her 
the  mother  of  the  Lord,  would  deport 
himself  in  all  things  as  her  inferior. 
Insisting  that  he  should  rise,  she  pros- 
trated herself  at  his  feet,  although  he 
made  every  effort  to  hinder  this,  but  it 
was  not  possible ;  for  in  humility  she 
was  invincible.  Then  she  said  to  the 
saint :  "  It  is  I,  my  spouse,  who  ought 
to  beseech  your  pardon  for  the  pain 
and  sorrow  that  you  have  had  to  en- 
dure on  my  account,  therefore  I  beg 
you  will  forget  them." 

Our  blessed  Lady,  for  the  consolation 
of  her  husband,  continued :  "  I  could 
not  reveal  to  you  the  hidden  mystery 
which    the    Most    High    had  inclosed 


758 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


within  me,  because  it  was  my  duty  to 
await  the  expression  of  the  will  of  the 
Lord.  Thus  my  silence  should  not  be 
considered  as  arising  from  any  want  of 
esteem  for  you,  for  in  all  things  I  regard 
you  as  my  master  and  my  husband.  I 
am,  and  always  will  be,  your  faithful 
servant;  but  do  not  make  any  change 
in  the  demeanor  which  you  have  al- 
ways preserved  towards  me.  The  Lord 
has  not  elevated  me  to  the  dignity  of 
being  His  own  Mother  to  be  served, 
but  to  be  the  servant  of  all,  and  of  you 
especially.  This  is  my  office :  it  is  but 
just  that  you  should  leave  it  to  me, 
since  the  Most  High  has  so  ordained  in 
giving  me  your  protection." 

St.  Joseph,  by  these  reasons  and 
many  others,  sweetly  efficacious,  found 
his  spirit  enlightened  in  a  singular  man- 
ner. He  received,  through  this  purest 
of  creatures,  extraordinary  divine  influ- 
ences, and,  entirely  renewed  in  heart, 
he  replied:  "Thou  art  blessed  among 
women ;  thou  art  blessed  among  all 
nations.  May  the  Creator  of  heaven 
and  earth  be  glorified  by  eternal  praises, 
for  that  He  has  chosen  thee  for  His 
dwelling.  In  thee  alone  He  has  accom- 
plished the  promises  that  He  made  to 
our  fathers  and  to  the  prophets.  Let 
all  generations  bless  Him  that  He  has 
not  exalted  Himself  in  any  creature  as 
in  thee,  and  that  He  has  chosen  me,  the 
vilest  of  men,  to  be  thy  servant."  The 
saint  was  enlightened  by  thd  divine 
Spirit  after  ^  the  manner  of  St.  Eliza- 


+  beth ;  but  the  light  and  knowledge 
which  St.  Joseph  received  were,  in  a 
certain  sense,  more  admirable,  because 
of  his  dignity  and  ministry. 

The  august  Mary  replied  by  the  Mag- 
nificat and  other  new  canticles ;  and 
while  chanting  them,  inflamed  by  the 
divine  fire,  she  was  rapt  in  a  sublime 
ecstasy,  and,  lifted  up  from  the  eai-th 
in  a  globe  of  brilliant  light  which  en- 
circled her,  she  was  transformed  as  in 
a  glory.  St.  Joseph  was  filled  with 
admiration  and  joy  inconceivable  at  this 
view  of  his  holy  spouse,  for  he  had 
never  yet  seen  her  surrounded  with 
such  glory  and  excellence.  She  appear- 
ed to  him  quite  transparent,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  he  discovered  the  integi-ity 
and  virginal  purity  ot  our  queen  and 
the  mystery  of  her  dignity.  He  saw, 
also,  and  recognized  in  the  chaste  bosom 
of  Mary  the  holy  humanity  of  the  In- 
fant God  and  the  union  of  the  two  na- 
tures in  the  person  of  the  Word.  He 
adored  the  Infant  God  with  a  profound 
humility,  acknowledged  his  true  Re- 
deemer, and  offered  himself  to  His  ser- 
vice with  fervent  acts  of  divine  love. 

The  Lord  regarded  him  with  great 
favor,  and  distinguished  him  among  all 
men,  for  He  accepted  him  as  His  re- 
puted father,  and  gave  him  the  title. 
And  to  render  him  conformable  to  this 
new  and  honorable  name,  He  imparted 
to  him  all  the  knowledge  and  divine 
gifts  to  which  Christian  purity  can  oi 
ought  to  aspire. 


LIFE    OF   ST.    JOSEPH. 


759 


If  it  were  a  proof  of  the  magnan- 
imity of  the  glorious  St.  Joseph  that 
he  did  not  die  of  jealousy,  it  is  also  a 
subject  of  admiration  that  he  was  not 
overwhelmed  by  the  joy  which  he  felt 
on  this  occasion.  In  the  first  case  his 
holiness  appears,  but  in  the  second  he 
received  such  augmentations  of  graces 
and  gifts  from  the  Lord,  that,  if  His 
divine  Majesty  had  not  dilated  his 
heart,  he  could  not  have  been  able  to 
receive  them.  He  was  entirely  renewed 
and  enlightened  so  as  to  converse  wor- 
thily with  her  who  was  the  Mother  of 
God,  and,  conjointly  with  her,  to  dis- 
pense all  that  concerned  the  incarna- 
tion and  the  charge  of  the  Word  made 
man.  It  was  also  manifested  to  him, 
in  order  that  he  should  recognize  the 
obligation  imposed  on  him  to  serve  his 
holy  spouse,  that  all  the  gifts  he  had 
received  from  the  Most  High  were  re- 
ceived through  her  and  for  her.  He 
knew  that  the  gifts  he  had  received 
before  his  espousals  were  bestowed 
because  the  Lord  had  chosen  him  for 
this  office,  and  that  those  which  he  now 
received  were  because  she  had  merited 
them  for  him.  And  as  our  blessed  Lady 
had  been  the  instrument  by  which  the 
Lord  had  wrought  the  sanctiiication  of 
John  the  Baptist,  and  his  mother,  St. 
Elizabeth,  she  was  the  organ,  also,  by 
whom  St.  Joseph  received  the  pleni- 
tude of  grace.  This  most  happy  spouse 
knew  all  this,  and  he  responded  to  it 
like  a  faithful  and  grateful  servant. 


The  holy  evangelists  make  no  men- 
tion of  these  great  mysteries,  nor  of 
many  others  which  were  known  to  our 
blessed  Lady  and  St.  Joseph,  because, 
for  many  reasons,  they  were  not  suit- 
able to  be  made  known  to  the  Gentiles 
on  their  first  conversion.  These  thincrs 
were  reserved,  by  the  impenetrable 
judgments  of  Providence,  for  times 
which  the  divine  wisdom  judged  more 
suitable,*  or  when  the  Church  should 
have  need  of  the  intercession  and  sup- 
port of  our  holy  Queen.  The  faithful 
St.  Joseph,  after  having  been  made 
aware  of  the  dignity  of  his  spouse,  and 
the  mystery  of  the  incarnation,  con- 
ceived so  lofty  an  esteem  for  her,  that, 
although  he  had  been  always  pure  and 
perfect  in  his  life,  he  now  became  as  a 
new  man.  He  resolved  henceforth  to 
change  his  conduct,  and  to  redouble  his 
veneration  towards  our  blessed  Lady. 
This  was  in  conformity  with  the  wis- 
dom of  the  saint,  and  due  to  the  excel- 
lence of  his  spouse,  for  he  was  servant, 
and  she  mistress  of  the  universe.  St. 
Joseph  knew  all  this  by  divine  illumi- 
nation. Now,  to  satisfy  the  desire  he 
had  to  honor  her  in  whom  he  recog- 
nized the  Mother  of  God,  when  he 
spoke  to  her,  or  passed  before  her,  if 
alone  together,  he  bent  the  knee.  He 
would  not  suffer  her  to  wait  on  him, 
nor  that  she  should  occupy  herself  in 

*  Jesus  said,  "  I  have  yet  many  things  to  say 
to  you  :  but  you  cannot  hear  them  now." — SL 
John,  xvi.  12. 


no 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


Other  bumble  offices,  such  as  sweeping  ^ 
the   house,   cleansing  the   vessels,   and 
many  other   things   which    he  thought 
ilerogatory    from    tlie    (liofiiity    of    our 
queen. 

But  our  saintly  Lady,  who  was  the 
humblest  of  the  humble,  and  whose  hu- 
mility wa.s  not  to  be  overcome,  prayed 
St  Joseph  not  to  pay  her  such  honors 
as  to  bow  the  knee  to  her.  This  ven- 
eration, she  said,  was  doubtless  due  to 
the  Loi*d,  whom  she  bore  in  her  bosom ; 
but  while  He  remained  there,  the  per- 
son of  Christ  could  not  be  distin- 
guished from  her  own.  The  saint, 
yielding  to  her  humble  desires,  render- 
ed this  worship  to  the  Lord,  who  was 
in  the  bosom  of  Mary,  and  to  her  as 
His  mother,  only  when  unperceived  by 
her. 

They  had  also  humble  disputes  re- 
specting their  servile  employments.  St. 
Joseph  could  not  consent  to  allow  our 
amiable  mistress  to  perform  them,  and 
strove  to  prevent  it.  On  her  part,  she 
did  what  she  could,  but  while  she  was 
retired  in  her  oratoiy  the  saint  found 
time  to  do  many  things,  and  thus  our 
sweet  Lady  was  frustrated  in  her  de- 
sires to  be  the  servant.  At  these  times 
she  addressed  her  meek  complaints  to 
the  Lord,  and  prayed  Him  to  oldige 
her  spouse  not  to  hinrler  her  in  the 
exercise  of  humility. 

This  virtue  is  so  agreeable  at  the 
tribimal  of  God,  that  we  ask  for  no 
common   grace  when  we  pray  for  it; 


for  humility  imparts  a  certain  great- 
ness to  all  things,  and  inclines  God  to 
clemency.  The  divine  Majesty  heark- 
ened to  the  request  of  our  blessed 
Lady,  and  his  guardian  angel,  said, 
interiorly,  to  the  blessed  St.  Joseph, 
*'Do  not  frustrate  the  humble  desires 
of  her  who  is  above  all  creatures  in 
heaven  or  on  earth.  Permit  her  to 
serve  you  in  external  things,  and  pre- 
serve for  her  in  your  interior  the  great- 
est reverence.  Render  to  the  Word 
made  man,  in  all  times  and  in  all 
places,  the  homage  that  is  due  to  Him. 
You  can,  meanwhile,  assist  His  mother, 
and  honor  always  the  Lord  of  the 
universe  who  is  within  her." 

Having  received  these  orders  from 
the  Most  High,  St.  Joseph  no  longer 
refused  her  humble  exercises  to  our 
sweet  Lady.  Thus  both  offered  to 
God  the  sacrifice  of  their  will.  The 
most  pure  Mary,  in  practising  her  pro- 
found humility,  and  faithful  obedience 
to  her  spouse ;  and  St.  Joseph,  by  obe- 
dience to  the  Most  High,  with  a  holy 
confusion  to  see  himself  served  by  her 
whom  he  recognized  as  mistress  of  the 
universe  and  mother  of  the  Creator. 

Thus  our  saint  was  compensated  for 
the  humility  which  he  could  not  exer- 
cise ;  for,  to  see  himself  served  as  he 
was,  humiliated  him  far  more,  and 
obliged  him  to  abase  himself  still  more 
profoundly  in  contempt  of  himself.  In 
these  dispositions  St.  Joseph  meditated 
upon  the  Lord,  whom  the  august  Mary 


^■<fili)if  <&!(^4ii|)'   S 


fJ  ^D  ^^p  'Y  A-  -  y' 


LIFE    OF   ST.    JOSEPH. 


761 


bore  in  lier  chaste  bosom,  adoring  and 
rendering  to  Him  honor  and  glory. 
Then,  in  recompense  for  his  sanctity 
and  his  respect,  mingled  with  fear, 
the  Infant  God,  made  man,  sometimes 
manifested  Himself  in  an  admirable 
manner.  He  saw  Him  in  the  bosom 
of  His  most  pure  mother,  as  through 
a  luminous  crystal.  Afterwards,  our 
incomparable  Lady  conversed  more 
familiarly  with  her  blessed  spouse 
upon  the  mysteries  of  the  incarnation, 
for  she  knew  that  he  was  now  inform- 
ed of  the  secrets  of  the  hypostatic 
union  of  the  two  natures,  divine  and 
human,  within  her  virginal  bosom. 

No  tongue  can  relate  the  celestial 
discourses  that  were  held  between  the 
Blessed  Virgin  and  St.  Joseph.  And 
who  can  describe  the  effects  produced 
on  the  gentle  and  pious  heart  of  this 
holy  man,  on  finding  himself  the  spouse 
of  her  who  was  the  true  mother  of  his 
Creator,  and  to  see  her  performing  for 
him  the  duties  of  a  simple  servant  ? 

If  the  Almighty  enriched  the  house 
and  the  person  of  Oben-Edom  with 
such  plenteous  benedictions  for  having 
received  the  ark  of  the  Old  Testament, 
what  benedictions  would  He  not  be- 
stow upon  St.  Joseph,  to  whom  He 
had  confided  the  true  Ark,  and  the 
Legislator  Himself  who  was  inclosed 
within  it? 

The  happiness  and  the  fidelity  of 
this  saint  were  incomparable,  not  only 
because   the  living   Ark   of  the   New 


f  Testament  abode  in  his  house,  but  be- 
cause he  guarded  it  like  a  faithful  and 
prudent  servant.  The  Lord  placed  him 
over  His  family,  also,  that  he  should 
provide  for  it  according  to  its  neces 
sities  as  a  faithful  administrator.  Let 
all  nations  acknowledge  him,  bless 
him,  and  publish  his  praises,  since  the 
Most  High  has  never  done  for  any 
other  what  He  has  done  for  this  in- 
comparable saint.  In  view  of  mys- 
teries so  august,  I  will  glorify  this 
adorable  Lord,  and  confess  Him  as  holy, 
just,  merciful,  wise,  and  admirable  in 
all  His  wondrous  works. 


CHAPTER  VL 

MODE  OF  LIFE   OF   THE   AUGUST  MARY  AIS^D 

ST.  JOSEPH. CONVERSATIONS   BETWEEN 

THEM,    AND     OTHER     REMARKABLE    CIR- 
CUMSTANCES. 

THE  humble  house  of  Joseph,  which 
our  saints  made  their  dwelling- 
place,  consisted  of  three  chambers  only. 
St.  Joseph  slept  in  one  of  these,  and 
used  another  as  a  workshop,  where 
the  tools  were  deposited  which  served 
for  use  in  his  trade  of  carpenter.  The 
third,  which  contained  a  small  bed, 
the  work  of  our  saint,  was  appropri- 
ated to  the  Queen  of  heaven,  who  slej)t 
there,  and  made  it  her  ordinary  abode. 
This  order  was  established  from  the- 
date  of  their  marriage. 


78S 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


3«fore  he  was  informed  of  her  dignity, 
the  saintly  husband  rarely,  except 
when  some  affair  obliged  him  to  ask 
her  advice,  visited  his  wife,  because 
he  was  engaged  with  his  work,  and 
she  remained  in  her  retreat.  But  after 
his  happiness  was  made  known  to 
him,  the  holy  man  became  more  as- 
siduous, and  went  very  often  to  seek 
our  blessed  Lady,  to  renew  the  offer 
of  his  services.  Yet  he  never  ap- 
proached her  but  with  great  humility 
and  reverent  respect.  Before  speaking 
to  her  he  was  careful  to  observe  how 
she  was  occupied.  Thus,  many  times 
he  saw  her  rapt  in  ecstacy,  and  sur- 
rounded by  a  radiant  light ;  at  others, 
he  found  her  discoursing  with  angels. 
Often  she  was  prostrate,  in  the  form  of 
a  cross,  and  speaking  with  the  Lord. 
In  these  circumstances  our  saint  con- 
tented himself  with  the  liberty  of  gaz- 
ing upon  her  with  the  most  profound 
reverence.  It  was  granted  to  his  merits 
to  hear  the  harmony  of  the  angelic 
chants,  and  to  inhale  a  delicious  fra- 
grance that  strengthened  him  and  filled 
his  whole  being  with  spiritual  joy  and 
consolation. 

The  holy  spouses  were  alone  in  their 
house,  for  they  kept  no  servant — not 
only  because  of  their  great  humility, 
but  also  that  they  found  it  most  con- 
venient to  have  no  witnesses  of  the 
prodigies  that  were  of  such  frequent 
occuiTence  with  them. 

Our  Lady  never  left  the  house,  unless 


^  obliged  by  some  pressing  circumstance; 
but  a  woman,  their  neighbor  and  rela- 
tive, she  who  had  served  St.  Joseph 
(luring  the  sojourn  of  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin at  the  house  of  Zachariah,  took 
charge  of  their  extei'nal  affairs.  She 
was  abundantly  recompensed  for  these 
services,  not  only  in  her  own  advance- 
ment in  perfection,  but  her  family  also 
felt  the  beneficent  efiects  of  the  protec- 
tion of  the  Holy  Family.  The  august 
Mary  many  times  healed  their  maladies, 
and  filled  them  with  heavenly  bene- 
dictions. 

Their  nourishment  was  very  frugal ; 
but  they  partook  of  it  every  day,  and 
together.  St.  Joseph  sometimes  ate 
flesh  meat,  but  the  holy  Virgin  never 
although  she  prepared  it  for  her  spouse 
Their  ordinary  diet  consisted  of  fruits 
fish,  bread,  and  cooked  vegetables.  But 
this  was  always  taken  with  great  mod- 
eration, and  only  so  much  as  was  need 
ful,  but  the  quality  varied  according  to 
circumstances. 

St.  Joseph  never  saw  his  holy  spouse 
asleep.  He  did  not  know,  from  his 
own  experience,  whether  she  slept  at 
all.  Her  place  of  rest  was  the  little 
bed  made  by  the  saint.  It  had  two 
coverings,  between  which  she  was  ac- 
customed to  place  herself  to  take  a 
brief  and  light  repose.  The  under-gar- 
ment  of  the  august  Mary  was  a  tunic 
or  chemise,  but  little  softer  than  wool- 
len stufi;  She  never  left  it  ofl*,  except 
when  it  was  worn,  nor  soiled  it,  and  no 


_i 


'■9 


'■^^ 


.^ 


^^. 


Z^%,jfM.^. 


>*it>flfii^%?«sr 


■        -'    '  '  --•^^*^5)P-i^H^'^'' 


LIFE    OF   ST.    JOSEPH. 


763 


one   in  the  world  saw  it,  not  even  St.    * 
Joseph.     In  all  her  works,  and  in  what- 
ever she  did  for  St.  Joseph,  the  greatest 
cleanliness  was  observed. 

Before  St.  Joseph  was  informed  of 
the  mystery  of  .  the  incarnation,  our 
blessed  Lady,  at  certain  times  when  he 
was  not  occupied,  used  to  read  to  him 
from  the  Holy  Scriptures,  particularly 
from  David  and  the  Prophets.  She 
explained  them  like  an  experienced 
instructress,  and  her  holy  spouse  ques- 
tioned her  on  many  points,  her  replies 
to  which  gave  him  such  cause  for  admi- 
ration, that  both  united  in  praising  and 
blessing  the  Lord.  But  after  the  saint 
had  discovered  the  grand  secret,  our 
Lady  addressed  him  as  the  chosen  of 
God,  to  be  the  coadjutor  of  the  works 
and  mysteries  of  the  Redemption.  They 
discoursed  then  openly  together,  and 
with  a  more  clear  understanding,  of 
the  prophecies  which  referred  to  the 
conception  of  the  Word  by  a  Virgin 
Mother,  His  birth,  and  His  most  holy 
life. 

Our  august  Lady  explained  all ;  and 
then  they  spoke  of  what  they  should 
do  when  the  day,  so  much  desired, 
should  come — when  the  Child  should 
be  born,  when  He  should  be  in  her 
arms,  and  she  should  nourish  Him  from 
her  virginal  breast,  and  when,  alone 
among  mortals,  her  holy  spouse  would 
be  the  only  one  who  should  participate 
in  this  inconceivable  happiness !  But 
she   said   little  of  the   death   and   the 


passion,  for  she  was  unwilling  to  afflict 
the  tender  heart  of  her  spouse. 

The  faithful  and  happy  St.  Joseph 
was  all  enkindled  by  divine  love  in 
these  gracious  conversations,  and,  shed- 
ding tears  of  joy,  he  cried  out :  "  Is  it 
indeed  possible  that  I  shall  see  my  God 
and  Redeemer  within  thy  chaste  arms  ? 
— that  I  shall  adore  Him  there? — that 
I  shall  hear  His  sweet  voice? — that  I 
shall  touch  Him? — that  my  eyes  shall 
see  His  divine  face? — that  the  sweat 
of  my  brow  shall  be  employed  in  His 
service,  and  for  His  support? — that  we 
shall  speak  and  converse  with  Him? 
Whence  comes  to  me  such  bliss  as  none 
could  ever  have  deserved  ?  Why  have 
I  not  rich  treasures,  that  I  may  lay 
them  at  His  feet  ? " 

Our  august  Lady  replied  :  "  The  great 
God  comes  not  into  the  world  to  find 
riches,  for  He  needs  them  not ;  for  them 
would  He  not  descend  from  heaven. 
He  comes  on  earth  only  to  repair  the 
disorders  of  the  world,  and  by  sure 
ways  to  conduct  it  to  eternal  life ;  and 
these  ways  are  none  other  than  humility 
and  poverty.  For  this  He  has  chosen 
our  poor  habitation.  He  wills  not  that 
we  be  rich  in  worldly  goods,  which  are 
but  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit." 

The  saint  often  besought  the  holy 
Virgin  to  instruct  him  in  the  character 
of  the  virtues,  especially  that  of  the 
divine  love,  in  order  that  he  might 
understand  how  to  conduct  himself  in  a 
suitable  manner  towards  the  God  man, 


7«4 


LIFE    OF   ST.    JOSEPH. 


■o  as  not  to  be  rejected  as  an  unprofit-  * 
able  servant  The  Mistress  of  the  Vir- 
tues condescended  to  his  request,  and 
explained  to  her  spouse  the  properties 
of  the  virtues,  and  the  manner  of  prac- 
tising them  with  all  possible  perfection. 
Nevertheless  she  deported  herself  in 
these  instructions  with  such  great  dis- 
cretion, that  she  appeared  in  no  wise 
the  mistress  of  her  spouse,  for  she  inter- 
rupted the  saint  and  insti-ucted  him 
by  her  questions. 

They  mingled  these  conversations,  or 
readings  from  the  Scriptures,  sometimes 
with  manual  labor,  when  the  saint  was 
obliged  to  continue  at  his  work.  Our 
most  amiable  Lady  added  to  them  the 
consolations  of  the  celestial  doctrines ; 
and  thus  the  happy  husband  made 
greater  advancement  in  virtue  than 
with  the  work  of  his  hands.  She  show- 
ed to  him  the  great  fruit  that  may  be 
drawn  from  labor.  Believing  herself 
unworthy  to  be  maintained  by  her 
spouse,  she  was  humbled,  in  thinking 
how  much  she  was  indebted  to  him. 
She  felt  herself  as  much  obliged  as  if 
she  had  been  the  most  useless  of  all 
creatures,  and,  being  unable  to  assist 
our  saint,  she  served  him  whenever  it 
was  possible.  About  this  time  St.  Jo- 
seph saw,  one  day,  a  great  number  of 
birds  come  to  entertain  the  queen  of 
creatures.  They  fluttered  around  her, 
as  if  to  form  a  choir,  and  sang  with  a 
delicious  melody.  St  Joseph  had  not 
before  witnessed  this  marvel,  and,  over- 


flowing with  joy  and  wonder,  he  ex- 
claimed :  "  Is  it  possible  that  unreason- 
ing creatures  acquit  themselves  of  their 
obligations  better  than  I?  It  is  just 
that  if  they  recognize,  serve,  and  honor 
thee,  so  far  as  they  are  capable,  that 
thou  shouldst  pennit  me  also,  to  acquit 
myself  of  what  is  justly  thy  right." 
But  the  most  prudent  Virgin  replied: 
"  I  am  but  a  simple  creature,  yet  I 
ought  to  induce  all  creatures  to  praise 
the  Most  High." 

It  often  happened  that  they  found 
themselves  in  want  of  necessaries,  for 
they  were  very  liberal  to  the  poor,  nor 
were  they  careful,  like  worldly  people, 
to  provide  for  their  wants  beforehand. 
Now  the  Lord  so  ordered  it,  that  the 
faith  and  patience  of  His  holy  Mother 
and  St.  Joseph  should  not  be  idle. 
These  privations  were  an  inexpressible 
consolation  to  the  august  Mary,  not 
only  because  of  her  love  of  poverty, 
but  also  of  her  humility,  through  which 
she  considered  herself  undeserving  of 
the  necessary  aliments  of  life.  She 
prayed  the  Most  High  only  to  supply 
the  wants  of  St.  Joseph. 

The  All-Powerful  forgot  not  His 
poor,  and,  while  giving  them  occasion 
to  augment  their  merits  and  to  exercise 
their  virtues,  He  gave  them  also  food 
in  season.  Sometimes  He  inspired  their 
neighbors  or  acquaintances  to  assist 
them  by  a  gift  Oftener  St  Elizabeth 
sent  them  help  from  her  own  house  • 
for,   since   the   visit   of  the   Queen   of 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


765 


heaven,  she  had  resolved  to  assist  them, 
and  our  sweet  Lady  sent  in  return 
some  work  of  her  own  hands.  Our 
holy  Mistress  sometimes  exercised  the 
power  with  which  she  was  endowed 
over  creatures,  and  the  birds  brought 
fruits  or  bread.  Her  happy  spouse  was 
frequently  a  witness  of  these  events. 

They  were  also  sometimes  assisted, 
in  a  wonderful  manner,  by  the  minis- 
try of  angels.  But  before  recounting 
these,  it  is  well  to  remark  that  the 
nobleness  of  heart,  the  faith,  and  the 
generosity  of  the  saint  were  so  exalted, 
that  his  soul  was  free  from  every  taint 
of  avarice,  or  sordid  care  for  the  future. 
And  although  the  holy  spouses  devo- 
ted themselves  to  labor,  they  never 
demanded  the  price  of  their  work,  nor 
would  they  enter  into  bargains,  for 
they  did  not  labor  from  motives  of  in- 
terest, but  to  exercise  charity  towards 
those  who  had  need  of  it,  leaving  the 
acknowledgment  of  it  to  their  discre- 
tion. 

When  any  payment  was  made  to 
them,  they  received  it  not  as  a  price 
or  recompense,  but  as  an  alms.  It  often 
happened  that  no  recompense  was  offer- 
ed for  their  work,  and  that  they  found 
themselves  entirely  destitute  of  food, 
and  then  the  Lord  provided  it.  One 
day,  when  their  usual  dinner-hour  was 
passed,  and  no  morsel  of  food  was  to 
be  found  in  the  house,  they  remained 
a  long  time  in  prayer  and  thanksgiving 
to  the  divine  Majesty,  for  this  affliction. 


t  During  this  time  the  hoi}'  angels  pre- 
pared a  repast.  They  arranged  the 
table,  and  placed  thereon  fruits,  bread 
of  a  very  delicate  kind,  fish,  and  a  sort 
of  conserve  of  wonderful  sweetness  and 
excellence ;  and  then  some  of  these 
blessed  spirits  went  to  call  their  Queen 
—  others,  St.  Joseph.  Each  of  them 
recognized  the  heavenly  gifts,  and,  with 
holy  tears  of  joy,  renewed  their  thanks 
giving  to  the  Most  High.  At  length 
they  partook  of  the  repast,  which,  be- 
ing finished,  they  united  in  chanting 
praises,  truly  sublime,  to  the  beneficent 
giver  of  every  good  gift.  The  august 
Mary  and  her  spouse  often  experienced 
wonders  of  this  character,  for  there 
were  no  witnesses  from  whom  it  was 
necessary  they  should  be  concealed. 
The  Lord  was  very  liberal  towards 
them,  whom  He  had  appointed  admin- 
istrators of  the  most  wonderful  prodi- 
gies which  had  ever  been  wrought. 
It  is  necessary  to  remark,  that  when 
our  blessed  Lady  composed  canticles 
of  praise,  either  alone,  or  with  St.  Jo- 
seph or  the  angels,  we  are  to  understand 
that  they  were  always  new,  like  those 
composed  by  Anna,  mother  of  Samuel ; 
Moses;  Hezekiah,  and  other  prophets. 
If  they  had  been  written,  they  would 
form  a  large  volume,  which  would  have 
been  the  adnairation  of  all  the  world. 

The  providence  of  the  Most  High 
declares  Himself  protector  of  the  hum- 
ble who  confide  in  Him,  because  the 
divine  Majesty  regards  them  with  love. 


786 


LIFE   OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


He  is  pleased  with  them — He  bears 
them  iu  His  bosom — He  is  attentive 
to  all  their  desires  and  all  their  pains. 
The  august  Mary  and  St.  Joseph  were 
very  pt>or,  and  often  found  themselves 
iu  great  want,  but  never  did  they  al- 
low the  poison  of  avarice  or  cupidity 
to  enter  their  hearts.  They  sought  the 
glory  of  God  alone,  abandoning  them- 
selves entirely  to  His  most  loving  care. 
We  ought  to  be  content  with  what 
is  necessary,  and  to  be  convinced  that 
the  providence  of  our  Creator  can  never 
fail.  If  He  be  slow  sometimes  to  send 
us  His  help,  we  should  not  be  afflicted 
nor  lose  hope.  He  who  has  abundance 
ought  not  to  fix  his  heart  upon  it. 
We  should  attribute  to  God  both  abun- 
dance and  poverty,  and  make  a  holy 
use  of  both.  Let  us  practise  this  doc- 
trine, and  abandon  ourselves  to  Provi- 
dence, and  nothing  that  is  needful  for 
us  can  ever  be  wanting. 


CHAPTER  Vn. 

PREPARATIONS     FOR    THE    BIRTH     OF     THE 

INFANT  JESUS EDICT   OP  AUGUSTUS 

THE     BLESSED    MARY     AND     ST.    JOSEPH 
GO   TO   BETHLEHEM. 

rpHE  Mother  of  the  Eternal  Word, 
-*-  the  holy  Mary,  seeing  the  period  of 
the  birth  of  the  Infant  God  approach, 
would  not  undertake  to  make  the  neces- 
sary preparations   for  it,   without   the 


f  command  of  her  husband,  and  the  will 
of  God.  Although  she  was  able  to 
decide  for  herself  in  whatever  concern- 
ed the  maternal  office,  she  preferred  to 
practise  the  duties  of  an  obedient  and 
most  faithful  servant.  She  therefore  con- 
sulted her  holy  spouse,  St.  Joseph.  "It 
is  time,"  she  said,  "  to  begin  the  prepa- 
rations for  the  birth  of  my  most  blessed 
Son.  With  your  permission,  I  will 
provide  the  swaddling-clothes  to  receive 
Him.  I  have  some  linen,  spun  by  my- 
self, which  will  serve  for  a  part,  if  you 
will  seek  for  the  finest  and  softest  that 
can  be  found  for  the  rest.  And  that 
all  may  be  well  done,  let  us  ofier  a 
special  prayer  to  His  divine  Majesty 
that  we  may  do  whatever  is  most  agree- 
able to  Him." 

St.  Joseph  replied :  "  If  it  were  neces* 
sary  to  give  the  purest  of  my  blood  to 
testify  my  readiness  to  render  service  to 
my  God,  and  to  do  what  you  request, 
I  should  esteem  myself  happy  to  pour 
it  out  in  the  cruellest  torments.  Order 
all  as  it  seems  best,  for  I  desire  to  obey 
thee  as  thy  servant."  While  they  were 
engaged  in  prayer,  the  Most  High  re- 
plied to  each  in  particular  by  the  same 
voice.  "  I  have  descended  from  heaven 
to  earth  to  elevate  humility,  and  to 
debase  pride — to  honor  poverty,  and 
to  make  riches  contemptible.  For  this 
reason,  it  is  my  will  that  you  treat  me 
in  the  humanity  which  I  have  assumed, 
in  all  things  exterior,  as  if  I  were  the 
child  of  both  of  you — and   interiorly 


LIFE    OF   ST.    JOSEPH. 


767 


you  will  recognize  in  me  the  Son  of  my   * 
eternal  Father,  and  true  God,  with  the 
veneration  and  love  due  to  me,   being 
man  and  God  at  the  same  time." 

The  august  Mary  and  St.  Joseph 
were  confirmed  by  this  divine  voice  in 
the  wisdom  that  should  guide  their 
actions  in  all  the  services  which  they 
were  to  render  to  the  Infant  God.  They 
resolved  to  practise  the  most  sublime 
and  perfect  mode  of  honoring  their  true 
God,  and  never  among  mere  creatures 
was  He  so  perfectly  honored.  But  before 
the  eyes  of  the  world  they  treated  Him 
as  if  they  were  conjointly  His  parents, 
because  it  was  the  Lord's  will  that  men 
should  so  believe.  The  celestial  inhab- 
itants were  in  admiration  at  the  conduct 
of  the  holy  spouses,  as  we  shall  relate 
further  on.  They  resolved  also  to  de- 
vote to  the  Infant  God  all  the  services 
which  their  condition  admitted,  without 
attracting  observation,  so  that  the  secret 
of  the  great  King  should  be  concealed ; 
neither  should  he  want  for  any  thing, 
for,  in  ministering  to  Him,  they  could 
manifest  their  ardent  love,  so  far  as  it 
was  possible. 

St.  Joseph,  having  received  payment 
for  some  of  his  work,  purchased,  accord- 
ing to  the  wishes  of  his  spouse,  two 
pieces  of  cloth,  one  white,  and  the  other 
nearer  violet  than  gray — the  best  that 
could  be  found.  Our  lovely  Lady  made 
of  them  swaddling-clothes  -for  her  most 
holy  child.  She  made  little  shirts  of 
the  linin  that  she  had  spun  during  the    j 


early  period  of  her  marriage,  with  the 
intention  of  offering  it  at  the  Temple. 
Happily  her  intention  was  changed ; 
nevertheless  she  made  an  offering  of 
what  was  left.  The  Blessed  Virgin 
had  woven  this  linen  on  her  knees,  with 
tears  of  inexpressible  devotion.  St. 
Joseph  also  purchased  flowers  and  aro- 
matics,  from  which  the  holy  Mother 
composed  the  most  delicious  perfume 
that  ever  was  made.  With  this  she 
sprinkled  the  swaddling-clothes  con- 
secrated to  the  Victim,  and,  folding 
them,  she  placed  them  in  a  case  which 
she  and  St.  Joseph  carried  with  them  to 
Bethlehem,  as  we  shall  see. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  remark, 
that  all  these  works  recounted  here, 
ought  not  to  be  regarded  simply  as 
facts.  Their  objects,  and  the  intentions 
which  inspired  them,  redolent  of  sanc- 
tity, and  enriched  with  the  highest  per- 
fection, must  be  taken  into  view.  The 
divine  Mother,  her  heart  all  glowing 
with  love,  offered  all  the  sacrifices 
which  the  ancient  law  contained  in 
figure.  She  realized,  in  truth,  the  an- 
cient figures,  by  the  exercise  of  virtues 
and  acts  both  interior  and  exterior. 
Her  happy  spouse,  on  his  part,  accom- 
panied her  in  many  of  them. 

If  the  smallest  portion  of  grace  that 
a  creature,  whoever  he  may  be,  receives, 
by  means  of  a  virtue  that  he  has  prac- 
tised, is  worth  more  than  all  the  uni- 
verse, who  can  estimate  its  gi'eatnesa 
in  her  who  surpassed  the  merits  of  the 


768 


LIFE    OF   ST.    JOSEPH. 


highest  Seraphim!  Our  holy  Lady  ^ 
saw  the  humanity  united  to  the  Divin- 
ity in  the  person  of  the  Word,  saw  all 
the  interior  acts  of  the  most  holy  soul 
of  her  divine  Son,  and  the  prayers  that 
He  offered  for  her,  for  St.  Joseph,  for 
the  whole  human  race,  and  especially 
for  the  elect 

The  Most  High  had  determined,  by 
His  immutable  will,  that  the  only  Son 
of  the  Father  should  be  born  at  Beth- 
lehem. The  ancient  prophets  had  long 
since  announced  it.  The  Lord  disposed 
all  things  for  the  accomplishment  of 
His  divine  decree;  and  it  was  by  an 
edict  of  Caesar  Augustus,  who  com- 
manded, as  it  is  recorded  by  St.  Luke, 
a  census  to  be  made  of  the  whole 
world.  It  consisted  in  acknowledging 
the  authority  of  the  Emperor  of  Rome, 
and  paying  a  certain  tribute.  To  effect 
this,  every  one  was  obliged  to  inscribe 
himself  on  the  register  of  his  native 
city. 

This  edict  being  published  at  Naz- 
areth, St  Joseph  was  informed  of  it. 
Returning  home,  in  much  trouble,  he 
related  to  his  blessed  spouse  what  had 
happened.  The  most  prudent  Virgin 
replied :  "  The  edict  of  an  earthly  po- 
tentate ought  not  to  disturb  you  in 
this  manner,  since  the  Sovereign  of 
heaven  and  earth  takes  care  of  all 
things  that  belong  to  us.  His  Provi- 
dence will  assist  us.  Let  us  abandon 
ourselves  with  confidence  to  His  guid- 
ance.' 


The  holy  Virgin  was  instructed  in 
all  the  mysteries  of  her  divine  Son, 
and  she  knew  that  He  was  to  be  born 
in  Bethlehem,  poor,  and  a  stranger; 
but  she  said  nothing  of  this  to  St.  Jo- 
seph. They  conferred  together  upon 
what  they  ought  to  do,  for  the  period 
of  the  birth  of  the  Infant  God  ap- 
proached. At  length  St.  Joseph  said 
to  his  spouse:  "It  seems  to  me  that  I 
cannot  be  dispensed  from  executing  this 
edict  of  the  emperor.  And  although 
it  would  suffice  to  go  alone,  I  dare  not 
leave  you,  for  I  should  not  have  a  mo- 
ment's rest — my  heart  would  be  in  per- 
petual alarm.  It  would  be  risking  too 
much  to  propose  to  you  to  accompany 
me  to  Bethlehem ;  it  would  expose  you, 
too  evidently,  to  danger.  This  appre- 
hension gives  me  great  pain.  Present, 
I  entreat  you,  my  supplications  to  the 
Most  High,  that  He  may  not  separate 
me  from  you." 

The  humble  Mary  obeyed  the  re- 
quest of  St.  Joseph,  only  to  prove  her 
obedience,  for  she  was  not  ignorant  of 
the  divine  will.  She  therefore  laid  the 
desires  of  her  faithful,  spouse  before 
the  Lord,  who  replied  to  her :  "  Obey 
my  servant  Joseph  in  what  he  has  pro- 
posed and  desires.  Bear  him  company 
in  this  journey.  I  will  be  with  you, 
for  it  is  my  will  that  you  should  go." 
The  Lord  ordered  nine  thousand  angels 
to  join  the  thousand  who  formed  hei 
guard. 

Our    blessed    Lady   confided   to   St. 


LIFE    OF   ST.    JOSEPH. 


769 


Josepli  this  response,  and  declared  that 
it  was  the  will  of  the  Most  High  that 
she  should  accompany  him  to  Bethle- 
hem. The  saintly  man  was  full  of  joy, 
and  expressed  his  humble  gratitude  for 
this  favor.  He  said  to  his  spouse :  "  I 
have  no  other  anxiety  in  this  journey 
except  the  pain  which  it  will  cause  to 
you.  But  I  hope  to  find  relations  and 
friends  who  will  receive  us  with  kind- 
ness." The  kind  heart  of  the  good 
man  induced  him  to  believe  this,  but 
the  Lord  had  disposed  otherwise.  The 
saint  was  mistaken  in  his  expectations, 
and  suffered  much  from  the  disappoint- 
ment. 

Our  sweet  Lady  forebore  to  reveal 
to  St.  Joseph  what  was  already  known 
to  her  touching  the  event  to  be  accom- 
plished. They  appointed  the  day  of 
departure,  and  St.  Joseph  went  to  en- 
gage a  beast  of  burden.  It  was  very 
difiicult  to  find  one,  because  of  the 
great  number  of  persons  who  were  go- 
ing to  their  different  cities  to  be  enroll- 
ed, in  obedience  to  the  imperial  edict. 
At  length  he  found  a  little  ass,  which, 
if  he  could  have  known  it,  was  the 
happiest  of  all  his  race,  since  he  car- 
ried the  Queen  of  the  Universe,  and 
the  King  of  kings,  and  was  present  at 
the  birth  of  the  Infant  God.  During 
five  days  the  august  Mary  and  St.  Jo- 
seph were  engaged  in  preparations  for 
the  journey.  Their  provisions  consist- 
ed of  bread,  fruits,  and  fish,  as  in  go- 
ing to  the  house  of  Zachariah.      And 


'  as  the  most  prudent  Virgin  knew  that 
she  would  be  long  absent  from  the 
house,  she  secretly  arranged  her  affairs 
according  to  the  will  of  God.  Finally, 
they  recommended  it  to  a  person  who 
was  to  take  charge  of  it  until  their 
return. 

The  hour  of  departure  arrived.  The 
blessed  Joseph,  who  treated  his  be- 
loved spouse  with  renewed  respect, 
sought,  like  a  vigilant  and  faithful  ser- 
vant, to  find  reasons  to  serve  and  please 
her.  He  entreated  her,  with  much  af- 
fection, to  make  known  to  him  all  that 
she  desired  for  her  comfort,  and  for 
the  good  pleasure  of  the  Lord  whom 
she  bore  in  her  virginal  bosom.  Our 
Queen  meekly  accepted  the  holy  affec- 
tion of  her  spouse:  she  even  consoled 
and  animated  him  to  endure  the  fatigue 
of  the  road,  for  His  divine  Majesty 
willed  that  they  should  accept  the  in- 
conveniences of  the  journey  with  an 
equable  and  joyous  heart. 

Before  setting  out,  our  blessed  Lady 
knelt  to  ask  St.  Joseph's  blessing.  The 
man  of  God  excused  himself  because 
of  her  dignity,  but  the  ever  invincible 
humility  of  the  august  Virgin  con- 
quered, and  obliged  him  to  give  it. 
She  then  prayed  him  to  offer  himself 
anew  to  her  most  holy  Son,  and  to  ob- 
tain for  her  His  divine  grace.  After 
these  holy  preparations  they  set  out 
for  Bethlehem,  in  the  depth  of  winter, 
which  made  the  journey  more  painful 
and  more  inconvenient. 


770 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


The  august  Mary  and  the  glorious 
St  Joseph  left  Nazareth  to  go  to  Beth- 
lehem I  Poor  and  humble  travellers 
they  were,  in  the  eyes  of  the  world, 
which  had  no  more  esteem  for  them 
than  it  had  for  humility  and  poverty. 
But,  oh  !  wonderful  secrets  of  the  Most 
High  !  hidden  from  the  proud  and  im- 
penetrable, from  the  wisdom  of  the 
flesh,  our  travellers  were  not  alone,  nor 
poor,  nor  despised.  They  had  a  mag- 
nificent suite,  inestimable  riches,  and  a 
glory  unparalleled.  They  were  the 
highest  objects  of  the  care  of  the  eter- 
nal Father,  and  of  His  immense  love. 
They  bore  with  them  the  treasures  of 
heaven,  and  the  Divinity  itself. 

All  the  celestial  court  revered  them. 
The  insensible  creatures  recognized  the 
living  ark  of  the  Testament  far  better 
tnan  the  waters  of  the  Jordan  recog- 
nized that  which  was  only  the  type 
of  Her  With  them  were  the  ten  thou- 
sand angels,  appointed  for  His  divine 
Majesty  and  His  holy  Mother.  The 
incomparable  Mary  and  her  saintly 
spouse  marched  with  this  regal  train, 
unseen  by  the  eyes  of  mortals.  The 
angels  chanted  canticles  to  the  Lord, 
and  to  His  blessed  Mother,  acknowledg- 
ing her  sometimes  as  a  car,  incorrupti- 
ble and  living — sometimes  as  the  fertile 
ear,  which  contains  the  living  wheat — 
sometimes  as  a  richly  freighted  vessel. 

The  holy  travellers  were  five  days 
on  the  way;  for  the  careful  husband 
would  not  make  long  journeys.     There 


was  no  night  for  our  Queen  during 
this  time,  for  the  angels  threw  so  bright 
a  radiance  around  her  that  the  lij^ht 
was  equal  to  the  most  serene  day.  St. 
Joseph  enjoyed  this  favor,  and  also 
the  view  of  the  angels.  They  formed 
a  celestial  choir,  in  which  our  august 
Lady  and  her  spouse  responded  to  the 
blessed  spirits  by  caniicles  and  hymns 
of  praise. 

The  Lord  united  to  these  favors 
some  sufferings.  The  great  number  of 
persons  who  thronged  the  hostelries  to 
obey  the  imperial  edict,  were  causes 
of  much  pain  to  the  modesty  of  the 
saintly  Mary  and  her  spouse.  They 
were  thrust  aside  as  sordid  poor,  and 
received  less  attention  than  others  who 
seemed  richer.  Thus  our  holy  travel- 
lers, weary  and  worn,  were  often  re- 
ceived with  harsh  words  at  these  hos- 
telries. Sometimes  they  were  even  sent 
away  as  troublesome,  and  unworthy  of 
consideration ;  at  others,  the  mistress 
of  heaven  and  earth  was  put  into  a 
corner  of  the  vestibule, — and  even  this 
could  not  always  be  secured,  and  she 
and  St.  Joseph  retired  to  places  still 
less  proper  or  decent  in  the  world's 
estimation. 

The  troop  of  angels  followed  them 
everywhere,  so  that  the  couch  of  the 
true  Solomon  was  guarded  from  the 
alarms  or  surprises  of  the  night.  The 
faithful  spouse,  seeing  the  mistress  of 
the  universe  so  well  cared  for,  reposed 
in  peace,  so  as  to  recover  a  little  from 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


771 


the  fatigues  of  tlie  day;  for  it  fre- 
quently happened  that,  being  in  the 
most  rigorous  season  of  the  year,  and 
arriving  at  the  hostelries  half  frozen  by 
the  snow  and  rain,  they  were  obliged 
to  take  refuge  among  the  animals,  be- 
cause men  gave  them  nothing  more 
commodious. 

The  mistress  of  creatures  might  easily 
have  commanded  the  winds  and  snows, 
but  she  forebore,  that  she  might  imi- 
tate her  divine  Son  in  His  sufferings. 
The  faithful  St.  Joseph,  nevertheless, 
took  great  care  to  put  her  under  shel- 
ter, and  also  the  holy  angels;  in  par- 
ticular the  prince  St.  Michael,  who  al- 
ways assisted  on  the  right  of  the  queen. 
Knowing  that  it  was  the  will  of  the 
Lord,  they  sometimes  protected  her 
from  the  rigor  of  the  weather,  and  ren- 
dered other  services  to  our  sweet  Lady, 
and  to  the  blessed  fruit  of  her  womb, 
Jesus. 


CHAPTER  VIH. 

ARRIVAL  AT  BETHLEHEM BIRTH  OF  JE- 
SUS IN  A  GROTTO ST.  JOSEPH  IS  PRES- 
ENT   AT   THIS    MYSTERY. 

OUR  holy  travellers,  the  blessed 
Mary  and  St.  Joseph,  reached 
Bethlehem  on  the  fifth  day  of  their 
journey,  on  Saturday,  about  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  —  the  hour 
when,  at  the  winter   solstice,  the   sun 


*  is  near  his  setting,  and  the  night  ap- 
proaches. They  entered  the  town  to 
seek  a  shelter,  and  having  made  in- 
quiries, not  only  at  the  inns,  but  among 
their  relations  and  friends,  they  were 
refused  with  rudeness  and  contempt. 
Our  august  Lady  followed  her  spouse, 
who  went  from  house  to  house — from 
door  to  door,  in  the  midst  of  the  crowds 
who  arrived.  And,  although  she  knew 
that  the  houses  of  men,  like  their  hearts, 
were  closed  against  them,  she  willingly 
endured  all  this  mortification  in  obe- 
dience to  St.  Joseph.  At  the  same  time 
it  was  more  painful  to  find  herself  in 
the  midst  of  such  a  crowd,  than  to  be 
disappointed  in  finding  a  lodging.  In 
wandering  about  the  city,  they  found 
the  house  where  the  register  was  kept, 
and,  to  avoid  the  necessity  of  returning 
there,  they  inserted  their  names,  and 
paid  the  tribute.  Then,  pursuing  their 
way '  to  find  a  place  of  refuge,  they 
applied  at  more  than  fifty  houses,  and 
were  everywhere  refused.  The  holy 
angels  admired  the  wonderful  mysteries 
of  the  Lord,  the  patience  and  sweetness 
of  the  Virgin  Mother,  and  the  insen- 
sibility of  men. 

It  was  nearly  nine  o'clock  in  the 
evening  when  the  faithful  St.  Joseph, 
deeply  grieved,  turning  towards  his 
prudent  spouse :  "  My  courage  fails 
me,"  he  said,  "to  find  not  only  that  I 
cannot  lodge  thee  according  to  thy  mer- 
its, but  that  I  cannot  even  secure  for 
thee  such  a  shelter  as  is  rarely  or  never 


772 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


refused  to  the  poorest  and  most  con-  ^ 
teroptible  applicant.  Doubtless  some 
mystery  underlies  this.  I  remember  to 
have  seen,  without  the  city  walls,  a 
grotto  where  the  shepherds  ai'e  accus- 
tomed to  fold  their  flocks.  Let  us  go 
there,  for  if  the  place  is  not  occupied, 
we  shall  there  receive  from  heaven  the 
hospitality  which  men  reftise  to  us." 

The  most  prudent  Virgin  replied : 
"  Do  not  afflict  thyself,  my  spouse.  The 
place  thou  speakest  of  is  quite  conform- 
able to  my  desires.  Change  thy  tears 
into  joy,  for  we  love  and  we  possess 
poverty,  which  is  the  inestimable  treas- 
ure of  my  holy  Son.  He  comes  from 
heaven  to  seek  it.  Let  us  go  with 
pleasure  whither  the  Lord  conducts  us." 
Lumediutely  the  holy  angels  guided 
the  saintly  pair  towards  this  place ; 
they  found  it  unoccupied,  and,  full  of 
celestial  joy,  they  praised  the  Lord. 

The  palace  which  the  King  of  kings 
and  Lord  of  lords  had  prepared  in  this 
world  to  receive  His  only  Son,  incarnate 
for  men,  was  the  lowly  and  humble 
grotto  to  which  the  most  pure  Mary 
and  St.  Joseph  had  retired,  after  having 
been  repulsed  by  all,  as  has  been  re- 
lated. This  place  was  so  unpromising, 
that,  in  spite  of  the  extraordinary  con- 
course of  strangers  at  Bethlehem,  no 
one  had  deigned  to  occupy  it.  In  fact, 
it  was  suitable  only  to  the  masters  of 
humility  and  poverty,  and  the  wisdom 
of  the  eternal  Father  had  reserved  it 
for  them. 


The  august  Mary  and  Joseph  entered 
the  place,  and,  by  the  radiance  of  the 
angels,  they  saw  that  it  was  as  poor 
and  solitary  as  they  could  have  wished. 
They  then  fell  upon  their  knees,  prais- 
ing the  Lord  with  thanksgivings  for 
this  blessing.  The  grotto  was  formed 
out  of  the  natural  rock,  and  was  so 
rough  and  uneven,  that  it  was  fitted 
only  for  the  lodging  of  animals. 

The  angelic  spirits  assumed  a  corpo- 
real and  human  form.  St.  Joseph  saw 
them,  for  it  was  proper  that,  on  this 
occasion,  he  should  enjoy  this  favor, 
either  to  diminish  his  pain,  or  to  ani- 
mate his  spirit  and  elevate  it  for  the 
events  which  the  Lord  had  prepared  for 
this  same  night.  Our  blessed  Lady, 
informed  of  the  mystery  which  was 
about  to  be  accomplished,  resolved  her- 
self to  cleanse  the  grotto.  The  holy 
Joseph,  attentive  to  the  dignity  of  his 
admirable  spouse,  entreated  her  to  leave 
that  care  to  him.  He  therefore  began 
to  sweep  and  purify  every  part  of  it, 
and  our  humble  Lady  seconded  him  to 
the  best  of  her  power.  The  angels  also 
assisted  them,  until  in  a  short  time  the 
grotto  was  brought  into  a  decent  con- 
dition, and  they  filled  it  with  a  delight- 
ful perfume. 

St.  Joseph  kindled  a  fire,  of  which 
there  was  much  need,  for  the  weather 
was  very  cold.  They  afterwards  supped 
from  the  scraps  of  food  still  left ;  but 
our  sweet  Lady  ate  only  on  the  press- 
ing  solicitations-  of  her  spouse,  whom 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


773 


slie  desired  to  o.bey  in  all  things.  At  * 
tlie  close  of  their  repast,  they  returned 
thanks  to  God  as  was  their  custom,  and 
afterwards  discoursed  together  concern- 
ing the  mystery  of  the  incarnate  Word. 
The  most  prudent  Virgin  knew  that 
the  hour  approached.  She  entreated 
St.  Joseph  to  seek  repose,  for  the  night 
was  far  advanced.  The  man  of  God 
yielded  to  her  solicitations,  praying  her 
to  follow  his  example.  In  order  to 
provide  for  her  the  means  of  rest,  he 
arranged  their  luggage  in  such  a  way 
as  to  make  up  a  species  of  crib,  on 
the  floor  of  the  grotto,  and,  leaving  to 
the  august  Mary  this  sort  of  bed,  he 
withdrew  into  an  angle  at  the  entrance 
to  engage  in  meditation  and  prayer. 
The  Holy  Spirit  came  to  visit  him,  and 
he  felt  himself  drawn  by  a  gentle  force 
that  rapt  him  in  ecstacy,  during  which 
the  events  of  this  night  were  manifest- 
ed to  him.  He  remained  in  this  ecstasy 
until  called  by  his  holy  spouse.  This 
mysterious  slumber  of  Joseph  was  more 
sublime  and  more  fortunate  than  that 
of  Adam  in  paradise. 

[This  would  be  the  place  to  speak  of 
the  wonderful  birth  of  the  Infant  God, 
and  to  admire  the  prodigies  of  every 
kind  that  accompanied  it;  but  since  it 
is  impossible  to  relate  all,  we  prefer  to 
confine  ourselves  to  what  regards  St. 
Joseph  exclusively.  The  reader  who 
desires  to  be  informed  of  all  these  cir- 
cumstances,  is    referred    to    the    great 


work  of  Maria  d'Agreda.  It  is  not 
without  lively  regret  that  we  omit  here 
the  narration  of  those  facts  which  have 
commanded  the  admiration  of  heaven 
and  earth.] 

The  evangelist  St.  Luke  relates  that 
the  Virgin  Mother,  having  brought 
forth  her  first-born  Son,  wrapped  Him 
in  swaddling  clothes,  and  laid  Him  in 
a  manger.  He  does  not  mention  who 
placed  Him  in  her  arms.  But  the  two 
princes,  St.  Michael  and  St.  Gabriel, 
were  the  ministers  on  this  occasion,  and 
they  presented  Him  to  her  with  as 
great  a  reverence  as  when  the  priest 
exposes  the  holy  host.  The  holy  Moth- 
er received  the  Infant  God  into  her 
arms  from  these  two  celestial  princes. 
She  served  as  the  altar  and  sanctuary, 
which  the  angels  of  her  guard  ap- 
proached to  adore  their  Creator,  and 
venerate  that  youthful  virgin  of  fifteen, 
so  worthy  to  dispense  these  great  mys- 
teries. It  was  time  for  the  prudent 
Lady  to  call  her  faithful  spouse,  then 
in  a  state  of  divine  ecstasy,  in  which  he 
knew,  by  revelation,  all  the  mysteries 
of  the  sacred  birth  of  that  night.  It 
was  but  just,  that,  before  any  othel 
mortal,  he  should  enjoy  the  honor  of 
seeing,  and  the  consolation  of  adoring, 
by  means  of  his  senses,  the  Word. made 
man,  since  he  had  been  chosen  to  be 
the  faithful  guardian  of  this  sublime 
mystery. 

The  saint  returned  from  his  ecstasy, 


m 


LIFE    OF   ST.    JOSEPH. 


and,  having  recovered  the  use  of  his 
senses,  the  first  object  that  met  his  view 
was  the  Infant  God,  in  the  arms  of  His 
N'irgin  Mother,  and  leaning  upon  her  sa- 
cred face  and  chaste  bosom.  He  adored 
Hmi,  on  this  living  altar,  with  the  most 
profound  humility,  and  with  warm  tears 
of  tendei'ness.  He  kissed  His  feet  with 
new  joy,  and  with  such  rapturous  affec- 
tion, that,  but  for  the  divine  assistance, 
he  could  not  have  survived  it  Cer- 
tainly, but  for  the  help  of  God,  he  must 
have  lost  his  senses  upon  this  occasion. 

After  St.  Joseph  had  adored  the  In- 
fant, the  most  discreet  Mother  asked 
permission  of  her  Son  to  seat  herself, 
for  she  had,  until  then,  remained  kneel- 
ing. The  saint  gave  her  the  swaddling- 
clothes  which  they  had  brought,  and 
she  wrapt  the  Infant  in  them  with  the 
highest  possible  reverence,  devotion, 
and  neatness.  Afterwards,  as  it  is  re- 
corded by  St.  Luke  the  evangelist,  she 
laid  Him  in  the  manger,  carefully  plac- 
ing therein  a  little  straw  and  hay,  to 
sei-ve  for  the  first  bed  of  the  Incarnate 
Word  on  earth.  It  was  then  that, 
guided  by  the  Divine  will,  an  ox  came 
from  the  field,  and  joining  the  ass  which 
they  had  brought  with  them,  they 
warmed,  by  their  breath,  the  Infant 
God  whom  men  had  refused  to  receive. 
And  thus  was  miraculously  accomplish- 
ed the  prophecy  of  Isaiah :  "  27ie  ox 
hnoweth  hie  owner ^  and  the  a-ss  his  mas- 
tei'^a  C7'ib,  hU  larad  hath  not  hnown  me." 
—la.  L  a. 


The  heavenly  courtiers,  having  cele- 
brated, in  the  grotto  of  Bethlehem,  the 
birth  of  their  Incarnate  God,  and  our 
Redeemer,  many  of  them  were  sent  to 
different  places  to  announce  the  happy 
tidings  to  those  who  were  prepared  to 
hear  them.  The  prince,  St.  Michael, 
was  directed  to  the  fathers  in  Limbo, 
to  inform  them  that  the  only  Son  of 
the  Eternal  Father,  who  was  made  man, 
had  just  been  bom.  He  bore  messages, 
on  the  part  of  the  blessed  Mother,  to 
St.  Joachim  and  St.  Anna.  For  this 
numerous  assembly  of  the  just  it  was 
the  day  of  great  consolation. 

Another,  angel  was  sent  to  St.  Eliza- 
beth and  her  son  John,  who  adored 
their  Incarnate  God.  As  soon  as  St: 
Elizabeth  heard  of  it,  she  instantly  dis- 
patched a  messenger  to  Bethlehem  with 
presents  to  the  Mother  of  the  Infant 
God,  consisting  of  a  small  sum  of 
money,  linen,  and  other  things,  to  sup- 
ply the  wants  of  the  poor  Mother  and 
her  saintly  spouse.  But  the  messenger 
had  no  orders  but  to  visit  her  cousin 
and  St.  Joseph,  to  leave  her  gifts,  to 
infoi-m  himself  of  their  necessities,  and 
quickly  to  bring  her  news  of  them.  On 
his  return,  he  recounted  to  St.  Elizabeth 
the  poverty  of  her  relative,  of  the  Child 
and  Joseph,  and  the  strange  feelings 
that  he  had  experienced  while  with 
them. 

Other  angels  also  went  to  announce 
the  same  glad  tidings  to  Zachariah,  to 
Simeon   and   to   Ajina  the   prophetess, 


because  the  Lord  found  eacli  prepared 
to  receive  them  with  advantage.  All 
the  just  then  living  on  the  earth,  al- 
though unacquainted  with  this  mystery, 
were,  nevertheless,  sensible  of  its  divine 
effects  when  the  Saviour  was  born.  To 
some,  indeed,  the  Lord  revealed  it,  and 
of  this  number  were  the  Magi,  who 
were  inspired  with  renewed  desires  to 
seek  Him. 

The  neighboring  shepherds  were  blest 
above  all  others.  They  were  of  those 
who  waited  for  and  desired  the  coming 
of  the  Messiah ;  and,  humble  and  poor, 
they  were  engaged  in  watching  their 
flocks  at  the  time  of  the  birth.  Hence 
they  were  in  a  state  of  holy  prepara- 
tion :  they  merited  to  be  the  first-called. 
The  archangel  St.  Gabriel  was  sent  to 
them.  They  were  troubled  at  seeing 
him,  but  the  celestial  prince  reassured 
them.  Illuminiited  by  the  divine  wis- 
dom, they  set  off  for  Bethlehem,  to  wit- 
ness the  miracle  of  which  they  had  just 
heard.  On  entering  the  grotto,  they 
found,  as  it  is  said  by  St.  Luke,  Mary 
and  Joseph,  and  the  Infant  laid  in  a 
manger. 

The  divine  Infant  looked  upon  them, 
and,  prostrate,  they  adored  the  incar- 
nate Word.  The  blessed  Mother  was 
attentive  to  all.  She  spoke  with  the 
shepherds,  and  instructed  them.  They 
made,  afterwards,  several  other  visits, 
during  the  sojourn  of  the  holy  family 
in  the  grotto,  and  brought  them  pres- 
ents    proportioned     to    their    poverty. 


*  They  did  not  speak  of  what  they  had 
seen  until  after  the  blessed  Mary,  the 
Infant,  and  St.  Joseph  had  departed 
from  Bethlehem.  Their  testimony  was 
not  believed  by  all ;  but  Herod  believ- 
ed, only  not  with  a  holy  faith.  They 
were,  nevertheless,  saints,  and  filled 
with  divine  science,  even  to  their  death. 
The  coming  of  the  incarnate  Word 
was  terrible  only  for  hell.  Many  things 
were  concealed  from  Lucifer  and  his 
agents,  which  he  might  naturally  have 
known ;  but  he  considered  it  an  idle 
fancy  to  believe  that  the  Word  would 
come  and  establish  His  power  in  so 
obscure  and  humble  a  manner.  The 
Mother  of  wisdom  penetrated  all  the 
deceit  of  Lucifer.  She  glorified  the 
Lord,  and  offered  prayers  for  all  of  the 
human  race,  who,  by  their  sins,  had 
made  themselves  unworthy  to  recognize 
the  Light,  who  had  just  been  born  to 
redeem  them. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

SENTIMENTS    OF  THE  AUGUST   MOTHER  AND 

ST.     JOSEPH     FOR     THE     INFANT     GOD 

THE    CIRCUMCISION THE    SPOUSES    GIVE 

HIM   THE   NAME    OF   JESUS. 

TOURING  the  time  that  our  august 
'-'^  Lady  abode  in  the  grotto,  which 
was  a  dreary  place,  and  exposed  to  the 
inclemency  of  the  weather,  she  took 
the  greatest  care  to  protect  her  tender 


779 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


and  sweet  Child.  She  had  brought 
coverings  with  her  for  this  purpose, 
and  she  held  him  almost  constantly  in 
her  arras,  except  when  she  left  Him 
in  those  of  St  Joseph.  She  wished  to 
afford  him  the  gratification  to  aid  her 
in  this  service,  and  that  he  should 
serve  the  Incarnate  God  in  the  office 
of  father. 

The  first  time  the  saint  received  the 
Infant  God,  our  blessed  Lady  said  to 
him,  "Receive  within  your  anus,  my 
spouse,  the  Creator  of  heaven  and 
earth.  Enjoy  His  sweet  companion- 
ship, so  that  my  Lord  and  my  God 
may  take  delight  in  thee."  And  speak- 
ing interiorly  with  the  divine  Infant 
she  said,  ''Rest  in  the  arms  of  thy 
servant  and  friend  Joseph,  my  spouse. 
It  pains  me  to  be  without  thee  for  a 
single  instant,  but  I  wish  to  share  my 
blessing  with  him  who  is  worthy  of 
it."  The  faithful  St.  Joseph,  conscious 
of  this  new  happiness,  humbled  himself 
profoundly.  "Queen  of  the  universe," 
he  replied,  "  how  can  I  dare,  I  who  am 
80  unworthy,  to  hold  in  my  arms  the 
same  God  in  whose  presence  the  pillars 
of  heaven  tremble.  Supply  my  defi- 
ciencies, my  baseness,  and  pray  His 
divine  Majesty  to  regard  me  with  clem- 
ency." The  holy  man,  hesitating  be- 
tween his  desire  to  receive  the  Infant 
God  and  the  respectful  fear  that  held 
him  back,  offered  to  Him  acts  of  love, 
faith,  humility,  and  respect.  He  fell 
on  his  knees,  and  received  Him  with 


a  holy  trembling  and  inconceivable 
veneration  from  the  hands  of  His  bless- 
ed mother,  shedding  gentle  tears  of 
joy.  The  Infant  God  regarded  him 
with  a  caressing  air;  and  at  the  same 
time  renovated  his  soul  by  His  divine 
influence.  The  faithful  Joseph,  finding 
himself  enriched  by  so  many  and  such 
magnificent  favors,  gave  utterance  to 
new  canticles  of  praise.  After  enjoy- 
ing for  a  time  the  ineffable  delight  of 
folding  the  Lord  in  his  arms,  he  re- 
stored Him  to  His  blessed  mother. 
They  both  placed  themselves  on  their 
knees  to  give  or  to  receive  Him,  and 
at  all  times  with  the  same  veneration. 
They  made  three  genuflexions  before 
approaching  His  divine  Majesty,  kiss- 
ing the  earth  with  the  greatest  humil- 
ity and  adoration. 

Much  more  might  be  said  of  the 
veneration  observed  by  the  blessed 
Virgin,  St.  Joseph,  and  the  angelic 
spirits  towards  the  Infant  God.  When 
the  saint  was  occupied,  St.  Michael  or 
St.  Gabriel  bore  Him  in  their  arms. 
No  tongue  can  do  justice  to  the  can- 
ticles of  praise  and  glory  which  the 
Queen  of  heaven  chanted  with  the 
angels  and  St.  Joseph,  who,  of  all  mor- 
tals was  most  happy  and  most  favored 
in  this  respect.  Besides  these  favors, 
he  received  another,  most  precious  to 
his  soul.  His  most  gentle  spouse,  in 
speaking  with  him  of  the  Infant,  called 
Him  often,  thy  son:  not  that  He 
was  really  the  Son  of  St.  Joseph,  for 


LIFE    OF   ST.    JOSEPH. 


777 


He  was  the  Son  only  of  tlie  Eternal  Fa- 
ther, and  of  His  Virgin  Mother.  This 
favor  was  an  unspeakable  joy  to  the 
Saint,  and  his  spouse  often  renewed  it. 

In  regard  to  the  circumcision  of  her 
Son,  the  wise  Mary  had  no  express 
order  from  the  Eternal  Father.  She 
considered,  on  the  one  hand,  that  her 
holy  Son  came  to  confirm  the  law  in 
fulfilling  it  Himself,  and  more  than 
this,  to  sufler  for  mankind :  hence  He 
would  not  refuse  the  pain  of  circum- 
cision. But,  on  the  other  hand,  ma- 
ternal love  and  compassion  led  her  to 
desire  the  exemption  of  her  beloved  Son 
from  the  sufferings  consequent  upon  it. 
She  confided  her  sentiments  regarding 
this  mystery  to  her  chaste  spouse,  who 
so  tenderly  sympathized  in  these  min- 
gled feelings,  that  he  was  moved  to 
tears. 

Before  the  eight  days  after  His 
birth  were  accomplished,  the  Queen  of 
heaven  addressed  herself  in  prayer  to 
the  divine  Majesty,  who  thus  respond- 
ed: "Thou  knowest  well  that  thou 
must  offer  me  thy  Son  and  mine  to 
endure  this,  and  other  far  greater  suf- 
ferings. Let  Him  then  shed  His  blood, 
and  give  me  the  first-fruits  of  the 
eternal  salvation  of  men." 

The  august  Mary  then  explained  to 
St.  Joseph,  with  rare  prudence,  the 
reasons  why  he  should  prepare  himself 
for  the  circumcision  of  the  Infant  God. 
She  reminded  him  that  the  time  pre- 
scribed  by   the   law   approached,    and 


^  that  they  must  submit  to  it,  having  no 
order  to '  the  contrary.  Her  saintly 
spouse  replied,  that  "  he  would  conform 
himself  to  the  divine  pleasure  in  all 
things  made  manifest  by  the  common 
law."  He  then  inquired  how  the  cir- 
cumcision should  be  performed. 

The  blessed  Virgin  said,  that,  in  fat- 
filling  the  law,  she  would  not  be  sep- 
arated from  the  Infant,  nor  place  Him 
in  charge  of  any  other  person,  but  that 
she  would  support  Him  in  her  own 
arms.  Yet  since,  from  His  tempera- 
ment. His  pain  would  be  greater  than 
that  of  ordinary  children,  it  would  be 
necessary  to  be  prepared  with  remedies 
for  the  wound.  The  careful  mother 
prayed  St.  Joseph  also  to  seek  a  vial 
of  crystal  in  which  to  gather  the  pre- 
cious blood,  which  she  wished  to  pre- 
serve; and  she  had  linen  cloths  also 
ready,  so  that  not  a  drop  should  fall 
on  the  ground.  St.  Joseph  then  went 
to  call  a  priest,  whom  he  begged  to 
come  to  the  grotto  to  perform  the  rite 
of  circumcision,  as  being  the  legitimate 
minister  for  that  ofiice. 

The  august  Mary  and  St.  Joseph  dis- 
coursed together  respecting  the  name 
which  they  should  give  to  the  Infant 
God  in  the  circumcision.  "  When  the 
angel,"  said  St.  Joseph,  "  declared  to 
me  the  great  mystery  of  the  incarna- 
tion, he  commanded  me  to  call  thy  di- 
vine Son  Jesus."  The  Virgin  Mother 
replied :  "  He  made  the  same  declara- 
tion to  me  when  the  Word  was  made 


778 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


jflesh  in  my  bosom.  ITierefore  we  will 
reqticst  the  priest  to  give  Him  this 
nnine  on  the  register  of  circumcised 
cljildren. 

While  the  Queen  of  heaven  and  St. 
Joseph  held  this  discourse,  innumerable 
troops  of  angels  descended  from  heaven 
in  human  form,  and  of  incomparable 
beauty.  They  bore  a  device,  upon 
which  was  engraved  the  name  of  Jesus. 
The  two  archangels,  St.  Michael  and  St. 
Gabriel,  each  held  in  their  hands  a  lu- 
minous globe  of  wondrous  beauty  and 
splender,  within  which  was  written  the 
most  holy  name  of  Jesus.  They  thus 
addressed  their  Queen :  "  This  name 
which  thou  seest  is  that  of  thy  Son. 
The  Most  Holy  Trinity  have  given  it 
to  thy  only  Son  our  lord,  with  power 
to  save  the  human  race.  He  will  chas- 
tise His  enemies,  and  reduce  them  to 
serve  as  His  footstool.  He  will  exalt 
His  friends,  and  place  them  in  gjory  at 
His  right  hand.  But  all  this  must  be 
purchased  by  His  sufferings  and  His 
blood." 

The  most  happy  St.  Joseph  saw  and 
heard  all.  He  was  unable  to  penetrate 
the  mysteries  of  the  redemption  like 
the  mother  of  wisdom,  but  he  discov- 
ered some  of  them.  The  holy  spouses 
were  filled  with  joy  and  admiration: 
in  brief,  there  passed  between  them,  or 
in  their  presence,  at  various  times,  so 
many  wondenul  things,  that  it  would 
be  impossible  to  convey  any  just  idea 
of  them 


There  was  at  Bethlehem  a  synagogue, 
not  for  offering  sacrifices,  Avhich  could 
be  oft'ered  only  at  Jerusalem,  but  for 
the  reading  of  the  Law  of  Moses.  The 
priest,  who  was  minister  of  the  law, 
was  also  of  the  rite  of  circumcision. 
Nevertheless,  any  one  could  circumcise. 
Our  august  Mother  desired,  because  of 
the  dignity  of  the  Infant,  that  the  priest 
should  be  the  minister,  and  for  this  rea- 
son it  was  that  the  happy  St.  Joseph 
summoned  him.  The  priest  came  to 
the  grotto.  At  the  view  of  the  Mother 
and  the  Child  his  heart  was  sensibly 
touched  with  singular  devotion  and 
tenderness.  The  happiness  which  he 
enjoyed  in  touching  the  flesh  of  the 
Infant  God  renewed  him  by  a  secret 
power,  and  rendered  him  holy  and 
agreeable  to  the  Supreme  Lord  of  the 
universe. 

In  order  to  perform  the  circumcision 
with  all  the  respect  that  was  possible 
in  such  a  place,  St.  Joseph  lighted  can- 
dles. The  priest  requested  the  Virgin 
Mother  to  withdraw  for  a  little  space, 
to  avoid  the  pain  of  witnessing  the  sac- 
rifice, but  she  prayed  the  minister  of 
God  to  permit  her  to  assist  at  the  sac- 
rament. The  priest  then  consented  that 
she  should  support  the  Infant  in  her 
arms.  Thus  she  was  the  consecrated 
altar  upon  which  the  realities  repre- 
sented by  the  ancient  sacrifices  began 
to  be  accomplished. 

The  blessed  Mother  unswathed  her 
divine   Child,   and,  drawing   from  her 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


779 


bosom  a  linen  cloth,  slie  placed  it  un-  * 
der  the  Infant,  so  that  it  should  receive 
the  blood  and  the  relics  of  the  circum- 
cision. The  priest  accomplished  his 
office,  and  the  Infant  God  offered  to  the 
Eternal  Father  three  things  of  such  infi- 
nite value,  that  each  would  suffice  for 
the  redemption  of  a  thousand  worlds  : 
the  first  was  the  form  of  a  sinner ;  the 
second,  the  pain  He  suffered  as  man; 
the  third,  His  most  ardent  love,  with 
which  He  began  to  shed  His  blood  for 
the  redemption  of  men.  The  tender 
and  affectionate  Mother  gathered  the 
sacred  relics  and  the  blood  shed  upon 
the  linen,  and  placed  the  whole  in  the 
care  of  St.  Joseph. 

The  priest  inquired  of  the  holy 
spouses  what  name  they  intended  to 
give  to  th^  circumcised  child.  Our 
sweet  Lady,  always  attentive  to  the 
respect  which  she  bore  to  St.  Joseph, 
requested  him  to  declare  it.  The  saint, 
turning  towards  her  with  veneration, 
intimated  that  so  sweet  a  name  should 
be  pronounced  by  her  lips — when,  by 
a  divine  disposition,  Mary  and  Joseph 
said,  at  the  same  moment:  ^^  Jesus  is 
His  namey  The  priest  replied :  ''  You 
are  of  one  mind  in  this,  the  name  you 
give  to  the  Infant  is  great."  In  writing 
it  he  was  touched  by  a  great  interior 
tenderness,  saying  to  them :  "  I  assure 
you  that  I  believe  this  Child  will  be  a 
great  prophet  of  the  Lord."  The  august 
spouses  replied  to  the  priest,  by  an 
humble   acknowledgment,   and,   having 


given   him   the  wax   lights,  and   some 
other  trifles  as  offerings,  he  departed. 

The  holy  Virgin  and  her  spouse  re- 
mained alone  with  the  Infant.  They 
celebrated  anew  the  mystery  of  the  cir- 
cumcision by  canticles,  which  they  com- 
posed in  honor  of  the  most  sweet  name 
of  Jesus.  The  careful  Mother  dressed 
the  wound  of  the  Infant  God  with  the 
usual  remedies.  Slie  invited  the  angels 
to  sing.  The  ministers  of  the  Most 
High  obeyed  their  Queen,  and  with 
heavenly  melody  they  chanted  the  same 
canticles  which  she  and  St.  Joseph  had 
composed  in  praise  of  the  sweet  name 
of  Jesus. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE     EOYAL     MAGI     COME    TO    ADORE     THE 
INFANT    GOD    IN    THE    GROTTO     OF    THE 

NATIVITY ST.    JOSEPH    IS    PRESENT    AT 

THIS    MYSTERY. 

OUE.  blessed  Lady  knew,  by  infused 
science  from  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
that  the  Magi  would  come  from  the 
East,  to  acknowledge  and  adore  her 
most  holy  Son.  She  had  been  informed 
of  this  approaching  mystery  by  the 
angel  who  had  been  sent  to  these  kings 
to  announce  the  birth  of  the  incarnate 
"Word.  St.  Joseph  had  received  no 
intelligence  of  this  mystery,  because  it 
had  not  been  revealed  to  him :  there- 
fore, the  circumcision  having  been  cele- 


brated,  the  holy  man  proposed  to  our 
sweet  Lady  to  quit  their  poor  abode, 
for  now  they  could  easily  find  some 
hostelry  in  Bethlehem  to  which  they 
could  retire,  until  the  time  should  come 
to  present  the  Infant  in  the  Temple  of 
Jerusalem. 

This  most  faithful  and  careful  spouse 
was  in  continual  distress  at  not  being 
able  to  procure  for  the  Son  and  His 
mother  the  comforts  which  they  had 
need  of,  yet  he  refeiTed  all  to  the  wishes 
of  his  spouse.  The  humble  Mary  re- 
plied, without  revealing  the  mystery : 
"  I  am  ready  to  do  all  that  you  com- 
mand; do  whatever  you  judge  to  be 
best."  This  virtuous  indifference  threw 
St  Joseph  into  greater  perplexity,  for 
he  had  hoped  that  his  spouse  would 
decide  what  should  be  done. 

While  they  conferred  together,  the 
Lord  answered  by  the  ministiy  of  the 
princes  St.  Michael  and  St.  Gabriel : 
"  The  Divine  will  ordains  that  the  three 
kings  who  come  from  the  East  to  seek 
the  King  of  heaven  shall  adore  in  this 
same  place  the  Word  made  man.  It  is 
ten  days  since  they  began  their  journey, 
and  they  will  very  soon  be  here."  By 
this  new  information,  St.  Joseph  was 
consoled  and  informed  of  the  will  of  the 
Lord.  The  Blessed  Virgin  remarked 
that,  "  Although  this  place  may  be  poor 
and  uncomfortable  to  the  eyes  of  the 
world,  it  is,  nevertheless,  precious,  since 
the  Lord  is  content  with  it."  These 
words  of  our  prudent  Lady  afforded  a 


*  sensible  joy  to  St  Joseph,  who  replied, 
that  "they  could,  perhaps,  remain  in 
that  holy  place  until  the  day  of  the 
presentation  in  the  Temple,  without 
returning  first  to  Nazareth,  because  of 
the  distance  and  the  severity  of  the 
season ;  and  if  they  should  be  obliged 
by  stress  of  weather  to  leave  it,  they 
might  easily  find  a  shelter  in  Jerusalem, 
since  it  was  only  two  leagues  distant 
from  Bethlehem." 

The  august  Mary  conformed  in  all 
things  to  the  wishes  of  her  husband. 
She  prepai'ed  the  grotto  for  the  recep- 
tion of  the  Magi,  as  well  as  the  poverty 
of  the  place  admitted,  and  used  her 
power  over  creatures  to  protect  her  Son 
from  the  rigor  of  the  winter;  Neither 
the  wind,  the  snow,  nor  the  rain  dared 
to  approach  Him,  but  paused  at  a  safe 
distance.  The  Mother,  nevertheless,  suf 
fered  from  the  cold ;  while  St.  Joseph 
enjoyed,  with  the  Infant  God,  the  be- 
nign effects  of  that  privilege;  but  he 
knew  not  that  this  exemption  was 
owing  to  the  command  of  his  blessed 
spouse. 

It  often  happened  that  while  our 
sweet  Lady  held  the  Infant  God  in  her 
arms,  she  knelt  to  adore  Him.  She 
intrusted  Him  to  St.  Joseph  with  the 
respect  which  we  have  already  men- 
tioned. She  embraced  His  feet,  and 
when  she  desired  to  kiss  Him  on  the 
face,  she  requested,  in  an  interior  voice. 
His  consent.  In  all  she  was  most  pm- 
dent,  most  perfect,  without  deficiency 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


781 


or  excess.  But  there  were  between  the 
Infant  God  and  His  Virgin  Mother, 
other  caresses  far  more  sublime.  She 
was  made  acquainted  with  the  interior 
acts  of  the  most  holy  soul  of  her  Son. 
His  humanity  was  manifested  to  her  as 
in.  a  luminous  crystal,  and  the  Blessed 
Virgin  beheld  the  hypostatic  union,  the 
soul  of  the  divine  Child  and  all  its 
operations.  Then  our  humble  Lady 
imitated  Him  in  His  works  and  in  His 
prayers. 

The  most  happy  St.  Joseph  enjoyed 
not  only  the  favors  and  caresses  of  the 
Infant  God,  as  an  ocular  witness  of  those 
which  passed  between  the  Son  and  the 
Mother,  but  he  was  found  worthy  to 
receive  them  from  Jesus  himself.  When 
our  blessed  Lady  was  engaged  in  pre- 
paring their  food,  or  in  other  household 
occupations,  she  placed  the  Infant  God 
in  his  hands.  While  St.  Joseph  held 
Him,  his  pious  soul  thrilled  with  divine 
emotions,  for  the  Infant  Jesus  regarded 
him  with  satisfaction ;  He  reclined  on 
his  bosom,  and  bestowed  on  him  marks 
of  infantile  affection. 

Whenever  the  august  Mary  separated 
herself  from  the  Infant  God,  she  took 
with  her  the  relics  of  the  circumcision, 
which  St.  Joseph  usually  carried  about 
him  for  his  own  consolation.  Thus  the 
two  spouses  were  always  enriched — the 
sacred  Virgin  by  her  divine  Son,  and 
the  happy  Joseph  by  the  precious  blood 
that  had  been  shed,  and  the  deified 
flesh.     They  preserved  these  holy  relics 


*  in  the  little  vial  of  crystal,  which  the 
saint  had  purchased.  Our  blessed  Lady 
placed  in  it  the  flesh  that  was  removed, 
and  the  blood  that  was  shed  in  the  cir- 
cumcision, for  she  had  cut  out  all  those 
places  of  the  linen  which  had  received 
it.  She  afterwards  placed  this  precious 
deposit  in  charge  of  the  Apostles,  and 
left  it  to  them  as  the  property  of  the 
holy  Church. 

The  Magi  kings,  who  came  to  seek 
the  new-born  Infant  God,  were  natives 
of  a  country  east  of  Palestine.  David, 
and  Balaam  also,  had  prophesied  their 
coming.  They  were  very  learned  in  the 
natural  sciences,  and  in  the  Scriptures 
of  the  people  of  God.  They  had  some 
belief  in  the  advent  of  the  Messiah. 
For  the  rest,  they  were  men  of  great 
probity,  loving  truth  and  practising  jus- 
tice. They  were  neighbors,  and  lived 
in  intimate  friendship  and  faithful  cor- 
respondence. They  had  noble,  great, 
and  generous  souls,  free  from  the  avarice 
which  too  frequently  degrades  the 
hearts  of  princes.  They  were  warned, 
by  the  ministry  of  angels,  of  the  bii'th 
of  the  incarnate  Word.  With  clear  and 
abundant  instructions,  the  guardian  an- 
gel of  each  declared  to  them  in  a  dream, 
and  at  the  same  time,  the  mystery  of 
the  Incarnation  and  the  birth  of  the 
Redeemer.  They  knew  that  this  new- 
born Infant  was  true  God  and  true 
man,  whom  they  ought  to  adore  as 
their  Creator  and  Redeemer,  and  that 
the  star,  which  Balaam  had  predicted, 


Bhould  be  given  as  tlieir  guide  to  con-  * 
•  luct  them  to  the  place  where  He  would 
)'(•  found. 

Tlie  Magi  kings  awoke,  and  in  spirit 
they  adoi*ed  tlie  immutable  being  of 
God,  and  glorified  His  mercy  for  that 
the  Word  liad  taken  human  flesh  in  the 
womb  of  a  Virgin,  to  redeem  the  world, 
and  they  prepared  to  depart,  that  they 
might  find  Him.  At  the  same  time,  the 
holy  angel  formed  a  star  which  was 
suspended  in  the  air,  to  conduct  the 
kings  to  the  grotto.  In  leaving  their 
homes  they  saw  it,  and  followed  the 
I'oute  which  it  indicated.  Thus  guided, 
tliey  arrived  at  Jerusalem,  when  it  dis- 
appeared. They  then  inquired  where 
was  the  King  of  the  Jews,  who  had  just 
been  born. 

Herod,  as  it  is  recorded  by  St.  Mat- 
thew, assembled  the  chief  priests  and 
scribes,  who  replied  :  "  According  to 
the  prophecy  of  Micheas,  the  Messiah 
is  to  be  born  at  Bethlehem."  Herod 
called  the  Magi,  and  inquired  of  them 
the  time  when  they  had  first  observed 
the  appearance  of  the  star.  He  then 
said  to  them:  "When  you  shall  have 
found  this  Child,  inform  me  of  it,  so 
that  I,  too,  may  go  and  adore  Him." 
On  passing  out  of  Jerusalem,  the  Magi 
again  saw  the  star,  which  stood  over 
the  grotto  of  the  Nativity. 

The  Lord  had  made  known  to  the 
august  Mother  the  coming  of  the  Magi, 
and  when  she  heard  they  were  near 
the  grotto,  she  mentioned  it  to  St.  Jo- 


seph, in  order  that  he  might  remain 
at  her  side,  which  he  did.  Although 
the  Evangelists  make  no  mention  of 
it,  it  is  nevertheless  certain  that  St. 
Joseph  w^as  present  when  the  kings 
adored  the  Infant  Jesus.  The  Maij^i 
already  knew  that  St.  Joseph  was  not 
His  real  father,  and  that  His  mother 
was  a  Virgin.  The  admirable  Mother 
awaited  these  pious  kings  with  the 
Infant  God  in  her  arms.  An  extraor- 
dinary splendor  shone  forth  from  the 
Infant,  and  our  sweet  Lady  was  ex- 
ceedingly beautiful.  They  were  lost 
in  admiration,  adoring  the  Infant,  and 
acknowledging  Him  as  true  God  and 
true  man.  Then  rising  up,  they  bent 
the  knee  before  the  Mother  in  testi- 
mony of  their  veneration,  and  offered 
their  felicitations  on  the  happiness  she 
enjoyed  in  being  the  Mother  of  the  Son 
of  the  Eternal  Father. 

The  three  kings  prostrated  them- 
selves anew,  and  adored  the  Infant 
Jesus.  Afterwards  they  addressed 
tiiemselves  to  St.  Joseph,  and  con- 
gratulated him  on  his  happiness  in 
being  the  spouse  of  the  Mother  of  God. 
Having  passed  three  hours  in  the 
grotto,  the  kings  requested  permission 
to  go  and  seek  ,a  lodging  in  the  city, 
to  sojourn  there.  Several  persons  ac- 
companied the  Magi,  but  they  alone 
participated  in  the  effects  of  grace  and 
knowledge.  The  holy  Mary  and  Jo- 
seph remained  with  God,  and  glorified 
the  divine  Majesty  in  new  canticles  of 


V 


■Jn'^-ii 


praise,  because  His  holy  name  began  to   * 
be  known  and  adored  among  the  nations. 

The  three  kings  left  the  grotto  to 
seek  repose  in  an  hostelry  of  Bethle- 
hem. They  passed  a  great  part  of  the 
night  in  discourse,  intermingled  with 
many  tears  and  sighs,  respecting  what 
they  had  seen  in  the  Infant  God  and 
His  holy  Mother.  They  ceased  not  to 
admire  the  splendor  that  shone  from 
the  Infant  Jesus,  the  modesty  of  the 
blessed  Mother,  the  holiness  of  the. 
happy  St.  Joseph. 

During  this  conference,  the  Magi 
were  not  unmindful  of  the  great  desti- 
tution of  Jesus,  Mary,  and  St.  Joseph, 
in  the  grotto,  and  they  therefore  sent  to 
them,  by  their  servants,  liberal  supplies 
of  provisions.  The  august  Mary  and 
Joseph  received  them  with  gratitude, 
nor  did  they  reply  by  empty  thanks, 
but  by  efficacious  benedictions.  The 
Magi  disposed  themselves  to  sleep,  and 
the  angel  warned  them  of  the  way  in 
which  they  should  proceed. 

As  soon  as  it  was  day  they  returned 
to  the  grotto  of  the  nativity,  to  offer 
the  gifts  they  had  brought.  They  pros- 
trated themselves  before  the  celestial 
King,  and  adored  Him  with  profound 
humility  :  afterwards,  opening  their 
treasures,  as  it  is  related  in  the  Gos- 
pels, they  offered  to  Him  gold  and 
frankincense  and  myrrh.  Our  blessed 
Mother  received  these  gifts  of  the  kings, 
and  presented  them  to  the  Infant  Jesus 
in  their  name.     They  also  offered  to  the 


sweet  Mother  their  services,  their  re- 
sources, and  all  that  they  possessed. 
Our  prudent  Lady  thanked  them  for  all 
these  offers,  but  she  would  accept  noth- 
ing. The  kings  then  besought  her  not 
to  forget  them,  which  she  promised. 
They  asked  the  same  of  St.  Joseph. 
Having  received  the  benediction  of  Je- 
sus, Mary,  and  Joseph,  they  took  leave, 
with  such  an  effusion  of  tenderness  and 
affection,  that  it  seemed  as  if  their 
hearts  would  melt.  To  avoid  meeting 
Herod,  they  resolved  not  to  pass 
through  Jerusalem.  All  the  remaining 
lives  of  these  blessed  kimrs  were  in 
harmony  with  their  divine  vocation. 

After  their  departure,  our  Lady  and 
St.  Joseph  chanted  new  canticles  of 
praise.  They  compared  these  wonder- 
ful incidents  with  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
and  with  the  prophecies  of  the  Proph- 
ets and  Patriarchs,  and  they  saw,  with 
unspeakable  joy,  that  their  predictions 
began  to  be  accomplished  in  the  Infant 
Jesus. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

OUR  LADY  AND  ST.  JOSEPH  LEAVE  THE 
GROTTO  OF  THE  NATIVITY,  AND  REMAIN 
AT  BETHLEHEM  UNTIL  THE  PRESENTA- 
TION OF  THE  INFANT  JESUS  IN  THE 
TEMPLE. 

AFTER  the  adoration  of  the  Infant 
Jesus  by  the  Magi,  our  saints  r> 
solved  to  quit  the  grotto,  since  nothing 


166 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


plicitly  obedient  to  her  spouse,  did  not 
iii.ikf  the  journey  barefooted.  They 
Ift't  the  grotto,  after  having  asked  the 
benediction  of  the  Infant  God,  who  be- 
stowed it,  perceptibly,  upon  them.  St. 
Joseph  loaded  the  ass  with  the  package 
of  swaddling-clothes,  and  that  portion 
of  the  gifts  of  the  Magi  which  they  had 
reserved  as  an  offering  at  the  Temple. 
All  the  celestial  court  accompanied 
tlhiii,  in  visible  forma.  Our  blessed 
Lady  and  her  spouse  enjoyed  their  vis- 
ion. These  heavenly  spirits  celebrated 
the  mystery  by  new  and  admirable  can- 
ticles, and,  thus  disposed,  they  traversed 
the  two  leagues  which  separated  Beth- 
lehem from  Jerusalem.  The  weather 
was  severe  —  nor  did  this  happen  with- 
out the  particular  providence  of  God. 
Nothing  was  to  be  seen  but  frost  and 
ice,  so  that  the  Creator  made  man  trem- 
bled with  cold,  like  one  of  mere  human 
birth.  He  wept  in  the  arms  of  His 
loving  Mother.  Our  potent  Queen  ad- 
dressed herself  to  the  winds  and  ele- 
ments, and  commanded  them,  authorita- 
tively, to  become  milder.  They  obeyed 
the  order  of  their  legitimate  mistress  for 
the  Infant,  without  changing  towards 
her. 

During  this  time,  and  while  our  bless- 
ed Lady  was  on  the  way  with  the  Infant 
Jesus,  the  chief  priest,  Simeon,  had  a 
revelation  that  the  incarnate  Word  was 
coming  to  the  Temple,  in  his  Mother's 
ai-ms,  to  offer  Himself  to  God.  The  same 
i-evelation  was  made  to  the  holy  widow 


Anna,  and  it  was  revealed  to  her,  and 
the  high-priest  also,  that  St.  Joseph  was 
with  his  most  pure  spouse.  And  hav- 
ing communicated  to  each  other  what 
had  just  been  revealed  to  them,  they 
agreed  to  send  the  steward  of  the  Tem- 
ple to  meet  them,  after  having  instruct- 
ed him  how  to  recognize  our  holy  trav- 
ellers. The  steward  executed  the  order 
he  had  received,  which  proved  a  great 
consolation  to  our  august  Queen  and 
St.  Joseph.  The  fortunate  host  left  them 
in  his  house,  and  went  to  give  an  account 
of  his  mission  to  the  high-priest. 

The  saintly  spouses  formed  their  plana 
the  same  evening.  Our  ever-prudent 
Lady  advised  St.  Joseph  to  go  at  once 
and  present  the  gifts  of  the  kings  at  the 
Temple,  so  as  to  avoid  attracting  public 
attention.  She  also  prayed  him  to  bring, 
on  his  return,  the  turtle  doves,  wiiich 
they  intended  to  offer  publicly  the  fol- 
lowing day.  St.  Joseph  executed  all  in 
such  a  manner  that  he  seemed  only  an 
ordinary  stranger,  who  offered  myrrh, 
incense,  and  gold  to  the  receiver  of  the 
gifts  at  the  Temple.  He  did  not  use 
any  portion  of  them  to  purchase  a  lamb, 
because  this  would  not  have  accorded 
with  their  poor  and  humble  condition. 
Neither  did  they  depart,  in  the  least 
particular,  from  the  poverty  and  humil- 
ity which  they  held  in  such  high  esteem, 
even  though  it  might  have  tended  to- 
wards good  and  pious  ends. 

Simeon  was,  accorded  to  St.  Luke,  a 
just  man,  fearing  God,  and  awaiting  the 


LIFE    OF   ST.    JOSEPH. 


787 


consolation  of  Israel,  and  the  Holy  Spirit 
had  revealed  to  him  that  he  should  see 
Christ  the  Lord  before  his  death.  On 
that  night  he  was  instructed  by  divine 
illumination,  and  discovered,  by  great 
clearness,  all  the  mysteries  of  the  incar- 
nation and  redemption  of  the  human 
race.  By  the  knowledge  of  these  sub- 
lime revelations  he  was  elevated  above 
himself.  The  same  night  St.  Anna  had 
also  a  revelation  of  many  of  these  mys- 
teries, from  which  she  received  unspeak- 
able consolation. 

The  day  having  come  when  the  Sun 
of  Justice  was  to  appear,  our  ble'ssed 
Lady  prepared  the  turtle-doves  and  two 
lights.  She  then  wrapped  the  Infant 
Jesus  in  His  swaddling-clothes,  and  set 
out,  with  her  saintly  spouse,  for  the 
Temple.  Arrived  at  the  gates,  the 
happy  Mother  adorSd  the  Lord  in  spirit 
and  in  truth,  and  made  an  offering  to 
the  divine  Majesty  of  herself  with  her 
Son  whom  she  held  in  her  arms.  The 
most  fortunate  of  men,  St.  Joseph,  felt 
at  the  same  moment  a  new  and  sweet 
effusion  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  filled 
him  with  joy  and  divine  light. 

Conducted  by  the  same  Spirit,  the 
high-priest  Simeon  came  to  the  Temple, 
and,  approaching  the  place  where  Mary 
stood  with  J*esus,  he  beheld  them  all 
radiant  with  light.  Anna  approached 
and  saw  it,  also,  Simeon  took  the  In- 
fant in  his  arms,  and  offering  Him  to 
the  Eternal  Father,  intoned  the  cele- 
brated  canticle :  "  JSfoiu  Tltoti  dost  dis- 


*  miss  Th/y  servant.,  O  Lord,  according  to 
Thy  word.,  in  peaceP  Afterwards  he 
announced  the  cruel  passion  which  the 
heart  of  Mary  must  suffer  at  the  sight 
of  the  sufferings  of  Jesus. 

The  blessed  Mary  and  St.  Joseph 
admired  the  sublimity  of  the  Spirit 
which  had  inspired  Simeon.  The  holy 
old  man  gave  his  benediction  to  the 
happy  parents  and  to  the  Infant.  When 
the  holy  priest  prophesied  the  passion^ 
the  Infant  humbly  inclined  His  head, 
in  testimony  that  He  accepted  the  proph- 
ecy, and  would  fulfil  it.  The  tender 
mother  comprehended  all  the  mysteries 
included  in  this  prophecy.  On  his 
part,  the  holy  St.  Joseph  also  penetrated 
many  things  concerning  the  redemption 
and  the  sufi^erings  of  Jesus,  but  his 
knowledge  was  less  comprehensive  than 
that  of  his  spouse,  because  he  was  not 
to  witness  their  accorriplishment  on 
earth. 

The  Blessed  Virgin  and  St.  Joseph 
took  leave  of  the  high -priest,  after  hav- 
ing received  his  benediction,  and  that 
of  St.  Anna,  and  returned  to  the  house 
which  had  been  prepared  for  them. 
Here  they  resolved  to  remain  nine  days 
longer,  to  visit  the  Temple,  and  to  re- 
new there,  each  day,  the  offering  of  the 
most  holy  Host,  with  devout  thanks- 
givings. The  number  nine  had  always 
been  dear  to  the  holy  family.  They 
began  their  novena  and  remained  in  the 
Temple  from  before  the  hour  of  tierce 
to  the  evening,  choosing  the  most  hum 


788 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


Me  and  retire«l  quarter.  It  was  at  this  * 
time  the  divine  Majesty  promised  that 
the  auffust  Mother  should  obtain  all 
that  she  would  ask  for  those  who  were 
devoted  to  her,  as  long  as  the  world 
should  last,  and  even  for  great  sinners, 
if  they  would  avail  themselves  of  her 
intercession. 


CHAPTER  Xn. 

THE    LORD   PREPARES    OUR   BLESSED   LADY 

FOR     THE     FLIGHT     INTO     EGYPT THE 

ANGEL  REVEALS  IT  TO  ST.  JOSEPH — 
JESUS,  MARY,  AND  JOSEPH  COMMENCE 
THE   JOURNEY. 

ON  the  fifth  day  of  the  novena,  after 
the  Presentation,  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin had  a  vision  of  the  Divinity,  in 
which  she  was  warned  to  fly  into  Egypt, 
because  Herod  sought  to  destroy  the 
new-born  Messiah.  The  Lord  referred 
her  to  St.  Joseph,  to  be  guided  by  him 
in  all  things  relating  to  this  journey. 
But  the  exceeding  affection  of  our  Lady 
for  her  most  holy  Son  grieved  her  heart, 
on  considering  the  pain  which  so  young 
a  child  must  suffer  in  executing  this 
command.  She  was  touched  with  com- 
passion, and  could  not  restrain  her 
tears. 

The  faithful  St.  Joseph  observed  the 
affliction  of  his  spouse,  and  supposed  it 
to  be  the  effect  of  the  prophecy  of  St 
Simeon.     But  as  he  had  a  tender  affec- 


tion for  our  Queen,  and  was  also  of  a 
most  compassionate  temper,  he  was 
troubled  at  the  affliction  of  his  spouse ; 
and  it  was  for  this  reason  that  the  an- 
gel appeared  to  him  in  a  dream.  Dur- 
ing this  same  night,  as  it  is  related  by 
St.  Matthew,  the  angel  of  the  Lord  said 
to  him,  "  Arise,  and  take  the  Child  and 
His  Mother,  and  fly  into  Egypt,  and  be 
there  until  I  shall  tell  thee.  For  it  will 
come  to  pass,  that  Herod  will  seek  the 
Child  to  destroy  Him." 

Filled  with  zeal  and  anxiety,  St. 
Joseph  arose  on  the  instant,  and,  ap- 
proaching the  place  whither  his  Jbelov- 
ed  spouse  had  retired,  he  said  to  her: 
"  It  is  the  will  of  the  Most  High,  that 
we  shall  be  afflicted,  for  His  angel  has 
declared  to  me  the  command  of  His 
Majesty,  that  we  shall  fly  with  the  In- 
fant into  Egypt,  becfiuse  Herod  designs 
to  destroy  His  life.  Prepare,  then,  for 
the  fatigues  of  this  journey,  and  tell  me 
what  I  can  do  for  your  comfort,  and  for 
the  service  of  our  most  sweet  Infant." 
"  My  spouse,"  replied  our  Queen,  "  If 
we  receive  so  much  good  at  the  liberal 
hands  of  the  Most  High,  it  is  but  just 
that  we  should  receive  from  Him  tem- 
poral pains  and  afflictions." 

The  blessed  Mother  and  St.  Joseph 
approached  the  cradle  where  the  Infant 
Jesus  slept ;  nor  was  this  slumber  with- 
out mysteiy.  The  holy  Mother  thus 
addressed  Him:  "Flee  away,  O  my 
beloved,  and  be  like  to  the  roe,  and  to 
the  young  hart ;  come,  let  us  go  to  the 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


789 


fields."  St.  Joseph  added:  "Thy  power 
cannot  be  limited  by  that  of  the  kings 
of  the  earth,  but  Thine  exalted  wisdom 
would  conceal  it.  Who  can  fathom  the 
impenetrable  secrets  of  Thy  Provi- 
dence ?  "  Our  august  iady  then  awak- 
ened the  Infant.  Our  loving  Saviour, 
willing  to  show,  by  certain  marks,  that 
He  was  of  true  human  nature,  and  to 
affect  His  parents,  wept  a  little,  but 
soon  He  became  quiet. 

The  holy  Virgin  and  St.  Joseph  ask- 
ed a  benediction  of  the  divine  Infant, 
which  He  bestowed  in  a  manner  not 
to  be  mistaken.  Then  gathering  their 
humble  garments,  they  departed,  with- 
out further  delay,  a  little  after  mid- 
night, making  use  of  the  same  beast  of 
burden  which  they  had  brought  from 
Nazareth  to  Bethlehem.  They  travelled 
with  all  diligence  towards  Egypt,  quit- 
ting Jerusalem  to  go  to  another  country, 
concealed  by  the  silence  and  obscurity 
of  the  night. 

It  is  not  possible  to  find  faith  and 
hope  more  firm  than  that  of  our  Queen 
and  her  faithful  spouse,  but  they  were 
pained  because  of  the  Infant  Jesus. 
They  knew  not  what  might  happen  to 
them  on  this  long  journey,  nor  where 
it  was  to  terminate,  nor  how  they  would 
be  received  in  Egypt,  nor  how  they 
could  educate  the  Child.  But  the  an- 
gels strengthened  them  in  such  wise, 
that,  issuing  from  Jerusalem  by  the 
gate  towards  Nazareth,  they  began  their 
journey  with  great  ardor. 


The  Blessed  Virgin  could  have  wish- 
ed to  pass  through  Hebron,  where  St. 
Elizabeth  then  tarried,  and  because  it 
was  but  little  out  of  their  way ;  but 
the  prudent  St.  Joseph,  who  was  in 
great  apprehension  of  Herod,  could  not 
consent  to  the  least  delay.  "  I  think," 
said  he,  "  that  it  is  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance not  to  retard  our  journey  for 
even  a  moment,  but  to  hasten  it  as 
much  as  possible,  so  as  to  be  removed 
from  danger.  For  this  reason  we  ought 
not  to  pause  at  Hebron,  where  we 
should,  perhaps,  be  sought  after  sooner 
than  elsewhere."  The  Blessed  Virgin 
obeyed  St.  Joseph,  not  only  in  that 
which  he  commanded,  but  she  would 
not  even  send  an  angel  to  her  cousin 
without  his  consent.  What  an  admira- 
ble example  to  teach  us  to  renounce  our 
own  will,  which  is  often  so  prejudicial 
to  us ! 

The  angel  having  instructed  St.  Eliza- 
beth, she  desired  to  come  and  adore  the 
Infant  Jesus,  but  the  celestial  ambas- 
sador prevented  her.  She  then  sent  a 
person  to  convey,  in  all  haste,  food  and 
money  to  the  holy  family,  with  clothing 
for  the  Child.  This  messenfjer  found 
them  at  the  city  of  Gaza,  distant  twenty 
hours  from  Jerusalem,  by  the  road  that 
leads  from  Palestine  to  Egypt. 

Our  holy  travellers  remained  two 
days  in  this  town,  on  account  of  the 
fatigue  of  St.  Joseph,  and  to  give  rest 
to  the  ass,  which  carried  our  Queen. 
They  dismissed  the  servant  of  Elizabeth, 


r 


790 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


aud  St  Joseph  charged  him  to  reveal  to 
no  one  the  place  where  he  had  found 
them.  The  Loi*d  appointed  a  better 
means  of  securing  this  silence.  He  de- 
8ti\)}'ed  liis  memory  of  the  fact. 

The  charitable  Mary  shared  the  pres- 
ents of  Elizabeth  with  the  poor,  whom 
she  never  forgot.  Of  the  cloth  she 
made  a  covering  for  the  Infant,  and  a 
mantle  for  St  Joseph,  capable  of  pro- 
tecting them  from  the  severity  of  the 
weather.  She  also  prepared  such  of  the 
provisions  as  could  be  preserved,  to 
provide  for  the  necessities  of  her  Son 
and  St.  Joseph,  without  having  recourse 
to  miraculous  assistance. 

The  happy  St  Joseph  was  a  witness 
of  the  mysteries  which  passed  between 
the  blessed  Mother  and  the  Infant  Jesus. 
The  holy  Mary  understood,  through 
intellectual  visions,  the  unity  of  the 
divine  Essence  with  the  Trinity  of  per- 
sons ;  the  eternal  generation  of  the 
Word,  and  the  procession  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  without  priority  or  posteriority. 
Finally,  the  august  Mother  contemplated 
all  the  interior  acts  of  her  only  Son,  and 
imitated  them.  The  happy  Joseph  was 
often  a  witness  of  these  divine  mj'steries, 
and  received  illumination  from  them 
which  smoothed  the  difficulties  of  the 
road. 

From  time  to  time  our  saint  took  care 
to  inquire  of  his  spouse  how  she  found 
herself,  and  if  she  had  need  of  any  thing 
for  the  Infant  or  herself.  He  approached 
Him  and  adored:   he  kissed   His   feet 


t  and  asked  His  benediction.  Sometimes 
he  took  Him  in  his  anns.  Thus  our 
great  patriarch  overcame  gently  all  the 
fatigues  of  the  journey.  His  holy  spouse 
encouraged  him ;  yet  external  things 
never  interfered  with  her  sublime 
thoughts  and  affections. 

Three  days  after  their  arrival  at  Gaza, 
our  saintly  travellers  set  out  for  Egypt. 
They  then  entered  the  sandy  desert 
called  Beei'sheba,  which  has  an  extent 
of  sixty  leagues  befoi-e  reaching  Ileli- 
opolis,  near  Cairo.  They  made  short 
journeys,  because  of  the  sand.  Many 
events  happened  to  the  holy  family. 
The  Most  High  allowed  them  to  suffer 
from  the  hardships  of  the  desert.  Our 
blessed  Lady  was  much  distressed,  but 
she  supported  them  with  patience  for 
the  sake  of  her  Son  and  husband.  St. 
Joseph,  on  his  part,  suffered  greatly  from 
his  inability  to  protect  the  Infant  and 
Mother,  notwithstanding  all  his  cares. 

In  traversing  the  desert,  it  was  abso- 
lutely necessary  that  they  should  pass 
the  nights  in  the  open  air,  and  without 
shelter;  and  it  was  in  winter,  and  the 
month  of  February.  The  first  night  which 
overtook  them,  obliged  them  to  stop  at 
the  foot  of  a  hill.  The  Queen  of  heaven 
seated  herself  on  the  sand  with  her  Son 
in  her  arms,  and  they  supped  on  what 
they  had  brought  from  Gaza.  The 
Blessed  Virgin  gave  milk  to  her  Infant 
Jesus,  and  His  Majesty  consoled  them 
in  many  pleasing  and  caressing  ways. 
The  saint   raised   a   sort  of  little  tent 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


791 


witli  liis  mantle  and  some  sticks,  so 
that  the  Incarnate  Word  and  His  holy- 
Mother  should  not  be  exposed  to  the 
night  air.  Our  great  Lady  knew  that 
her  most  holy  Son  offered  this  affliction 
to  the  Eternal  Father,  together  with  His 
sufferings,  and  those  of  herself  and  St. 
Joseph.  She  united  with  Him  in  prayer. 
St.  Joseph  slept  on  the  ground,  his  head 
supported  by  the  little  box  of  swad- 
dling-clothes and  their  other  poor  ap- 
parel. The  following  day  they  con- 
tinued their  route,  and  then  their  pro- 
vision of  bread  and  fruits  failed  them, 
so  that  the  Mistress  of  the  universe  and 
her  holy  spouse,  feeling  the  pressure  of 
hunger,  found  themselves  in  the  direst 
distress,  and,  although  that  of  the  saint 
was  the  most  severe,  both  were  in  the 
greatest  affliction.  Thus  they  passed 
one  of  the  first  days  of  their  journey, 
until  nine  in  the  eveninof,  without  nour- 
ishment.  Our  blessed  Lady  then  ad- 
dressed herself  to  the  Most  High.  "Eter- 
nal and  Almighty  God,"  said  she,  "  I 
offer  Thee  thanks,  and  I  bless  Thee. 
How,  being  only  a  poor  useless  creature, 
how  shall  I  dare  to  ask  any  thing  for 
myself.  But  have  regard  to  Thine  only- 
Son,  and  grant  the  means  to  sustain  His 
natural  life,  and  to  preserve  that  of  my 
spouse  ! "  The  Most  High  permitted 
that  to  the  rigors  of  the  elements  should 
be  join'^d  those  of  hunger,  exhaustion, 
and  this  sort  of  abandonment  —  and 
then  came  a  tempest  of  wind  and  rain, 
which  we<*ried  them  extremely. 


The  careful  Mother,  exercising  her 
power  as  Queen  of  creatures,  command' 
ed  the  elements  not  to  offend  their  Cre- 
ator, and  to  reserve  for  her  their  rude 
attacks.  The  Infant  Jesus,  to  recom- 
pense this  loving  care,  gave  commands 
to  His  angels,  and  they  formed  a  lumin- 
ous globe,  impenetrable  to  the  weather, 
which  inclosed  their  God  made  man, 
the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  her  spouse. 
This  protection  was  bestowed  on  other 
occasions,  also,  while  crossing  the  des- 
ert. 

But  food  was  wanting,  and  this  want, 
which  could  not  be  supplied  by  any 
human  industry,  was  most  pressing. 
The  Lord  then  helped  them  by  the  min- 
istry of  angels,  who  furnished  them 
with  bread  and  excellent  fruits,  and 
brought  them,  besides,  a  beverage  of 
delicious  flavor.  Upon  this,  they  sang 
canticles  of  praise  to  the  Lord,  who 
feeds  all  flesh,  at  a  convenient  season. 
Such  was  the  repast  which  the  Lord 
made  for  His  three  travellers  in  the 
same  desert,  where  Elias,  flying  from 
Jezabel,  was  strengthened  by  bread 
baked  in  the  ashes  which  the  angel  of 
the  Lord  brought  him. 

None  of  the  miracles  wrought  in  fa- 
vor of  the  Jewish  people  are  worthy  to 
be  compared  with  those  which  the  Lord 
wrought  during  this  journey  for  His 
Son  made  man,  and  the  august  Mary 
and  St.  Joseph,  to  preserve  the  natural 
life  on  which  depended  the  salvation  of 
the  human  race.     But  tlie  Lord'alwaya 


7d2 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


waited  until  the  necessity  was  moat  ^ 
urgent  Let  the  poor  rejoice  in  this 
example  —  let  not  the  hungry  be  cast 
down — let  those  who  sufter  persecution 
t'.\j)ect  help  in  season,  and  let  none  com- 
plain of  divine  Providence !  When  was 
it  ever  that  the  Ijord  failed  to  help 
those  who  put  their  trust  in  Him? 
Come !  come  to  Ilim  with  humility 
and  confidence!  The  eyes  of  your 
Father  regard  you  with  fixed  atten- 
tion. 

The  Most  High  not  only  took  care  to 
nourish  our  pilgrims,  but  He  also  offer- 
ed them  sensible  recreations,  to  soothe 
the  weariness  of  the  way.  It  often  hap- 
pened that  the  blessed  Mother,  pausing 
with  the  Infant  God,  was  speedily  sur- 
rounded by  large  numbers  of  birds. 
The  blessed  Queen  received  them,  and 
commanded  them  to  praise  their  Crea- 
tor: the  birds  obeyed,  and  the  devoted 
Mother  amused  the  Infant  Jesus  by  the 
sweetest  canticles.  The  holy  angels 
joined  their  voices  to  that  of  our  lovely 
Lady. 

The  Son  and  the  Mother  sometimes 
held  interior  communications,  so  sub- 
lime, that  words  are  inadequate  to  ex- 
press them.  The  holy  St.  Joseph  par- 
ticipated in  some  of  these  mysteries, 
and  their  divine  consolations  made  him 
forget  his  fatigue  while  he  enjoyed  the 
delights  of  such  society ;  but  he  knew 
not  that  the  Infnut  conversed  with  His 
Mother. 


CHAl^ER  XIIL 

THE   HOLT   FAMILY  ARRIVE  AT  HELI0P0LI8 

THEY  FIX  THEIB   RESIDENCE  IN  THAT 

CITY. 

milE  flight  of  the  Incarnate  Word 
-■-  had  other  mysteries,  and  other 
ends,  besides  that  of  withdrawing  from 
the  effects  of  Herod's  anger.  It  was 
rather  the  means  employed  by  the  Lord 
to  visit  Egypt,  and  there  to  operate  the 
wonders  of  which  the  Prophets  had 
spoken — Isaiah,  in  particular,  ch.  xix.  1: 
"  The  Loi'd  will  enter  into  E<jypt^  and 
the  idols  of  Egypt  shall  he  moved  at  His 
presence^'*  etc.  But  we  will  not  here 
pursue  this  point. 

Jesus,  Mary,  and  Joseph,  continuing 
their  journey,  arrived  at  the  inhabited 
portion  of  Egypt,  and  before  reaching 
Heliopolis,  where  they  were  to  sojourn, 
the  angels  led  them  through  many  other 
places.  From  this  cause  they  employed 
more  than  fifty  days  in  the  journey, 
passing  over  two  hundred  leagues,  al- 
though they  might  have  arrived  much 
sooner  at  Heliopolis  if  they  had  follow- 
ed the  direct  road. 

The  Egyptians  were  strongly  inclined 
to  idolatry  and  superstition,  and  idols 
were  placed  everywhere.  There  wei-e 
many  temples  where  devils  made  their 
abode,  and  they  were  so  given  to  the 
worship  of  demons,  and  so  blinded  by 
their  delusions,  that  nothing  short  of 
the  omnipotent  arm  of  the  Lord  had 
power  to  reform  this  misguided  country. 


LIFE    OF   ST.    JOSEPH. 


793 


Now,  the  Infant  Jesus,  with  His  Mother 
and  St.  Joseph,  entered  the  habitations 
of  the  Egyptians.  And  when  He  en- 
tered, in  the  arms  of  the  angust  Mary, 
raising  His  eyes  towards  heaven,  and 
joining  His  hands,  He  prayed  for  the 
salvation  of  the  poor  people  enslaved 
by  the  devil.  Then  exercising  His  pow- 
er over  these  evil  spirits,  He  precipi- 
tated them  into  the  abyss.  The  idols 
fell  at  the  same  moment  with  a  loud 
noise,  the  temples  sank  into  ruins,  and 
the  altars  were  overthrown. 

The  cause  of  these  prodigies  was 
known  to  our  Lady,  who  united  her 
prayers  to  those  of  her  divine  Son.  St. 
Joseph  also  discovered  that  all  these 
wonders  proceeded  from  the  Incarnate 
Word,  and  filled  with  holy  admiration, 
he  praised  and  blessed  Him.  The  de- 
mons failed  to  discover  the  cause.  The 
Egyptians  were  amazed,  although  the 
most  learned  still  preserved  certain  tra- 
ditions of  prophecies  of  Jeremiah,  when 
he  was  in  Egypt,  that  a  King  of  the 
Jews  should  come  into  their  kingdom, 
and  the  temples  of  their  idols  should 
be  destroyed. 

In  their  trouble,  some  of  the  people 
came  to  vi&it  our  blessed  Lady  and  St. 
Joseph,  and  discoursed  with  them  on 
the  ruin  of  their  temples.  The  Queen 
of  wisdom  availed  herself  of  the  occa- 
sion to  instruct  them.  Her  words  were 
so  sweet  and  so  forcible,  that  the  rumor 
of  the  arrival  of  our  holy  travellers  was 
spread  abroad.     Jesus  and  Mary  passed 


t  through  many  towns  of  Egypt,  chasing 
the  demons  not  only  from  the  temples, 
but  from  the  bodies  of  the  people.  Our 
Princess  and  St.  Joseph  instructed  many 
persons  in  the  path  to  virtue  and  to 
eternal  life. 

They  arrived  at  Heliopolis.  Many 
idols  were  possessed  by  demons  ot  great 
power,  particularly  one  which  dwelt  in 
a  tree  at  the  entrance  of  the  city. 
When  the  Word  made  man  passed  it, 
the  demon  was  cast  into  the  depths  of 
the  abyss,  and  the  tree  bowed  itself  to 
the  earth.  Several  authors  have  record- 
ed this  miracle,  for  the  leaves  and  fruits 
of  this  same  tree,  afterwards,  cured 
many  maladies. 

Various  writers  have  recorded  this 
sojourn  of  the  Holy  Family  in  Egypt. 
Some  mention  their  residence  in  one 
city,  some  in  another.  All  may  be  true 
in  referring  to  different  epochs,  for  the 
Holy  Family  were  at  Hermopolis,  Mem- 
phis, Mataria,  and  other  towns,  but  they 
fixed  their  abode  at  Heliopolis,  because 
the  angels  had  said  to  our  blessed  Lady 
and  St.  Joseph,  that  they  were  to  stop 
at  this  place.  Thus  this  city  of  the  sun, 
according  to  its  name,  saw  the  Sun  of 
justice  and  of  grace. 

Immediately  upon  their  arrival,  St. 
Joseph  sought  a  lodging,  offering  a  fair 
price.  The  Lord  guided  him  to  a  poor 
habitation,  a  little  out  of  the  town,  as 
the  Queen  of  heaven  had  wished,  and 
they  took  possession  of  it  at  once.  On 
entering  it  with  her  Son  and  St.  Joseph, 


794 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


our  blessed  Lady  prostrated  liereelf  and 
kissed  the  earth  with  profound  liumil- 
ity.  She  then  Ix'gan  the  lowly  tavsk  of 
cleansing  her  huml)le  abode,  and,  so 
indigent  were  their  circumstances,  that 
she  was  obliged  to  borrow  the  broom 
with  which  she  swept  the  house. 

Although  our  holy  strangers  were 
content  to  be  lodsjed  within  the  bare 
walls  of  this  poor  tenement,  food  and 
furniture  were  still  wanting.  The  mi- 
raculous succor,  which  they  had  been 
accustomed  to  receive  by  the  ministry 
of  angels,  had  ceased  since  they  had 
entered  inhabited  regions.  The  Lord 
placed  them  at  the  table  of  the  poorest 
poor,  which  is  to  have  recourse  to  alms ; 
and,  while  suffering  from  hunger,  St. 
Joseph  went  to  ask  for  food  for  the  Son 
of  God.  By  this  example  he  teaches 
the  poor  never  to  complain  of  their 
wants,  nor  to  be  ashamed  to  beg,  when 
all  other  legitimate  means  have  failed, 
since  it  was  necessary  to  beg  at  so  early 
a  period  to  support  the  life  of  the 
Lord  of  all  created  things.  During  the 
three  first  days,  after  their  arrival  at 
Heliopolis,  our  blessed  Lady  had  no 
other  food  for  herself  and  her  adorable 
Son  than  that  which  St.  Joseph  received 
as  alms,  nor  until  he  began  to  gain  some- 
thing by  his  labor.  (The  same  thing 
happened  in  divers  places  of  Egypt.) 
Having  received  payment  for  certain 
work,  he  made  a  little  bedstead,  entirely 
of  wood  for  the  Mother,  and  a  cradle 
for  the  Infant     For  himself  he  prepared 


^  no  other  bed  than  the  earth.  Nor  was 
there  any  furniture  in  the  house,  until, 
by  the  sweat  of  his  brow,  he  acquired 
money  to  purchase  some  indispensable 
articles. 

In  this  extreme  poverty,  Mary  and 
Joseph  never  spoke  of  their  house  at 
Nazareth,  nor  of  their  parents  and 
friends,  nor  of  the  presents  of  the  wise 
men.  They  regretted  none  of  these 
things,  and  supported  their  indigence 
without  uttering  the  least  complaint, 
■  or  without  dwelling  on  the  past,  with- 
out fear  of  the  future.  On  the  contrary, 
they  were  always  joyous  —  abandoning 
themselves  entirely  to  divine  Providence 
in  the  hour  of  their  greatest  need. 

Oh,  the  baseness  of  our  infidel  hearts  I 
With  how  many  troubles,  cares,  and 
pains  are  they  not  possessed,  at  the 
smallest  inconveniences  !  The  example 
of  our  blessed  strangers  should  serve  as 
a  grave  rebuke  for  our  pusillanimity  in 
times  of  trial  and  afiliction.  Our  pru- 
dent Lady  and  her  spouse,  deprived  of 
all  temporal  goods,  lodged,  with  joy,  in 
their  destitute  habitation.  Of  the  three 
chambers  it  contained,  one  was  con- 
secrated as  a  sanctuary  for  the  Infant 
Jesus  and  His  most  holy  Mother.  In  it 
were  placed  the  cradle  and  her  little 
bed.  The  second  was  appropriated  to 
St.  Joseph  for  prayer  and  repose,  and 
the  third  served  as  a  shop,  where  he 
worked  at  his  trade.  Our  august  Lady, 
seeing  their  extreme  indigence,  and  that 
her  spouse  was  obliged  to  increase  his 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


795 


ordinary  toil  to  enable  them  to  live, 
resolved  to  aid  him  by  her  own  labor. 
She  judged  it  best  to  employ  the  day  in 
work,  so  as  to  gain  what  was  necessary 
for  their  food,  fbi*  the  clothing  of  St. 
Joseph,  and  to  furnish  their  house,  re- 
serving only  the  night  for  her  spiritual 
exercises.  The  Infant  God  approved 
this  prudent  decision  of  His  Mother, 
and  regulated  the  order  of  her  life  and 
her  manual  labor.  But  when  the  holy 
Mother  saw  that  it  was  time  to  relieve 
St.  Joseph,  by  procuring  for  him  the 
society  of  her  Son,  she  said  to  Him: 
"  My  Son  and  my  Lord,  regard  your 
faithful  servant  with  the  love  of  a  son 
for  his  father."  And,  addressing  the 
saint :  "  Receive,  my  spouse,  within  your 
arms,  the  Lord,  who  holds  within  His 
hands  the  heavens  and  earth,  and  who 
will  sweeten  the  fatigues  of  your  toil." 

The  saint  was  accustomed  to  receive 
this  favor  with  great  humility  and  grati- 
tude, asking  his  holy  spouse  if  he  might 
take  the  liberty  to  caress  the  Infant. 
Reassured  by  the  pradent  Lady,  the 
consolation  he  received  in  these  caresses 
made  him  forget  all  his  pains,  so  that 
they  seemed  easy  and  most  sweet.  When 
the  holy  spouses  took  their  repast,  the 
Blessed  Virgin  held  the  Infant.  Hav- 
ing placed  whatever  was  necessary  on 
the  table,  she  took  Him  again  from  the 
arms  of  St.  Joseph.  All  that  I  can  say 
of  any  thing  that  our  saints  did,  is,  that 
they  were  the  admiration  of  the  angels, 
and   that   they  were   according  to   the 


*  good  pleasure  of  the  Lord.  When  Isaiah 
prophesied  that  the  Lord  would  enter 
Egypt  on  a  light  cloud,  to  make  His  won- 
ders shine  there — by  this  cloud  he  meant 
His  most  holy  Mother.  After  the  Sun 
of  Justice  had  enlightened  Egypt,  and 
the  cloud,  free  from  every  taint  of  sin, 
the  august  Mary,  had  fertilized  it,  this 
land  brought  forth  abundant  fruits  dur- 
ing many  ages,  as  we  have  seen  in  the 
great  number  of  saints  and  anchorites 
whom,  in  the  sequel,  it  produced. 

The  Lord  sojourned  at  Heliopolis, 
and  when  He  entered  the  temples,  the 
idols  and  altars  were  overthrown,  with 
a  frightful  noise.  The  whole  city  was 
in  the  greatest  terror,  and  many  persons 
of  both  sexes  went  to  visit  the  strangers, 
and  spoke  of  it  to  our  blessed  Lady  and 
St.  Joseph.  Our  blessed  Mother  con- 
versed with  them  with  much  prudence, 
wisdom,  and  sweetness.  She  withdrew 
them  from  their  errors,  and  at  the  same 
time  healed  some  diseased  persons.  The 
rumor  of  these  miracles  spread  abroad 
to  such  a  degree  that  our  blessed  Lady, 
seeing  herself  approached  by  multitudes 
of  people,  inquired  of  her  divine  Son 
what  He  would  have  her  to  do.  The 
Infant  God  replied,  that  she  should  im- 
part to  them  the  knowledge  of  the  true 
God,  and  instruct  them  in  His  worship 
and  of  the  means  to  wipe  away  their 
sins. 

The  blessings  which  these  souls  thus 
obtained,  were  so  abundant,  that  it 
would  require  many  volumes  to  record 


T96 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


the  wonders  that  were  manifested  dur- 
ing these  seven  years.  Two  years  later, 
St  Joseph  also  began  to  heal  the  sick. 
Our  blessed  Lady  devoted  herself  chief- 
ly to  the  cure  of  women;  she  herself 
dressed  their  wounds ;  but  for  men,  she 
healed  them  by  her  words  only. 

During  the  period  of  their  sojourn, 
lleliopolis  was  infected  by  the  plague. 
This  misfortune,  and  the  report  of  the 
wonders  which  they  wrought,  brought 
tliem  great  numbers  of  sick  people,  who 
went  away  healed  in  body  and  soul. 
But  the  Lord  wishing  to  extend  His 
grace,  determined,  at  the  request  of  our 
blessed  Lady,  that  St.  Joseph  should 
instruct  and  cure  the  sick.  And  she 
o})tained  for  him  a  new  interior  light, 
and  a  singular  grace  of  holiness  for  the 
exercise  of  this  ministry,  so  that,  in  the 
third  year  after  their  arrival,  St.  Joseph 
began  the  exercise  of  these  gifts  from 
heaven.  He  usually  instructed  and 
cured  the  men,  and  our  blessed  Lady 
the  women.*  We  can  easily  conceive  the 
good  they  wrought,  but  it  is  impossible 
to  give  the  details  of  it. 

King  Herod  was  much  disappointed 
when  he  heard  that  the  Magi  had  visit- 
ed Bethlehem  —  had  seen  the  august 
Mary  and  St.  Joseph,  and  had  already 
left  Palestine.  He  was  also  informed 
of  what  had  passed  in  the  Temple.  He 
then  gave  orders  to  make  a  strict  search 
for  our  Queen,  her  Infant,  and  St.  Jo- 
seph. But  the  Lord,  who  had  com- 
manded their  departure  from  Jerusalem 


by  night,  concealed  their  journey.  And 
now  it  was  that  the  demon  inspired 
Herod  to  murder  all  the  children  of 
that  region  who  were  under  two  years 
old. 

Herod  promulgated  this  diabolical 
command  in  the  sixth  month  after  the 
birth  of  our  Redeemer.  Her  most  sweet 
Son,  and  the  august  Mother,  prayed 
to  the  Almighty  for  the  holy  inno- 
cents. The  divine  Providence  was  most 
gracious  towards  these  infant  martyrs, 
and  they  all  received,  some  more,  some 
less,  the  use  of  reason,  and  a  sublime 
knowledge  of  the  being  of  God.  They 
exercised  heroic  acts  of  faith,  adoration, 
respect,  and  love  of  God.  They  will- 
ingly received  martyrdom,  and  the 
angels  who  assisted  them  bore  their 
souls  to  Limbo. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE   INFANT  JESUS    SPEAKS    TO   ST.  JOSEPH 

A    YEAR  AFTER    HIS    BIRTH ACCORDING 

TO  THE  WILL  OF  THE  MOST  HIGH,  THE 
HOLY  FAMILY  RETURN  FROM  EGYPT  TO 
NAZARETH. 

ONE  day,  while  the  blessed  Mary 
and  St.  Joseph  discoursed  togeth- 
er upon  the  mysteries  of  the  Lord,  the 
Infant  Jesus,  having  completed  His  first 
year,  desired  to  break  silence,  and  to 
speak,  in  a  distinct  voice,  with  His 
faithful  foster-father.    The  two  spouses 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


797 


spoke  of  the  Infinite  Being  of  God,  and 
His  goodness  in  sending  His  only  Son 
to  be  the  Master  and  Redeemer  of  men 
— to  converse  with  them,  and  suffer  the 
pains  which  their  depraved  nature  had 
deserved. 

St.  Joseph,  in  this  meditation,  ad- 
mired the  works  of  the  Lord,  and  re- 
doubled his  grateful  thanksgivings  for 
His  love.  The  Infant  God,  who  was  in 
the  arms  of  His  Mother,  used  them  as  a 
pulpit,  from  which  He  thus  addressed 
the  saint :  "  My  father,  I  am  come  from 
heaven  to  be  the  light  of  the  world, 
and  as  a  good  shepherd,  to  seek  and  to 
know  my  sheep,  and  to  give  them  the 
food  of  eternal  life.  I  desire  that  you 
may  both  become  children  of  the  light, 
since  you  are  so  near  to  its  source." 
These  words  of  the  Infant  Jesus,  full 
of  life  and  force,  poured  into  the  heart 
of  the  holy  patriarch  a  new  love — a 
profound  respect — an  inexpressible  joy. 
He  cast  himself  at  the  feet  of  the  Infant 
God  and  offered  devout  thanks  that  the 
first  word  which  he  had  heard  Him  pro- 
nounce was  father.  With  many  tears, 
he  prayed  His  divine  Majesty  to  illu- 
minate him  with  celestial  light,  to  enable 
him  to  do  whatsoever  should  be  most 
agreeable  to  Him,  and  to  thank  Him 
for  the  manifold  blessings  he  had  re- 
ceived from  His  liberal  hand. 

Fathers,  who  naturally  love  their  chil- 
dren, feel  great  consolation  when  they 
perceive  that'  they  give  promise  of  be- 
coming wise  and   distinguished  in  the 


f  world ;  and  even  when  they  are  not  so, 
their  natural  affection  induces  them  to 
praise  whatever  their  children  may  say 
or  do.  Now,  although  St.  Joseph  was 
not  the  real  father  of  the  Infant,  but 
only  His  foster-father,  the  love  which 
he  bore  Him  surpassed,  beyond  com- 
parison, all  that  fathers  have  ever  had 
for  their  children ;  because  grace,  and 
even  nature,  were  more  powerful  in  him 
than  in  others,  or  in  all  fathers  united. 
It  is,  therefore,  by  this  love,  and  by  the 
delight  he  felt  in  being  the  reputed 
father  of  the  Infant  Jesus,  that  we  are 
to  measure  the  joy  of  his  pure  soul, 
when  he  heard  the  Son  of  the  Eternal 
Father  call  him  father,  in  beginning  to 
speak  with  him  so  graciously. 

This  first  year  having  been  passed  in 
swaddling-clothes,  the  prudent  Mother 
judged  the  time  had  come  when  He 
should  be  put  upon  His  feet.  The  In- 
fant Jesus  said  to  her:  ''My  Mother, 
you  will  clothe  me  in  a  tunic,  of  a  plain 
color.  I  will  wear  none  but  this.  It 
shall  grow  with  me,  and  it  shall  be  for 
this  that  they  will  cast  lots  after  my 
death.  I  ought  to  have  only  one  coat 
in  this  world,  in  order  to  instruct  men 
to  esteem  and  to  love  poverty.  I  con- 
sent that  you  give  me  some  common 
sandals,  which  I  will  wear  until  the 
time  comes  for  my  public  preaching, 
when  I  must  go  barefooted."  The 
Queen  of  heaven  employed  herself  im- 
mediately to  accomplish  the  will  of  her 
most  holy  Son.     She  provided  wool  of 


.I_ 


id8 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


the  natural  color,  of  whieli  she  spun  * 
and  made  a  little  tunic,  all  of  one  piece. 
She  wove  it  on  a  frame.  There  was  a 
mystery  in  making  this  tunic  without 
seam  On  the  prayer  of  our  blessed 
Lady,  it  changed  its  natural  hue  into 
another,  which  was  between  violet  .and 
silver  color,  very  perfect,  so  that  the 
shade  could  not  be  distinguished.  Be- 
sides this,  she  made  a  half  tunic  of  linen, 
for  an  under  garment,  in  which  He  was 
crucified.  The  holy  Mother,  having  thus 
clothed  the  Infant  Jesus,  put  sandals 
upon  Him,  and  set  Him  on  His  feet. 
The  tunic  proved  to  be  exactly  fitted 
to  Him,  and  He  never  quitted  it  until 
the  executioners  despoiled  Him  of  His 
clothing,  to  flagellate  and  crucify  Him, 
because  it  grew  with  His  sacred  body 
as  much  as  was  necessary.  The  same 
thing  happened  with  the  sandals,  and 
the  other  garment,  which  served  as 
drawers.  The  Infant  Jesus  found  Him- 
self afoot.  There  appeared  in  Him  a 
grace  quite  wondei-fiil,  for  He  surpassed, 
in  beauty,  all  the  children  of  men.  The 
angels  were  surprised  that  He  had 
chosen  so  humble  a  vesture. 

Our  blessed  Lady  and  her  holy  spouse 
\vere  filled  with  joy  on  seeing  their 
Infaiit  walk  with  so  much  giace,  and 
possessing  such  rare  beauty.  When  He 
had  reached  eighteen  months.  He  was 
weaned:  afterwards  He  ate  meat,  but 
always  veiy  sparingly.  When  He  was 
grown  up,  He  took  His  food  at  the  same 
hour  with  our  blessed  spouses,  and  noth- 


ing more ;  and  when  at  the  table  with 
His  parents,  they  waited  always  for 
Him  to  give  the  benediction  at  the 
beginning,  and  to  return  thanks  at  the 
end  of  the  repast. 

The  Infant  Jesus  grew  in  the  admira- 
tion of  all  who  knew  Him.  Having 
attained  His  sixth  year.  He  began,  some- 
times, to  go  out  to  visit  the  sick  in  the 
hospitals.  From  every  quarter  they 
came  to  felicitate  and  bless  the  parents 
for  having  such  a  Child.  Many  chil- 
dren of  Heliopolis,  as  is  usual,  accom- 
panied our  amiable  Jesus.  He  instiiict- 
ed  them  in  the  knowledge  of  the  Di- 
vinity and  of  the  virtues,  and  taught 
them  the  way  to  eternal  life. 

This  sweet,  beautiful  Child,  in  pro- 
portion as  He  advanced  in  age,  assumed 
a  graver  demeanor  towards  His  parents; 
and  some  time  after  the  swaddlinsr- 
clothes  were  laid  aside,  the  most  tender 
caresses,  which  had  always  been  made 
with  a  certain  reserve,  ceased.  The  cir- 
cumspection of  His  parents  in  this  re- 
gard, arose  from  their  perception  in 
Him  of  so  much  of  the  majesty  of  the 
hidden  Divinity,  which,  if  He  had  not 
tempered  it,  would  often  have  produced 
a  fear  so  full  of  respect,  that  they  could 
not  have  dared  even  to  speak  to  Him. 
But  His  presence  never  ceased  to  in- 
spire them  with  sentiments  altogether 
divine  afid  inefiable. 

In  this  majestic  grandeur,  He  was 
dutiful  towards  His  most  holy  Mother, 
fyid  treated  St.  Joseph  as  the  one  who 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


799 


held  the  name  and  office  of  His  father, 
obeying  both  as  their  humble  Child. 
It  is  impossible  to  enumerate  the  souls 
who  were  converted  and  saved  in  Heli- 
opolis,  and  in  all  Egypt  —  the  sick 
whom  they  cured,  and  the  wonders  they 
wrought,  in  the  seven  years  of  their 
abode  there.  During  this  time  the  In- 
fant Jesus  attained  the  age  of  seven 
years,  and  this  was  the  term  of  that 
mysterious  exile  which  the  Eternal  Wis- 
dom had  fixed.  To  fulfil  the  prophecies, 
it  was  necessary  that  He  should  return 
to  Nazareth.  The  Eternal  Father,  one 
day,  declared  His  will  to  the  humanity 
of  His  divine  Son,  in  the  presence  of 
His  holy  Mother.  The  Son  and  the 
Mother  disclosed  nothing  of  the  new 
order  from  heaven  to  St.  Joseph,  but 
the  angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  to  him 
the  same  night  in  a  dream,  as  it  is  re- 
lated by  St.  Matthew,  and  instructed 
him  "  to  take  the  Child  and  His  Mother, 
and  return  into  the  land  of  Israel." 
The  Most  High  so  eminently  esteems 
good  order,  that  the  Infant  Jesus  being 
God,  and  His  Mother  so  superior  in  sanc- 
tity to  St.  Joseph,  nevertheless,  he  would 
not  that  the  undertaking  of  the  return 
to  Galilee  should  depend  either  upon 
the  Son  or  the  Mother,  but  that  it  should 
be  conducted  by  St.  Joseph,  who  filled 
the  office  of  head  to  that  divine  family. 
This  example  teaches  all  mortals  how 
agreeable  it  is  to  God,  that  they  who 
are  inferiors  in  the  mystical  body,  al- 
though more  worthy  by  other  qualities. 


^  should  obey  and  submit  themselves  to 
those  who,  by  their  office,  are  their  supe- 
riors. 

St.  Joseph  went  instantly  to  commu- 
nicate the  commandment  of  the  Lord  to 
the  Infant  Jesus  and  His  Mother,  who 
replied,  that  "the  will  of  the  heavenly 
Father  should  be  fulfilled.  Upon  which 
they  prepared  with  all  possible  dili- 
gence for  their  departure.  They  distrib- 
uted among  the  poor  the  little  furniture 
they  possessed,  and  this  was  done  by 
the  agency  of  the  Infant  God. 

They  left  Heliopolis  for  Palestine, 
with  the  same  angels  who  had  accompa- 
nied them  to  Egypt.  Our  Queen  rode  a 
little  ass,  with  the  Infant  God  in  her  lap, 
and  St.  Joseph  walked  near  them.  All 
their  acquaintances  sensibly  felt  their 
departure,  and  took  leave  of  them  with 
many  tears.  They  passed  several  of  the 
inhabited  places  of  Egypt  before  arriv- 
ing at  the  desert,  and  left  marks  of  their 
chai'ity  everywhere.  They  cured  many 
sick  persons,  and  drove  away  a  multi- 
tude of  demons,  who  knew  not  by  what 
power  they  were  cast  into  the  abyss. 

I  will  not  pause  to  record  the  various 
circumstances  that  attended  the  Infant 
Jesus  and  His  blessed  Mother  in  their 
departure  from  Egypt.  It  may  suffice 
to  say,  that  they  who  approached  them 
with  any  pious  affection  were  enlighten- 
ed in  the  truth,  assisted  b)''  grace,  and 
penetrated  by  divine  love.  At  length, 
our  holy  travellers  left  behind  them 
the  inhabited  country,  and  entered  the 


800 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


desert  by  which  they  had  come.  There 
they  again  suffei*ed  hai'dships  similar  to 
those  they  had  endured  after  leaving 
Palestine.  In  these  extremities  the 
Lord  himself  pmvided  for  them  by  the 
ministry  of  the  angels.  Sometimes  the 
Infant  Jesus  ordered  these  spirits  to 
bring  food  for  His  holy  Mother  and  her 
sj>ouse. 

This  consoled  the  holy  Patriarch,  see- 
ing that  he  was  altogether  unable  of 
himself  to  find  support  for  the  King  and 
Queen  of  heaven.  On  other  occasions 
the  Infant  God  exercised  His  divine 
power  in  multiplying  some  morsel  of 
bread  into  as  much  as  they  had  need 
o£  For  the  rest,  this  journey  passed  off 
as  the  preceding  one.  But  when,  on 
approaching  Palestine,  the  cautious  St. 
Joseph  heard  that  Archelaus  reigned  in 
Judea,  in  the  place  of  Herod,  his  father, 
he  took  another  road,  without  entering 
Judea,  and  they  came  to  Nazareth,  their 
country,  because  the  Infant  was  to  be 
called  a  Nazarene.  There  they  found 
their  old  abode,  under  the  guardianship 
of  that  pious  woman,  the  relative  of  St. 
Joseph,  to  whom  he  had  written  on 
their  departure  for  Egypt,  requesting 
her  to  take  charge  of  it  and  whatever  it 
contained ;  and  they  found  all  in  good 
condition. 

When  our  blessed  Lady  entered  it 
with  her  divine  Son  and  holy  spouse, 
she  prostrated  herself  to  return  thanks. 
The  happy  Mother  then  regulated  her 
aflhirs  according  to  the  intentions  of  the 


Infant  God,  and  St.  Joseph  did  the  same, 
in  whatever  regarded  his  employment 
for  the  support  of  the  Infant,  the  Motlicr 
and  himself.  The  happiness  of  the  holy 
Patriarch  was  immense;  for  it  was  a 
favor  and  an  unutterable  joy  to  have 
been  chosen  to  gain  by  the  labor  of  his 
hands  wherewithal  to  sustain  the  Inftmt 
God  and  His  Mother,  to  whom  belonged 
heaven,  earth,  and  all  that  they  contain. 
The  Queen  of  heaven  desired  to  re- 
quite the  labors  of  the  saint.  She  served 
him  and  prepared  his  simple  food  with 
the  most  affectionate  gratitude,  and  obey- 
ing him  in  all  things,  she  regarded  her- 
self more  as  his  servant  than  his  spouse. 
She  considered  herself  unworthy  that 
even  the  earth  should  sustain  her,  and 
she  established  her  rare  humility  on 
such  solid  foundations,  that  she  was 
always  plunged  in  an  abyss  of  annihila- 
tion, and  still  lower  in  her  own  esteem. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

SOJOURN     AT     NAZARETH THE     BLESSED 

MARY  AND  ST.  JOSEPH  GO  EVERY  YEAR 
TO  JERUSALEM-^AT  THE  AGE  OF  TWt:LVE, 
JESUS  REMAINS  AT  THE  TEMPLE,  Wn'H- 
OUT    THE    KNOWLEDGE   OF  HIS  PARENTS. 

JESUS,  Maiy,  and  Joseph  had  finally 
reached  Nazareth,  and  their  poor 
dwelling  was  changed  into  a  new  heaven. 
If  it  were  necessary  to  relate  all  the 
wonders  that  happened  there  before  the 


LIFE    OF   ST.    JOSEPH. 


801 


Infant  God  liad  reached  His  twelfth  year, 
many  volumes  would  be  required. 

Soon  after  their  return  to  Nazareth, 
the  Lord  tried  His  most  blessed  Mother, 
The  Most  High  determined  that  our 
holy  Lady  should  be  the  first  disciple 
of  her  Son.  The  Incarnate  Word  and 
His  blessed  Mother  occupied  themselves 
in  these  profound  mysteries  during  the 
twenty -three  years  of  their  abode  at 
Nazareth.  The  Lord  caused  her  to  feel 
His  absence  internally.  Besides  this, 
the  Infant  God,  without  making  known 
any  cause  for  it,  was  more  grave  than 
usual.  We  omit  here  many  admirable 
things,  that  we  may  not  withdraw  our- 
selves too  much  from  the  life  of  our 
holy  Patriarch.  The  prudent  Mother 
never  neglected  any  thing  that  regarded 
the  corporeal  service  of  her  Son,  taking 
great  care  of  His  diet  as  well  as  that  of 
St.  Joseph.  She  also  obtained  that  the 
Infant  Jesus  consoled  His  foster-father 
by  His  presence,  as  much*  as  if  he  had 
been  His  natural  father. 

The  Infant  God  obeyed  His  Mother, 
and  was  often  with  St.  Joseph  while  at 
the  work  in  which  he  was  continually 
occupied,  so  that  thus,  by  the  sweat  of 
his  brow,  he  might  maintain  those  so 
dear  to  him.  In  proportion  as  He  grew 
in  stature.  He  assisted  the  holy  Patri- 
arch, as  far  as  it  was  possible  at  His 
age,  and  sometimes  He  wrought  mira- 
cles to  produce  results  which  surpassed 
His  natural  strength,  thereby  to  relieve 
the  saint  of  his  labor ;  but  these  marvels 


*  occurred   only  in   the   presence   of  the 
three. 

Some  time  after  the  return  of  our 
saints  to  Nazareth,  the  period  arrived 
when  the  precept  of  the  law  of  Moses 
obliged  the  Israelites  to  appear  before 
the  Lord  at  Jerusalem.  This  command- 
ment was  obligatory  three  times  a-year, 
but  it  was  binding  only  on  the  men — 
women  might  present  themselves  for 
devotion,  if  they  pleased.  Our  blessed 
Lady  conferred  with  her  spouse  as  to 
what  they  should  do  on  this  occasion. 
The  saint  wished  to  conduct  thither  the 
Queen  of  heaven  and  her  holy  Child,  to 
oifer  them  anew  to  the  Eternal  Father. 
The  holy  Mother  was  inclined  to  go 
from  devotion,  but  she  undertook  noth- 
ing without  the  consent  of  her  Master, 
the  Incarnate  Word.  Having  consulted 
Him,  it  was  resolved  that  St.  Joseph 
should  present  himself  there  alone,  twice 
in  the  year,  and  the  third  time  they 
should  all  go  together;  It  was  at  the 
festival  of  the  Passover  that  the  sweet 
Jesus  and  His  blessed  Mother  accompa- 
nied St.  Joseph.  When  he  went  alone, 
the  saint  made  the  journey  on  behalf  of 
all,  and,  as  deputy  for  the  Son  and  the 
Mother  (who  prayed  for  him  at  Naza- 
reth), he  made  mysterious  prayers  in 
the  Temple  at  Jerusalem,  offering  the 
sacrifice  of  his  lips.  And  as  he  offered 
Jesus  and  Mary  there,  this  offering  was 
more  agreeable  to  the  Eternal  Father 
than  any  which  all  the  rest  of  the  people 
of  Israel  could  offer. 


802 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


When  the  Incarnate  Word  and  the  f 
Virgin  Mary  accompanied  St.  Joseph  to 
the  festival  of  the  Passover,  this  pil- 
grimage was  more  admirable  for  him, 
because  the  ten  thousand  angels  accom- 
panied our  divine  travellers.  They  made 
short  journeys  on  these  occasions,  be- 
cause, after  the  return  from  Egypt,  the 
Infant  Jesus  desired  to  go  on  foot, 
which  obliged  them  to  move  slowly. 
The  fii*st  time  they  travelled  in  this 
manner,  our  blessed  Lady  a*id  St.  Jo- 
seph were  careful  to  assist  Him,  by 
taking  Him  sometimes  in  their  arms,  but 
afterwards  He  went  entirely  on  foot. 
The  prudent  Mother  offered  no  opposi- 
tion, but  led  Him  by  the  hand,  and  the 
glorious  Patriarch  sometimes  enjoyed 
that  consolation. 

Every  time  the  Son  and  the  Mother 
made  this  journey,  they  operated  won- 
ders for  the  good  of  souls.  When  they 
stopped  for  the  night,  in  some  hostelry, 
the  Infant  God  and  His  Mother  were 
never  separated.  She  often  saw  Him 
engaged  in  prayer  for  the  whole  human 
race,  and  united  her  prayers  to  His. 
Many  times,  as  in  a  mirror,  she  beheld 
all  the  affronts,  all  the  ignominy,  and 
all  the  sufferings  which  her  most  sweet 
Cliild  was  to  suffer  in  the  city  of  Jerusa- 
lem, and  she  was  transpierced  by  the 
sword  of  grief  which  Simeon  had  pre- 
dicted. But  the  Infant  God,  to  allevi- 
ate her  son-ow,  prayed  her  to  offer  these 
pains,  which  regarded  them  mutually, 
for  the  salvation  of  men. 


Our  holy  family,  as  I  have  said,  con- 
tinued to  go  every  year  to  the  Temple, 
to  celebrate  the  Passover.  The  Infant 
God  had  attained  His  twelfth  year,  the 
epoch  at  which  he  was  to  make  manifest 
the  splendors  of  His  inaccessible  light. 
Our  holy  pilgrims  I'emained  an  entire 
w^ek  at  Jerusalem.  The  happy  Mother 
and  St.  Joseph  received,  each  in  propor- 
tion to  their  dispositions,  such  great 
favors  from  the  liberal  hand  of  the  Lord, 
that  the  human  understanding  is  not 
able  to  conceive  them. 

The  seventh  day  past,  they  took  the 
road  towards  Nazareth.  But  as  they  is- 
sued forth  from  the  city  of  Jerusalem, 
the  Infant  God  left  His  parents  unper- 
ceived,  and  remained  behind,  while  they 
pursued  their  journey,  not  knowing 
what  had  happened.  The  Lord  availed 
himself  of  the  customs  of  the  people ;  for 
the  troops  of  strangers  divided  them- 
selves, and  for  the  better  observance  of 
propriety,  the  women  went  together. 
The  children  accompanied,  indifferently, 
their  father  or  their  mother.  St.  Joseph 
had  reason  to  believe  that  the  Child 
Jesus  went  with  His  blessed  Mother,  nor 
could  he  imagine  that  she  w^ould  have 
set  out  without  Him.  Our  blessed  Lady 
had  less  strong  reasons  to  persuade  her- 
self that  our  adorable  Saviour  was  with 
the  Patriarch  St.  Joseph,  but  the  Lord 
diverted  her  mind  by  other  divine 
thoughts  at  the  beginning,  so  that  when 
she  found  herself  alone  without  her  best 
beloved,  she  believed  that  the  glorious 


LIFE    OF   ST.    JOSEPH. 


803 


St.  Joseph  had  taken  Him  with  him,  and 
that  the  supreme  Lord  had  willed  to 
give  him  that  consolation. 

Our  holy  spouses  travelled  on  with 
this  idea  throughout  the  day,  as  St.  Luke 
informs  us,  and,  having  left  the  city  by 
different  gates,  rejoined  each  other  after- 
wards. The  holy  Mary  and  her  spouse 
met  at  the  place  where  they  were  to 
pass  the  first  night  after  their  departure 
from  Jerusalem.  But  our  blessed  Lady, 
seeing  that  the  Infant  God  was  not  with 
St.  Joseph,  as  she  supposed,  and  the  holy 
Patriarch  not  finding  Him  with  His 
Mother,  both  were  thrown  into  such  con- 
sternation that  they  nearly  lost  the  power 
of  speech,  and  remained  some  time  with- 
out uttering  a  word.  Both,  from  humil- 
ity, attributed  the  fault  to  themselves, 
of  allowing  the  divine  Infant  to  be  sep- 
arated from  them.  Recovering  a  little 
from  their  amazement,  they  conferred 
together,  in  extreme  grief,  respecting 
what  was  to  be  done.  The  tender 
Mother  spoke  first :  "  My  spouse,  my 
heart  can  find  no  repose,  unless  we  go  at 
once  to  seek  my  holy  Child."  They  in- 
stantly commenced  their  researches,  by 
inquiries  among  their  relatives  and  ac- 
quaintances, but  none  could  give  them 
tidings  of  Him,  nor  mitigate  their  sor- 
row ;  on  the  contrary,  it  was  augmented, 
for  no  one  had  seen  Him  since  they  had 
come  out  of  Jerusalem. 

The  Mother  of  wisdom  formed  various 
conjectures  in  her  mind,  and  the  first 
thought  was,  that  Archelaus,  having  had 


^  some  knowledge  of*  the  Infant  Jesus, 
might  have  caused  Him  to  be  appre- 
hended. She  feared  that  He  had  been 
cast  into  prison  and  maltreated.  Her 
deep  humility  induced  her,  also,  to  fear 
that,  unhappily,  her  services  might  not 
have  been  pleasing  to  Him.  This  inno- 
cent dove  passed  the  three  days,  during 
which  she  sought  the  Saviour,  in  tears 
and  groanings,  without  repose — without 
food  or  sleep.  The  celestial  spirits  of 
her  guard  were  not  ignorant  of  where 
He  was,  but  she  was  so  reserved  and  so 
humble,  that  she  did  not  inquire  of 
them  where  she  could  find  Him. 

The  grief  of  our  blessed  Lady  on  this 
occasion  surpassed  all  that  all  the  mar- 
tyrs united  have  suffered ;  and  in  it  she 
exercised  a  patience  and  resignation  un-* 
paralleled.  For  oh  !  prodigy  of  holiness 
— of  prudence — of  perfection  !  in  such  an 
unheard-of  affliction,  and  in  such  absorb- 
ing sorrow,  she  was  neither  troubled, 
nor  lost  her  interior  nor  exterior  peace 
— she  gave  way  to  no  movement  of  im- 
patience, nor  of  inordinate  tenderness. 
She  sought  her  Child  with  a  divine  wis- 
dom, inquiring  of  many  persons  if  they 
had  not  seen  Him,  and  giving  marks  by 
which  He  might  be  recognized.  Among 
others,  a  woman  replied  to  her  inquiries: 
"  A  child  having  the  same  features  that 
you  describe,  presented  himself  yester- 
day at  my  door,  asking  alms,  which  I 
gave  him.  His  charming  manners  and 
exceeding  beauty  won  my  heart."  These 
were  the  first  tidings  the  afflicted  Mother 


804 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


had  obtained  of  her  Son  in  Jerusalem, 
and  she  forthwith  proceeded  to  the  hos- 
pital of  the  city,  hoping  to  find  the 
Master  of  poverty  among  the  poor;  there 
she  was  informed  that  the  child  she  de- 
scribed had  visited  them  during  three 
days,  bringing  them  alms,  and  had  left 
them  much  consoled  in  their  afflictions. 
Having  failed  to  find  Him  among  the 
poor,  she  doubted  not  that  He  would  be 
in  the  Temple.  The  holy  angels  now 
said  to  her:  "Queen  of  the  universe, 
you  will  soon  behold  the  light  of  your 
eyes.  Hasten  to  the  Temple."  The 
glorious  patriarch  St.  Joseph  advanced 
towards  her  at  this  moment,  for,  to  gain 
time,  he  had  sought  the  Infant  God 
in  another  direction,  and  he  also  had 
been  directed,  by  an  angel,  to  the 
Temple. 

He  sufl\3red  extremely  from  fatigue 
during  these  three  days,  going  some- 
times in  one  direction,  sometimes  in  an- 
other, occasionally  with  his  blessed 
spouse,  oftener  alone,  and  always  with 
inconceivable  care  and  solicitude;  for 
his  life  would  have  been  endangered  if 
the  hand  of  the  Lord  had  not  sustained 
him,  and  if  our  precious  Lady  had  not 
taken  care  to  alleviate  his  extreme  af- 
fliction, besides  obliging  him  to  take 
some  little  food  and  rest.  The  tender 
and -devoted  love  which  he  cherished 
for  the  Infant  God  imparted  such  an 
exceeding  desire  to  find  Him,  that  he 
forgot  all  besides.  Following  the  coun- 
sel  of  the  celestial  princes,   our  holy 


spouses  hastened  to  the  Temple.  In 
the  next  chapter  we  shall  relate  what 
happened  there. 


CHAPTER  XVL 

THE  AUGUST  MARY  AND  ST.  JOSEPH  DIS- 
COVER THE  INFANT  IN  THE  TEMPLE 
AMONG  THE  DOCTORS RETURN  TO  NAZ- 
ARETH, 

OUR  blessed  Lady,  ever  so  assiduous 
in  the  service  of  her  divine  Son, 
had,  nevertheless,  lost  sight  of  Him,  and 
left  Him  to  wander  away  from  her  at 
Jerusalem.  Although  it  might  sufiice 
to  say  that  the  same  Lord  so  ordained 
it,  we  may  also  perceive  how  this  sepa- 
ration was  eflPected.  It  is  certain  that, 
besides  taking  advantage  of  the  multi- 
tudes of  people,  the  Infant  God  used, 
also,  supernatural  means,  and  while  the 
men  and  women  were  separating  from 
each  other,  the  Omnipotent  Lord  gave 
to  His  blessed  Mother  an  intellectual 
vision,  which  so  possessed  all  her  facul- 
ties, and  so  elevated  her  above  all  things 
of  sense,  that  she  was  unable  to  do  more 
than  mechanically  to  follow  tbe  path 
she  travelled.  St.  Joseph  had  the  rea- 
sons we  have  already  adverted  to,  but 
he,  also,  was  elevated  to  a  most  sublime 
contemplation,  which  induced  a  more 
ready  acquiescence  in  the  idea  that  the 
Infant  had  accompanied  His  Mother, 
and  by  this  means  the  adorable  Child 


separated  himself  from  His  parents  and 
remained  at  Jerusalem.  He  withdrew 
himself  when  near  the  gates  of  the  city, 
and,  returning,  He  trav(»rsed  the  streets, 
meditating,  by  His  divine  science,  on 
the  events  of  the  future,  and  offering 
himself  to  His  Father  for  the  salvation 
of  souls. 

In  order  to  inaugurate  the  honor  of 
humble  mendicity,  as  the  eldest  son  of 
holy  poverty,.  He  employed  three  days 
in  asking  alms.  He  visited  the  hospi- 
tals, consoled  all  the  poor  whom  He 
found  there,  and  shared  with  them  the 
alms  He  had  received.  He  secretly  re- 
stored to  several  sick  persons  health  of 
body,  and  to  many  that  of  the  soul. 
He  wrought  these  miracles  in  favor  of 
some  who  had  showed  Him  kindness, 
wishing  to  ftccomplish,  in  advance,  the 
promise  that  He  would  afterwards  make 
to  His  Church. 

Having  occupied  himself  with  these 
and  many  other  works,  according  to  the 
will  of  God,  He  went  to  the  Temple, 
where,  on  the  day  mentioned  by  St. 
Luke,  the  Rabbis,  or  doctors  of  the  law, 
were  assembled  in  an  apartment,  where 
they  disputed  whether  the  Messiah  was 
not  already  born.  They  were  installed 
in  their  seats  with  that  authority  which 
usually  accompanies  those  who  pass  for 
learned  men.  The  Infant  Jesus  ap- 
proached the  assembly.  The  opinions 
of  the  doctors  upon  this  subject  were 
widely  different,  for  some  asserted  the 
fact,  while  others  denied  it;  and  those 


^  who  supported  the  negative,  alleged  the 
testimony  of  the  Scriptures  and  the 
prophecies,  understood  by  them  in  the 
gross  manner  which  the  Apostle  men- 
tions. 

Now,  these  sages,  as  they  deemed 
themselves,  advanced  the  opinion  that 
the  Messiah  was  to  come  with  all  the 
majesty  and  pomp  of  a  monarch,  but,  as 
yet,  they  saw  no  indications  of  this  pow- 
er and  freedom. 

The  Master  of  Truth,  Jesus,  perceived 
that  the  discussion  was  about  to  termi- 
nate in  this  error,  for,  although  there 
were  men  who  held  the  contrary  opin- 
ion, their  number  was  small.  His  im- 
mense charity  could  not  endure  this 
ignorance  of  His  works,  and  their  sub- 
lime ends,  in  these  interpreters  of  the 
law.  The  Infant  God  drew  nearer. 
He  entered  into  the  midst  of  the  assem- 
bly with  admirable  beauty  and  majesty, 
and  excited  in  these  doctors  the  desire 
to  hear  Him  with  attention. 

He  opened  His  discourse,  saying  :  "  I 
have  heard  all  that  has  been  said  touch- 
ing the  coming  of  the  Messiah,  and  the 
conclusion  respecting  it.  In  offering  an 
objection  to  this  decision,  I  presuppose 
what  the  prophets  have  said,  viz. :  That 
His  coming  should  be  with  great  power, 
and  with  glorious  majesty;  for  Isaiah 
declares  that  He  shall  be  our  lei^isla- 
tor,  our  king,  who  shall  save  His  people. 
Daniel  assures  us  that  all  tribes  and  all 
people  shall  serve  Him.  The  Scriptures 
are  filled  with  similar  promises.     But 


KOG 


LIFE    OF    8T.    JOSEPH. 


ray  doul>t  is  founded  on  these  passages 
and  divers  othera  The  same  Isaiah 
says  tiiat  lie  shall  be  satiated  with  op- 
probrium, and  led  like  a  sheep  to  the 
slaut^hter.  Jei*eraiah  tells  us  that  His 
enemies  should  assemble  to  ei'ase  His 
name  from  the  land  of  the  living;  and 
David,  that  He  would  be  the  refuse  of 
the  people.  How  will  it  be  possible  to 
harmonize  these  prophecies?  We  can- 
not deny  that  the  Messiah  must  come 
twice — ^^the  first  time,  to  redeem  the 
world ;  the  second,  to  judge  it.  The 
prophecies  should,  then,  be  applied  to 
these  two  events,  giving  to  each  what 
belongs  to  it.  Following  these  obser. 
vations,  if  we  conclude  that  the  first 
advent  will  be  with  power  and  majesty, 
this  must  not  be  understood  in  a  mate- 
rial sense,  but  of  a  new  spiritual  king- 
dom. And  with  this  just  interpretation, 
all  the  Scriptures,  which  cannot  be  har- 
monized in  any  other  sense,  will  be 
found  uniform." 

To  these  the  Infant  God  joined  many 
other  reasons.  The  scribes  and  doctors, 
who  had  listened  to  Him,  remained 
silent.  At  length,  "  What  wonder  is 
this?"  said  they.  "  Whence  comes  this 
marvellous  child  ? "  The  august  Mary 
and  St.  Joseph  arrived  in  time  to  hear 
the  conclusion  of  the  discourse.  The 
doctors  of  the  law  arose,  and  our  blessed 
Lady,  overwhelmed  with  joy  to  have 
found  her  treasure,  approached  her  di- 
vine Child,  and  said,  as  it  is  related  by 
St  Luke :  "  Son,  why  hast  Thou  done 


so  to  us?  Behold,  Thy  father  and  I 
have  sought  Tliee,  sorrowing."  His 
Majesty  replied  to  her :  "  How  is  it  that 
you  sought  me?  Did  you  not  know 
that  I  must  be  about  my  Father's  busi- 
ness ? " 

Tlie  Evangelist  relates  that  the  bless- 
ed Mary  and  St.  Joseph  did  not  under- 
stand the  mystery  of  these  words.  It 
was  because  of  their  interior  joy,  which 
they  had  sowed  in  tears.  The  prudent 
Mother  said  to  her  divine  Son:  "Do 
not  separate  me  from  thy  presence.  Ke- 
ceive  me  for  thy  servant,  and  if  through 
my  own  fault  I  have  lost  thee,  I  entreat 
thy  pardon."  The  Infant  God  received 
her  with  affection,  and  they  again  set 
out  for  Nazareth.  After  they  had  gone 
a  short  distance  from  Jerusalem,  our 
blessed  Lady  prostrating  herself,  adored 
her  holy  Son,  and  asked  His  benedic- 
tion. The  divine  Jesus  raised  her  from 
the  ground,  and  spoke  to  her  with  great 
sweetness.  Afterwards  He  lifted  the 
veil,  and,  with  greater  clearness  than 
ever  before,  revealed  to  her  His  most 
holy  soul  and  its  operations. 

The  blessed  Mother  conversed  with 
her  most  sweet  Child  respecting  the 
mysteries  that  He  had  opened  to  her. 
The  celestial  Master  informed  her  that 
these  doctors  and  scribes  knew  not  that 
His  majesty  was  the  Messiah,  because 
of  their  presumption  and  confidence  in 
their  own  wisdom.  Our  Redeemer  con- 
verted many  souls  during  this  journey, 
and,  as  His  holy  Mother  was  present, 


He  made  her  tlae  instrument  of  these 
miracles.  He  restored  many  sick  per- 
sons to  health,  He  comforted  the  afflict- 
ed, and  wrought  other  wonders  which  I 
do  not  pause  to  recount. 

They  arrived  at  Nazareth.  The  Evan- 
gelist St.  Luke  includes,  in  a  few  brief 
words,  the  mysteries  of  their  history : 
"The  Infant  Jesus  was  subject  to  His 
parents,"  i.  e,,  to  His  holy  Mother  and 
St.  Joseph.  "  His  Mother  kept  all  these 
words  in  her  heart,  and  Jesus  advanced 
in  wisdom  and  age  and  grace  with  God 
and  man."  We  shall  speak  of  this  fur- 
ther on,  adding,  only,  at  this  time,  that 
the  humility  and  obedience  of  our  Lord 
towards  His  parents  offered  new  sub- 
jects of  admiration  to  the  angels,  as  did 
also  the  dignity  of  His  pure  Mother,  to 
whom  the  God  Incarnate  was  confided, 
in  order  that,  by  the  help  of  St.  Joseph, 
she  misrht  minister  to  His  wants. 

Although  the  obedience  of  the  Son 
was  onl}^  a  consequence  of  the  natural 
maternity,  still,  to  exercise  the  rights  of 
a  Mother  over  her  Son,  a  different  grace 
was  necessary  from  that  which  she  had 
received  to  conceive  and  bring  Him 
forth.  The  august  Mary  possessed  all 
these  needful  graces,  proportioned  to 
this  ministry  and  office,  and  with  such 
abundance,  that  they  were  reflected 
upon  her  happy  spouse,  so  that  he 
was  also  the  worthy  foster-father  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  head  of  this  most  holy 
family.  ^ 


CHAPTER  XVH. 

ST.  JOSEPH   IS  NO    LONGER  ABLE    TO   WORK 

CONDUCT   OF  THE   AUGUST  MARY    AND 

THE  DIVINE  JESUS,  DURING  MORE  THAN 
EIGHT  TEARS  THAT  THE  HOLY  PATRI- 
ARCH LIVED  IN  SICKNESS  AND  INFIRMI- 
TIES. 

THE  Queen  of  heaven  completed  her 
thirty -third  year,  and  her  chaste 
form  retained  all  its  natural  perfections 
so  beautifully  and  well  proportioned, 
that  it  was  the  admiration  of  the  angelic 
choirs.  Her  sacred  body  had  reached 
its  full  development,  so  that  this  august 
Princess  resembled  the  holy  humanity 
of  her  Son.  The  pure  Mary  preserved 
this  admirable  complexion  at  thirty- 
three,  without  the  least  change,  and  at 
the  age  of  seventy,  she  had  lost  nothing 
of  her  strength  and  beauty.  Our  bless- 
ed Lady  understood  this  privilege.  She 
knew  that  the  resemblance  of  the  hu- 
manity of  her  divine  Son  was  to  be 
always  preserved  in  her.  St.  Joseph 
was  not  aged  when  this  lovely  Queen 
had  attained  her  thirty-third  year,  never- 
theless his  strength  was  much  exhausted, 
because  the  cares,  travels,  and  continued 
pains  he  had  taken  for  the  support  of 
his  spouse  and  the  Lord  of  the  universe, 
had  worn  away  his  health  more  than  hia 
years.  The  Lord,  who  desired  to  ad- 
vance him  in  the  exercise  of  patience  and 
the  other  virtue,  permitted  him  to  suf- 
fer from  certain  maladies,  that  hindered 
him  much  from  application  to  manual 


808 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


labor.  His  piudeut  spouse,  who  had 
always  a})preciated,  loved,  and  served 
him  beyoud  jUI  that  other  women  have 
done  in  regaixi  to  their  husbands,  per- 
ceiving his  indisposition,  said  to  him, 
"  My  s{K)use,  I  am  under  extreme  obli- 
gations for  your  fidelity,  and  the  increas- 
ing care  and  fatigue  you  have  imposed 
upon  yourself,  in  order,  by  the  sweat  of 
your  brow,  to  maintain  me,  your  servant, 
and  my  adorable  Son.  You  will  receive 
from  the  liberal  hand  of  the  Most  High 
the  reward  of  your  pains,  and  the 
precious  benedictions  which  you  have 
merited.  I  beg  you  to  cease  from  this 
incessant  labor,  and  repose  yourself.  I 
will  now  labor  for  you,  in  testimony  of 
my  gratitude,  as  long  as  the  Lord  shall 
give  us  life." 

The  saint  listened  to  the  reasonings  of 
his  sweet  spouse  with  many  tears ;  and, 
although  he  assured  her  that  he  desired 
to  continue  his  toil,  he  yielded  to  her 
solicitations,  believing  it  his  duty  to 
obey  her,  and  discontinued  his  labors. 
In  order  to  have  nothing  supei-fluous  in 
this  holy  family,  they  gave  away  his 
tools  in  alms. 

St,  Joseph  being  thus  relieved  from 
labor,  gave  himself  entirely  for  the  rest 
of  his  days  to  the  contemplation  of  the 
mysteries  which  he  had  nourished  in  his 
breast,  and  to  the  practice  of  virtue. 
He  was  happy  in  these  occupations  to 
find  himself  in  the  presence  and  enjoy- 
ment of  the  conversation  of  the  Incar- 
nate Wisdom  and  of  her  who  was  His 


*  Mother-  With  such  helps,  he  arrived 
at  so  high  a  degree  of  sanctity,  that  next 
to  his  blessed  spouse,  who  was  always 
unique  among  mere  creatures,  lie  sv/r- 

passed  all  meti,  and  will  neve?'  be  incr- 

passed  by  any* 

Our  august  Queen  and  her  divine  Son 
assisted,  served,  and  consoled  him  in  his 
maladies  with  the  most  assiduous  care. 
It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  humility, 
respect,  and  love  which  these  charitable 
cares  produced  in  the  sincere  and  grate- 
ful heart  of  the  servant  of  God.  The 
Blessed  Virgin  charged  herself  with  the 
support  of  her  most  holy  Son  and  her 
spouse,  by  her  own  work.  The  Eternal 
Wisdom  so  disposed  it,  in  order  that 
her  merits  and  virtues  might  reach  the 
highest  degree,  and  serve  as  an  example 
to  put  the  children  of  Adam  to  shame. 

The  Lord  offers  this  strong  woman  to 
us  as  an  example.  The  heart  of  her  hus- 
band trusted  in  her,  and  not  only  that 
of  her  spouse  Joseph,  but  also  that  of 
her  Son,  at  once  true  God  and  man,  as 
Solomon  declares  in  the  thirty-first  chap- 
ter of  Proverbs.  Means  were  not  want- 
ing to  the  Lord  to  support  the  corporeal 
life  of  His  blessed  Mother  and  St.  Jo- 
seph, since  man  lives  not  by  bread  alone. 
He  could  have  miraculously  provided 
for  them  every  day,  but  the  world  would 
have  been  deprived  of  the  privilege  of 
witnessing  the  industry  of  the  most  pure 
Mother  of  God,  and  if  our  blessed  Lady 

*  "arez  maintains  this  same  doctrine  ex- 
professo. 


-\ 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


809 


had  not  acquired  tliese  merits,  slie  would 
have  failed  to  obtain  much  of  her  reward. 
"With  prudent  diligence  she  provided 
for  all.  Neither  our  adorable  Saviour 
nor  His  Mother,  ate  flesh-meat — their 
food  consisted  of  fish,  fruits,  and  herbs, 
and  they  partook  of  these  with  great 
moderation.  Our  august  Lady,  never- 
theless, prepared  meat  for  St.  Joseph, 
and  served  it  in  the  manner  most  agree- 
able to  him.  It  happened  sometimes, 
that  her  labor  was  insufficient,  because 
St.  Joseph  had  need  of  more  than  hereto- 
fore. On  these  occasions,  our  Lord  ex- 
ercised His  power.  He  often  so  ordered 
that  His  blessed  Mother  accomplished 
much  in  a  short  time,  so  that  her  work 
multiplied  itself  in  her  hands. 


CHAPTER  XVm.    • 

OF  THE  CARE  WHICH  THE  AUGUST  MARY 
AND  THE  DrvnSTE  JESUS  BESTOWED  UPON 
ST.  JOSEPH  IN  THE  INFIRMITIES  OF  HIS 
LATTER  DAYS. 

IT  is  a  common  mistake  to  regard  the 
Lord  Jesus  only  as  Redeemer,  and 
not  as  a  master,  who  by  His  example 
instructs  us  to  suifer  afflictions.  And, 
although  Catholics  do  not  fall  into  the 
insensate  errors  of  the  heretics,  for  they 
all  admit  that  without  good  works,  and 
without  afflictions,  there  is  neither  rec- 
ompense nor  crown ;  yet  we  find  many 
children  of  the  Holy  Church  who  are 


scarcely  to  be  distinguished  from  those 
who  are  in  darkness,  since  they  avoid 
works  which  are  painful  to  them: 

Let  us  reject  this  manifest  error,  and 
be  assured  that  sufferings  were  not  for 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  alone,  but  for  us 
also.  The  most  beloved  of  our  divine 
Master  have  received  the  greatest  share 
of  the  cross.  Let  us  not  be  so  bold  as 
to  say,  that  if  the  Saviour  suffered  as 
man.  He  is,  at  the  same  time,  God,  and 
hence  He  is,  to  human  weakness,  rather 
a  subject  for  admiration  than  of  imita- 
tion. The  Saviour  of  our  souls  over- 
turns this  excuse  by  the  example  of  His 
most  innocent  Mother  and  St.  Joseph, 
and  that  of  many  men  and  feeble  women 
also. 

The  Lord  conducted  by  this  royal 
road  of  suffering  the  spouse  of  his 
blessed  Mother,  St.  Joseph,  whom  His 
majesty  loved  above  all  the  children  of 
men.  To  increase  his  merits  and  his 
crown,  before  his  power  of  gaining  mer- 
its had  ceased,  the  Lord  bestowed  on 
him,  in  the  last  years  of  his  life,  certain 
exceedingly  acute  maladies,  which  caus- 
ed excessive  pain  throughout  his  body, 
and  great  debility.  Besides  these,  there 
was  another  mode  of  suffering,  more 
gentle,  yet  very  distinct,  which  resulted 
from  the  force  of  his  burning  love.  This 
love  was  so  vehement,  and  at  times  his 
transports  were  so  impetuous,  that  his 
pure  spirit  must  have  broken  the  chains 
that  bound  it  to  the  body,  if  the  same 
Lord  had  not  given  him  the  power  of 


810 


LIFE    OF   ST.    JOSEPH. 


resisting  it  His  majesty  made  him  suf-  + 
fer  this  sweet  violence,  because,  from  the 
natural  feebleness  of  a  body  so  attenu- 
ated this  painful  exei-cise  was  a  great 
merit  for  the  saint,  not  only  from  the 
effects  of  the  pain  that  he  suffered,  but 
from  the  cause,  which  wjis  love ;  hence 
he  acquired  iucouiparuble  merits.  Our 
blessed  Lady  had  knowledge  of  all 
these  mysteries.  She  penetrated  the 
interior  of  the  saint,  so  that  she  might 
not  be  deprived  of  the  joy  she  derived 
from  the  conviction  of  having  a  spouse 
so  holy  and  so  beloved  of  the  Lord. 
She  observed  the  candor  and  purity  of 
his  soul  —  his  ardent  affection,  his  lofty 
and  divine  thoughts,  his  patience  and 
sweetness  in  his  maladies,  the  great  suf- 
ferings which  he  bore  without  a  com- 
plaint or  sigh,  or  asking  any  solace. 
Our  great  patriarch  supported  all  his 
pains  with  an  incomparable  patience 
and  magnanimity.  All  this  his  faithful 
spouse  remarked,  as  well  as  the  value 
and  the  merits  of  the  many  virtues 
which  the  saint  practised,  and  she  con- 
ceived so  high  a  reverence  for  him  that 
we  will  not  attempt  to  express  it.  She 
applied  herself,  with  the  greatest  joy, 
to  sustain  and  console  him.  As  she  had 
little  esteem  for  what  she  did  herself  to 
relieve  the  great  sufferings  of  her  spouse, 
and  because  of  the  love  she  bore  him, 
she  commanded  the  viands  that  she 
prepared  for  her  holy  patient  to  give 
him  strength  and  re-establish  his  appe- 
tite, since  this  was  to  preserve  the  life 


of  the  saint — the  just — the  elect  of  the 
Most  Hinjh. 

When  St.  Joseph  partook  of  this  food, 
he  was  sensible  of  the  sweet  benedic- 
tions and  the  genial  effects  of  the  viands, 
and  inquired  of  his  spouse :  "  What 
aliments  of  life  are  these  which  vivify 
me,  restoring  my  appetite  and  my 
strength,  and  filling  me  w^ith  new  con- 
solation ? "  The  Queen  of  heaven  served 
him  on  her  knees,  and,  when  his  pjjins 
were  violent,  she  removed  his  sandals, 
and  supported  and  assisted  him  with 
the  tenderest  affection.  Although  the 
humble  saint  made  every  effort  to  hin- 
der his  spouse  from  taking  such  un- 
wearied pains,  it  was  alvvays  in  vain, 
for  our  sweet  Lady  understood  the 
maladies  of  her  patient,  and  when  he 
most  needed  help,  and  she  therefore 
hastened  to  assist  him,  in  all  his  wants, 
with  the  greatest  affection.  She  often 
said  things  'v\iiich  exceedingly  consoled 
him.  During  the  three  last  years  of  his 
life,  which  were  those  of  his  greatest 
suffering,  she  i^ever  quitted  him,  day  or 
nisrht.  If  for  a  moment  she  withdrew, 
it  was  only  to  serve  her  divine  Son,  who 
united  with  His  Mother  to  assist  the 
holy  patriarch,  except  when  He  was 
necessarily  occupied  in  other  works ;  so 
we  may  say  that  never  was  patient  so 
well  served.  From  hence  we  may  learn 
how  great  were  the  happiness  and  the 
merits  of  St.  Joseph,  for  he  alone  has 
merited  to  have  her  for  his  spouse,  who 
was  also  the  spouse  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 


LIFE    OF   ST.    JOSEPH. 


811 


The  charity  of  our  blessed  Lady  towards 
St.  Joseph  was  not  satisfied  by  these 
services  of  which  we  have  spoken.  She 
strove  to  console  him  by  still  other 
means.  Sometimes  she  prayed  the  Lord, 
with  the  most  ardent  charity,  to  deliver 
her  spouse  from  his  suiferings,  and  to 
inflict  them  upon  herself  In  making 
this  request,  she  believed  herself  to 
deserve  the  pains  of  all  creatures,  re- 
garding herself  as  the  least  of  all.  She 
alleged,  also,  the  holiness  of  St.  Joseph, 
and  the  delight  which  the  Lord  took  in 
that  heart,  so  conformed  to  that  of  His 
majesty.  She  witnessed  the  suflferings 
of  her  blessed  spouse,  and  had  compas- 
sion for  them ;  she  knew  his  merits, 
and  the  pleasure  which  her  adorable  Son 
had  in  him.  She  rejoiced  in  the  pa- 
tience of  the  saint,  and  magnified  the 
Lord.  Sometimes,  the  Queen  of  pity, 
touched  by  the  excruciating  pains  of 
her  spouse,  and  melted  by  tenderest 
sympathy,  having  obtained  permission 
from  her  divine  Son  commanded  his 
sufferings,  and  their  natural  causes,  to 
suspend  their  activity,  and  cease  so 
cruelly  to  afflict  the  just  and  the  well- 
beloved  of  the  Lord. 

At  other  times,  she  prayed  the  saints 
and  angels  to  console  her  spouse,  and  to 
strengthen  him  in  his  troubles,  when 
the  weakness  of  the  fragile  flesh  de- 
manded it.  By  this  species  of  com- 
mandment, the  blessed  spirits  appeared 
to  the  holy  patient  in  the  human  form, 
all  radiant  with  beauty  and   splendor. 


and  conversing  with  each  other  of  God 
and  His  infin  te  perfections.  Occasion- 
ally  they  chanted  celestial  music,  with 
a  sweetness  that  suspended  his  bodily 
pains,  and  inflamed  his  pure  soul  with 
divine  love.  The  man  of  God  had, 
besides,  for  his  greater  consolation,  a 
particular  knowledge,  not  only  of  all 
these  favors,  but  also  of  the  holiness  of 
his  most  holy  spouse,  of  the  love  she 
bore  to  him,  of  the  interior  charity  with 
which  she  served  him,  and  others  of  the 
excellences  of  this  great  Queen  of  the 
Universe.  All  these  united  produced 
such  effects  upon  St.  Joseph,  and  enabled 
him  to  acquire  so  many  merits,  that,  in 
this  life,  it  is  not  possible  to  conceive 
them.* 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

PRECIOUS  DEATH  OF   THE  GLORIOUS    ST.  JO- 
SEPH,   CAUSED    PRINCIPALLY  BY    DIVINE 

LOVE HE  EXPIRES  IN  THE  ARMS  OF  THE 

DIVINE  JESUS,  ASSISTED  BY  HIS  BLESSED 
SPOUSE,  THE  QUEEN  OF  HEAVEN. 

T~\URING  eight  years  St.  Joseph  had 
-*-^  been  exercised  by  pains  and  suf- 
ferings, and  his  generous  spirit  was 
ever  more  and  more  purified  in  the  cru- 

*  M.  Olier,  who  has  written  such  sublime  pages 
on  St.  Joseph,  affirms  that  we  cannot  know,  here 
below,  the  merits  of  the  glorious  St.  Joseph,  and 
that  we  are  incapable  of  conceiving  them.  What 
a  eulogy  ! — Manuscripts  of  M.  Olier. 


819 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


cU)le  of  patience  and  divine  love.  With 
^  c.'irs  his  tortures  increased,  his  strength 
<liminished.  The  inevitable  term  of 
life,  at  which  we  pay  the  universal  tri- 
bute of  death,  approached.  His  bless- 
ed spouse  increased  her  devotion  and 
lier  cares  to  serve  him  with  inviolable 
fidelity. 

This  most  holy  Lady,  knowing,  through 
her  infused  science  that  the  last  hour  of 
her  chaste  spouse  in  this  place  of  exile 
was  very  near,  went  to  find  her  adorable 
Son,  and  said  to  Him :  "  My  Lord  and 
my  God,  the  time  for  the  death  of  your 
servant  Joseph,  which  you  have  deterin- 
ined  by  an  eternal  will,  approaches.  I 
beseech,  you,  Lord,  by  your  infinite 
goodness,  to  assist  him  in  this  hour,  so 
that  his  death  may  be  as  precious  to 
you,  as  his  life  has  been  agreeable.  Re- 
member, my  Son,  the  love  and  humility 
of  your  servant — his  m.erits — his  virtues, 
and  the  pains  he  has  taken  to  preserve 
your  life  and  mine." 

Our  Saviour  replied  to  her :  "  My 
Mother,  your  requests  are  pleasing  to  me, 
and  the  merits  of  Joseph  are  in  my 
thoughts.  I  will  now  assist  him,  and  I 
will  give  him  so  eminent  a  place  among 
the  pnnces  of  my  people,  that  it  will  be 
a  subject  of  admiration  for  the  angels, 
and  a  motive  for  praise  to  them  and  to 
men.  I  will  not  do  for  any  nation  that 
which  I  will  do  for  your  spouse."  Our 
august  Lady  returned  thanks  to  her  most 
sweet  Son  for  this  promise. 

During  the  nine  days  that  preceded 


^  the  death  of  St.  Joseph,  the  Son  and 
the  Mother  watched  by  him  day  and 
niglit.  They  so  arranged  it  that  one  or 
the  other  was  always  with  him.  During 
these  nine  days,  the  angels  chanted, 
three  times  each  day,  by  the  command- 
ment of  the  Lord,  celestial  music  for  the 
holy  patient.  It  was  composed  of  can- 
ticles of  praise  to  the  Most  High,  and 
of  benedictions  for  the  saint  himself; 
and,  besides,  so  delicious  a  fragrance 
pervaded  all  this  poor  habitation,  tliat 
not  only  the  man  of  God  was  fortified 
and  cheered  by  it,  but  many  persons  on 
the  outside. 

A  day  before  his  death,  all  inflamed 
with  divine  love  for  so  many  benefits, 
he  was  elevated  into  a  sublime  ecstasy 
which  continued  twenty-four  hours,  the 
Lord  preserving  his  strength  and  life 
by  a  miraculous  interposition.  In  this 
ecstatic  state  Le  clearly  beheld  the  divine 
Essence,  and  discovered  in  it,  without  a 
veil,  that  which  he  had  believed  by 
faith,  either  in  the  incomprehensible 
Divinity,  or  in  the  mysteries  of  the  In- 
carnation and  Redemption — the  Church 
Militant  and  the  sacraments  with  which 
she  is  enriched.  The  Holy  Trinity  des- 
tined him  to  be  the  precursor  of  our 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ  to  the  saints  who 
were  in  Limbo,  and  commanded  him  to 
announce  to  them  anew  their  redemp- 
tion,  and  to  prepare  them  for  the  visit 
which  the  same  Lord  was  to  make  them 

ito  conduct  them  to  eternal  felicity.     St. 
Joseph  returned  froiu  this  ecstasy  radiant 


LIFE    OF   ST.    J08EP3. 


813 


in  beauty,  his  soul  divinized  from  tlie 
view  of  the  being  of  God.  He  addressed 
himself  to  his  spouse,  and  requested  her 
])enediction ;  but  she  prayed  her  most 
holy  Son  to  give  it,  which  His  divine 
Majesty  was  pleased  to  do.  Our  blessed 
Lady,  having  knelt,  besought  St.  Joseph 
to  bless  her  as  her  spouse  .and  head. 
The  man  of  God,  not  without  a  divine 
impulse,  gave  his  benediction  to  his  be- 
loved spouse  before  their  separation. 
She  afterwai'ds  kissed  the  hand  with 
which  he  had  blessed  her,  and  requested 
him  to  salute  for  her  the  saints  in  Limbo. 
The  most  humble  Joseph,  wishing  to 
close  his  life  by  the  seal  of  humility, 
asked  pardon  of  his  holy  spouse  for  the 
faults  which  he  might  have  committed 
in  her  service  as  a  feeble  man  of  earthly 
mould.  He  entreated  her  to  assist  him 
in  this  last  hour,  and  to  intercede  for 
him.  He  testified,  above  all,  his  grati- 
tude to  our  adorable  Saviour,  for  the 
benefits  which  he  had  received  from  His 
most  liberal  hand  during  all  his  life,  and 
particularly  in  this  sickness.  Then  tak- 
ing leave  of  his  blessed  spouse,  he  said 
to  her:  "Thou  art  blessed  among  all 
women,  and  chosen  above  all  creatures. 
Let  angels  and  men  praise  thee.  Let  all 
nations  know  and  exalt  thy  dignity. 
Let  the  name  of  the  Most  High  through 
thee  be  known,  adored,  and  glorified  in 
all  future  ages,  and  eternally  pi-aised  by 
all  the  blessed  spirits,  for  having  created 
thee  so  pleasing  in  His  eyes.  I  trust  to 
meet  thee  in  the  heavenly  land." 


*  After  this,  the  man  of  Grod  addressed 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and,  wishing  to 
speak  to  His  Majesty  with  profound 
respect,  he  made  every  eifort  to  kneel 
on  the  ground.  But  the  sweet  Jesus 
approaching,  received  him  in  His  arms, 
and  the  saint,  supporting  his  head  upon 
His  bosom,  said :  "  My  Lord  and  my 
God,  Son  of  the  Eternal  Father,  Creator 
and  Redeemer  of  the  world,  give  Thine 
eternal  benediction  to  Thy  servant,  who 
is  the  work  of  Thy  hands.  Pardon  the 
faults  I  have  committed  in  Thy  service 
and  in  Thy  company.  I  confess  Thee, 
I  glorify  Thee,  I  render  to  Thee,  with 
a  contrite  and  humble  heart,  eternal 
thanks  for  having  chosen  me,  by  Thine 
ineffable  goodness,  from  among  men  to 
be  the  spouse  of  Thine  own  Mother. 
Grant,  Lord,  that  Thine  own  glory  may 
be  the  theme  of  my  gratitude  through 
all  eternity." 

The  Redeemer  of  the  world  gave  him 
His  benediction :  "  Rest  in  peace,"  He 
said :  "the  grace  of  my  heavenly  Father, 
and  mine,  be  with  thee.  Proclaim  the 
good  tidings  to  my  prophets  and  saints, 
who  await  thee  in  Paradise,  and  tell 
them  that  their  redemption  is  nigh." 
As  our  beloved  Redeemer  pronounced 
these  words,  the  most  happy  Joseph 
expired  in  His  arms,  and  His  divine 
Majesty  closed  his  eyes.  The  angels 
chanted  the  sweetest  hymns  of  praise, 
and,  by  order  of  the  supreme  King,  they 
conducted  this  most  holy  soul  into  Para- 
dise, where  the  saints  recognized  him  as 


814 


LIFE    OF   ST.    JOSEPH. 


tlie  reputed  father  of  the  Redeemer  of 
the  world,  and  His  greatly  beloved  one, 
who  merited  singular  veneration,  lie 
impai'ted  a  new  joy  to  this  innumer- 
able assembly,  by  announcing  to  them, 
according  to  the  coniinaudraent  of  the 
Lord,  that  their  redemption  should  not 
long  be  delayed.  We  must  not  omit 
to  mention,  that  although  the  precious 
death  of  St,  Joseph  was  preceded  by  so 
long  a  sickness,  and  such  severe  sufter- 
iugs,  these  were  not  the  chief  causes  of 
it  He  might  have  lived  longer,  not- 
withstanding these  maladies,  if  the  ef- 
fects of  the  ardent  love  that  burned  in 
his  cha.ste  bosom  had  not  been  super- 
added ;  for  this  happy  death  was  rather 
a  triumph  of  love  than  the  penalty  of 
sin.  The  Lord  suspended  the  supernat- 
ural aid  by  which  He  had  preserved  the 
strength  of  His  servant,  and  hindered 
the  violence  of  his  love  from  destroying 
him;  and  this  help  failing,  nature  was 
vanquished.  This  victoiy  severed  the 
ties  that  detained  his  holy  soul  in  the 
piison  of  the  body,  in  which  consists 
our  death.  Thus,  love  was  the  last  of 
his  maladies,  and  it  was  also  the  great- 
est and  most  glorious,  since,  by  it,  death 
is  the  sleep  of  the  body,  and  the  prin- 
ciple of  life. 

Our  blessed  Lady,  seeing  that  her 
spouse  had  ceased  to  live,  prepared  his 
body  for  sepultu  e,  according  to  the 
customary  usages.  No  other  hands  than 
her^s,  and  those  of  the  angels  who  assist- 
ed her,  touched  him.     In  order  that  all 


♦  should  be  conformable  to  the  incompar 
able  modesty  of  the  Virgin  Mother,  the 
Lord  clothed  the  body  of  St.  Joseph  in 
a  celestial  splendor,  which  covered  it 
in  such  a  manner  that  the  face  only  was 
visible,  and  thus  the  pure  spouse  saw 
not  the  rest  of  the  body  which  she  pre- 
pared for.  interment.  Several  persons 
were  attracted  to  the  house  by  the 
sweet  fi'agrance  that  exhaled  from  the 
holy  corpse,  and,  seeing  it  so  beautiful, 
and  as  flexible  as  if  it  had  been  living, 
they  were  greatly  astonished. 

The  body  of  St.  Joseph  was  carried  to 
the  common  cemetery,  followed  by  rela- 
tives, friends,  and  others,  and  by  the 
Redeemer  of  the  world  and  His  holy 
Mother,  and  a  great  multitude  of  angels. 
Our  prudent  Lady  preserved  an  unal- 
terable dignity,  nor  did  she  permit  her 
interior  affliction  to  hinder  her  in  order- 
ing all  things  necessary  for  the  inter- 
ment of  her  spouse,  or  the  service  of  her 
Son.  She  acquitted  herself  in  all  with 
a  regal  magnanimity,  and,  at  the  close, 
she  gave  thanks  to  her  adorable  Son 
for  the  favors  He  had  bestow^ed  on  St. 
Joseph.  Our  august  saint  was  one  of 
those  who  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  ex- 
emption from  the  sight  of  the  demons 
at  his  death,  because  these  spirits  of 
darkness,  wishing  to  approach  him,  were 
sensible  that  a  poweiful  force  restrain- 
ed them,  and  the  angels  hurled  them 
into  hell. 


_L 


LIFE    OF   ST.    JOSEPH. 


815 


CHAPTER  XX. 

PRIVILEGES   GRANTED    TO  ST.  JOSEPH — HIS 

BIRTH  ACCOMPANIED    BY  MIRACLES HIS 

ADMIRABLE      VIRTUES THE      VIRTUES 

WHICH  THE  MOST  HIGH  HAS  PROMISED 
TO  THOSE  DEVOTED  TO  HIM JESUS  RE- 
SUSCITATES ST.  JOSEPH  AFTER  HIS  PAS- 
SION  OUR    BLESSED    LADY    CELEBRATES 

THE   FESTIVAL    OP    HER  ESPOUSALS. 

THE  duration  of  the  life  of  this  hap- 
piest of  men,  St.  Joseph,  was  sixty 
years  and  some  days.  He  espoused  the 
Blessed  Mary  in  his  thirty-third  year, 
and  he  lived  a  little  more  than  twenty- 
seven  years  in  her  society.  At  the  death 
of  her  holy  spouse,  our  Lady  was  nearly, 
forty-one  years  and  six  months  old.  She 
felt  a  natural  grief  at  his  death,  because 
she  had  loved  him  as  her  spouse,  as  a 
very  great  saint,  and  her  protector  and 
benefactor;  and,  although  the  well- 
regulated  mind  of  our  admirable  Lady 
controlled  her  sorrow,  it  was  not  the 
less  profound.  The  more  she  knew  of 
the  high  degree  of  sanctity  which  her 
spouse  had  attained  among  the  great 
saints-,  whose  names  are  inscribed  in  the 
Book  of  Life,  the  greater  was  her  affec- 
tion for  him.  And,  since  we  cannot  lose 
without  sorrow  that  which  we  tenderly 
love,  we  cannot  doubt  that  the  grief  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin  was  very  great,  when 
we  measure  it  by  the  love  she  bore  to 
the  holy  patriarch. 

This  is  not  the  place  to  treat,  particu- 
larly, of  the  excellence  of  the  holiness  of 


^  St.  Joseph,  for  I  have  no  order  to  impart, 
more  than  what  will  serve  generally  to 
make  manifest  the  dignity  of  his  spouse, 
to  whose  merits  (after  those  of  her  divine 
Son)  we  must  attribute  the  gifts  and 
graces  with  which  the  Most  High  favor- 
ed the  glorious  patriarch.  And,  even 
if  our  blessed  Lady  had  not  been  the 
meritorious  cause,  or  the  instrument  of 
the  sanctity  of  her  spouse,  she  was,  at 
least,  the  immediate  end  to  which  that 
sanctity  referred.  The  virtues  and  graces 
which  the  Lord  communicated  to  His 
servant  Joseph,  were  conferred  to  render 
him  more  worthy  of  her  whom  he  had 
chosen  to  be  His  Mother.  It  is  by  this 
rule,  and  by  the  esteem  and  love  which 
this  adorable  Lord  bore  to  His  most 
pure  Mother,  that  the  sanctity  of  St.  Jo- 
seph is  to  be  measured.  Doubtless,  if 
there  had  been  found  in  the  world  an- 
other man  more  perfect  and  more  excel- 
lent. His  Majesty  would  have  made  him 
the  spouse  of  His  own  Mother ;  and  since 
He  conferred  this  dignity  upon  St.  Jo- 
seph, it  must  be  granted,  without  contra- 
diction, that  he  was  the  greatest  saint  of 
God  on  earth.  As  he  had  been  created 
for  such  an  exalted  purpose,  it  is  certain 
that  it  was  with  the  design  to  render 
him  worthy  of  the  august  Mary,  and  to 
proportion  him,  by  her  powerful  right, 
to  these  same  ends.  This  proportion 
was  to  be  found  in  the  holiness,  the  vir- 
tues, the  gifts  and  graces,  natural  or  in- 
fused, which  he  so  eminently  possessed. 
I  observe  a  difference  between  this 


616 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


u^i.  ;it  Niint  and  the  other  saints,  in  the 
'  u^race  which  they  received.  There 
»...,^  ;  con  many  Siiints  who  have  been 
gifted  with  privileges,  all  of  which  were 
not  connected  with  their  own  sanctifica- 
tion,  but  had  regard  to  other  objects  for 
the  service  of  the  Most  High.  They 
were  gratuitous  gifts,  or  apai't  from  sanc- 
tity, l^ut  for  those  of  our  holy  Patri- 
arch, all  the  gifts  that  he  received,  aug- 
mented in  him  the  virtues,  and  his 
interior  sanctification.  The  ministry 
with  which  they  were  connected  was  a 
consequence  of  his  holiness  and  his  good 
works,  for  the  more  holy  he  was,  the 
more  worthy  was  he  to  be  the  spouse 
of  the  august  Mary,  and  the  depositary 
of  the  treasure  and  the  mystery  of  heav- 
en. He  ought  to  have  been,  as  he  was, 
in  reality,  a  prodigy  of  holiness,  and,  by 
the  special  providence  of  God,  he  was 
sanctified  at  his  birth.  His  nature  was 
in  just  proportions — his  qualities  excel- 
lent—  his  complexion  perfect,  and  to 
these  were  superadded  purity  of  soul 
and  right  inclinations.  In  him  the  con- 
cupiscence of  the  flesh  found  itself  en- 
chained, so  that  no  ordinate  inclinations 
could  gain  the  mastery.  Although  he 
had  not  the  use  of  reason  at  his  first 
sanctification,  in  which  he  was  justified 
only  from  original  sin,  his  Mother  was 
sensible  of  a  new  joy  in  the  Holy  Spirit, 
and,  without  fully  penetrating  the  mys- 
tery, she  performed  great  acts  of  virtue, 
and  believed  that  her  child  would  be- 
come great  before  God  and  man. 


*  St.  Joseph,  as  we  have  said,  was  born 
beautiful  and  most  perfect  by  nature. 
He  brought  to  his  parents  an  extraor- 
dinary joy'  like  that  at  the  birth  of  the 
little  Baptist,  although  the  cause  of  it 
was  less  manifest.  The  Lord  advanced 
him  in  the  use  of  reason,  and  gave  it  to 
him  in  all  its  perfection,  in  the  third 
year  of  his  age.  He  communicated  to 
him,  also,  an  infused  science,  and  a  new 
augmentation  of  grace  and  virtue.  The 
holy  child  began,  henceforth,  to  know 
God  by  faith;  he  knew  Him  also  by 
natural  reason,  as  the  primal  cause  and 
author  of  all  creatures,  and  he  compre- 
hended, with  a  most  sublime  conception, 
all  that  was  said  of  God  and  His  works. 
He  had,  at  the  same  time,  the  power 
of  elevated  contemplation,  and  he  prac- 
tised the  virtues  admirably,  in  propor- 
tion to  his  tender  years.  The  use  of 
reason  dates  with  children  usually  about 
or  after  their  seventh  year.  St.  Joseph, 
in  his  third  year,  was  already  in  his 
reasoning  faculty,  a  perfect  man,  and  in 
holiness  also.  He  was  of  a  sweet  dis- 
position, charitable,  kind,  and  sincere. 
In  all  things  he  gave  evidence  of  holy 
and  angelic  inclinations,  and,  growing 
in  age  and  in  perfection,  he  attained,  by 
a  most  holy  life,  the  age  at  which  he 
espoused  the  most  Blessed  Mary. 

Then  to  augment  for  him  the  gift's  of 
grace,  and  to  confirm  him  in  these  gifts, 
our  blessed  Lady  aided  him  by  her 
prayers.  She  earnestly  supplicated  the 
Most  High,  that  if  He  commanded  her 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


817 


to  enter  the  marriage  state,  He  would 
sanctify  lier  spouse  Joseph,  so  that  he 
should  conform  himself  to  her  chaste 
desires.  This  august  Lady  knew  that 
God  would  be  gracious  to  her  prayers, 
and  that  He  would  operate  in  the  soul 
of  the  holy  Patriarch  effects  divine  and 
beyond  expression.  He  imbued  him 
with  the  perfect  fulness  of  all  the  vir- 
tues and  all  the  gifts. 

His  divine  Majesty  perfected  anew 
all  his  faculties.  In  the  virtue  of  chas- 
tity he  was  more  elevated  than  the 
highest  seraphim,  because,  inhabiting  a 
body,  mortal  and  earthly,  he  possessed 
a  purity  equal  to  theirs — they  being 
diseno;ao:ed  from  matter.  There  never 
even  entered  into  his  thoughts  any  image 
in  the  slightest  degree  impure,  or  of  an 
animal  or  sensual  nature.  By  this  per- 
fection, and  by  his  angelic  integrity,  he 
was  prepared  to  be  the  spouse  of  the 
purest  of  creatures,  and  to  live  in  her 
society.  Without  this  privilege  he  could 
not  have  been  capable  of  arriving  at  so 
great  and  excellent  a  dignity. 

Equally  admirable  in  the  other  vir- 
tues, especially  in  divine  love,  he  was 
like  one  who  finds  himself  at  the  foun- 
tain, and  replenishes  himself  with  that 
living  water  which  conducts  to  eternal 
life,  or  as  an  inflammable  substance  near 
the  sphere  of  the  sacred  fire,  that  kin- 
dles without  resistance.  All  that  can 
be  said  in  the  most  exalted  praise  of 
this  loving  spouse,  has  been  already 
expressed,  when   it  was   recorded   that 


*  the  love  of  God  was  the  cause  of  his 
sickness,  and  the  instrument  of  his  death. 
The  sweet  pains  of  love  surpassed  those 
of  nature,  and  these  were  less  active 
than  the  first.  As  the  objects  of  his 
love,  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  His 
Mother,  were  present,  and  since  the 
saint  possessed  them  in  a  closer  union 
than  any  other  mortal  could  approach,  it 
was  inevitable  that  this  most  faithful 
and  candid  heart  must  exhale  itself  in 
the  affections  of  a  love  so  constituted. 

Blessed  be  the  author  of  such  great 
wonders,  and  blessed  be  the  happiest  of 
men,  St.  Joseph,  in  whom  they  were  all 
most  worthily  wrought !  He  merits 
that  all  nations  should  know  and  bless 
him,  since  the  Lord  has  not  honored  any 
other  among  mortals,  nor  ever  maijifest- 
ed  so  much  love  for  any  as  for  him. 

In  the  course  of  this  history,  I  have 
said  something  of  the  visions  and  i-eve- 
lations  with  which  our  saint  was  favored. 
It  is  certain  that  he  had  many  more  than 
we  can  relate;  but  we  may.  imagine 
great  things  if  we  consider  that  he  was 
made  acquainted  with  the  mysteries  of 
cur  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  of  His  most 
holy  Mother  —  that  he  lived  so  long  in 
close  association  with  them,  that  he  was 
regarded  as  the  Father  of  this  divine 
Saviour,  and  was  truly  the  spouse  of 
our  blessed  Lady. 

Besides  all  this,  I  have  discovered 
that  the  Most  High  accorded  to  him, 
because  of  his  great  sanctit}",  certain 
privileges  in  favor  of  those  who  choose 


818 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


him  for  their  intercessor,  and  who  in- 
voke  him  with  devotion.  The  fir8t  is, 
to  obtain  the  virtue  of  chastity,  and  to 
he  withdrawn  from  the  danger  of  losing 
it;  the  second,  to  receive  powerful  as- 
sistance to  be  freed  from  sin  and  to 
recover  the  grace  of  God ;  the  third,  to 
acquire,  by  his  means,  devotion  for  our 
blessed  Lady,  and  dispositions  to  receive 
her  favors ;  the  fourth,  to  obtain  a  happy 
death  and  a  special  protection  against 
the  demons  at  that  last  hour ;  the  fifth, 
to  intimidate  the  enemies  of  our  salva- 
tion by  pronouncing  the  name  of  St. 
Joseph ;  the  sixth,  to  obtain  health  of 
body  and  consolation  in  affliction ;  the 
seventh  privilege,  to  have,  by  his  inter- 
cession, successors  in  families. 

God  grants  all  these  favors,  and  many 
more,  to  those  who  ask  for  them  as  they 
ought,  in  the  name  of  St.  Joseph,  spouse 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin ;  and  I  entreat  all 
the  faithful  children  of  the  Holy  Church 
to  have  a  great  devotion  for  this  great 
saint,  and  to  be  persuaded  that  they 
will  become  sensible  of  the  favorable 
effects  of  his  protection,  if  they  will  dis- 
pose themselves  worthily  to  merit  and 
to  receive  them. 


Our  Lord  arose  from  the  sepulchre 
after  His  passion  and  death,  invested 
with  beauty  and  glory,  as  the  prophets 
had  announced.  Finding  himself  with 
the  saints  and  prophets  whom  He  had 


relieved  from  prison.  He  promised  to  all 
the  human  race,  the  universal  resuiTec- 
tion  of  the  dead  as  a  consequence  of  His 
own  glorious  resurrection,  in  the  same 
flesh  and  in  the  same  body,  each  in  his 
own ;  and,  as  a  pledge  of  this  promise, 
His  divine  Majesty  commanded  the  souls 
of  many  saints  to  reunite  with  their 
bodies,  and  be  raised  to  an  immortal 
life.  These  bodies  arose,  as  Saint  Mat- 
thew records  in  his  Gospel,  and  among 
them  were  those  of  St.  Anne,  St.  Joseph, 
and  jSt.  Joachim :  the  others  were  an- 
cient Fathers  and  Patriarchs. 

Our  blessed  Lady  was  careful  every 
year  on  the  festival  of  her  most  holy 
and  chaste  spouse  St.  Joseph,  to  cele- 
brate the  espousals,  through  which  the 
Lord  had  given  him  to  be  her  faithful 
companion,  in  order  to  conceal  the  mys- 
teries of  the  Incarnation  of  the  Word, 
and  to  execute  with  the  highest  wisdom 
the  secrets  and  the  works  of- the  re- 
demption of  the  human  race.  And  as 
all  these  works  of  the  Most  Hio^h  were 
as  a  deposit  in  the  most  prudent  heart 
of  Mary,  and  as  she  kept  this  festival  as 
a  mark  of  her  high  esteem  for  hira,  the 
joy  and  gratitude  with  which  she  cele- 
brated his  memory  were  ineffable. 

Her  most  holy  spouse  Joseph  de- 
scended at  the  festival  all  radiant  with 
glory,  accompanied  by  innumei'able  an- 
gels, who  solemnized  it  with  great  joy, 
chanting  new  hymns,  which  were  com- 
posed by  our  most  blessed  Lady,  in 
I    gratitude   for  the   benefits    which    her 


LIFE    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 


819 


spouse  and  herself  had   received   from 
the  hand  of  the  Most  High. 

After  having  thus  employed  several 
liours,  she  discoursed  a  part  of  the  day 
with  her  glorious  spouse,  on  the  divine 
attributes  and  perfections ;  for,  in  the 
absence  of  the  Lord,  these  were  the  oc- 
cupations that  best  pleased  His  gentle 
Mother.  A  little  before  taking  leave 
of  the  holy  spouse,  she  entreated  him  to 
pray  for  her,  in  the  presence  of  God, 


and  to  praise  Him  in  her  name ;  she  also 
requested  him  to  offer  prayers  for  the 
Holy  Church  and  the  Apostles.  She 
asked  his  benediction,  and  the  glorious 
saint  returned  to  heaven. 

GLORY 

TO   THE   DIVINE   HEART    OF   JESUS, 

TO     MARY     IMMACULATE, 

AND 

TO   ST.   JOSEPH. 


L 


■MtMMMMMHWaa 


LIVES  OF  ST.  JOACHIM  AND  ST.  ANNE. 


.1- 


UT  little  is  known 
in  this  age  of  the 
world  concern- 
ing the  parents 
of  Maiy,  the 
,  Mother  of  God. 
It  has  pleased 
Almighty  God 
to  leave  the  lives  of  those  illustrious 
persons  shrouded  in  an  impenetrable 
veil  of  mystery.  Nor  is  this  to  be  won- 
dered at,  when  we  remember  that  the 
same  silence,  or  nearly  so,  is  observed 
in  the  Sacred  Scriptures  with  regard  to 
their  immaculate  daughter,  the  Mother 
of  the  God-man.  All  of  Mary's  life  that 
the  inspired  writers  have  left  on  record 
only  serves  to  indicate  rather  than  de- 
scribe the  miraculous  character  which 
distinguished  it  from  all  other  biogra- 
phies of  the  children  of  men.  So  it  is 
with  the  lives  of  her  holy  parents,  St. 
Joachim  and  St.  Anne.  Little  more  is 
found  in  Scripture  concerning  them  than 
the  mention  of  their  names  in  the  gene- 
alogy of  our  divine  Saviour,  and  the 
simple  record  of  the  eminent  dignity 
to  which  they  were  called.  And  yet 
how  clearly  they  stand  before  us,  en- 
shrouded as  they  are  in  the  sublime 
mystery  of  their  exalted  state!     How 


clearly  do  they  stand  out  from  all  the 
other  sons  and  daughters  of  the  patri- 
archs, illumined  with  the  reflected  light 
of  the  divine  maternity  that  was  to  form 
their  daughter's  crown  in  time  and  in 
eternity ! 

The  posterity  of  Adam  spread  abroad 
in  great  numbers,  and,  going  out,  the 
just  and  the  unjust  multiplied  exceed- 
ingly; and  the  saints  redoubled  their 
cries  and  supplications  for  the  coming 
of  the  Redeemer,  while  the  wicked,  by 
their  crimes,  rendered  themselves  unfit 
for  receiving  such  a  favor.  The  people 
of  God,  and  the  triumph  of  the  Word 
who  was  to  become  incarnate,  had  al- 
ready reached  the  term  decreed  by  the 
divine  will  for  the  coming  of  the  Messi- 
ah ;  the  reign  of  sin  had  so  enslaved  the 
children  of  wrath  that  their  wickedness 
knew  no  bounds,  and  hence  it  was  that 
the  fitting  time  for  the  remedy  had 
come.  The  just  by  increasing  their 
merits  had  increased  the  glory  of  their 
crowns ;  the  prophets  and  patriarchs 
knew,  by  the  extraordinary  joy  arising 
from  the  divine  light,  that  the  salvation 
of  their  Deliverer  and  His  awful  pres- 
ence were  at  hand ;  and  redoubling  the 
fervor  of  their  prayers,  begged  of  God 
that  the  prophecies,  and  the  promises  He 


LIVES    OF   ST.    JOACHIM  AND    ST.    ANNE. 


821 


liad  made  to  His  people,  might  be  ac- 
complished. And  they  represented  be- 
fore the  throne  of  divine  mercy  the  long 
and  heavy  night  of  sin  in  which  they  had 
lived  from  the  fall  of  our  first  parents, 
and  the  darkness  of  idolatry  in  which 
all  the  rest  of  mankind  lay  buried.* 

When  the  old  serpent  had  infected  all 
the  universe  by  his  poisonous  breath, 
and  seemed  to  enjoy  undisputed  posses- 
sion of  mortals;  when  themselves,  de- 
parting from  the  natural  light  of  reason, 
and  that  which  the  old  law  had  written 
on  their  hearts,f  instead  of  seeking  the 
true  Divinity,  set  up  many  false  ones, 
without  reflecting  that  the  confusion 
arising  from  so  many  gods  was  contrary 
to  perfection,  good  order,  and  tranquil- 
lity of  soul ;  when  by  these  errors, 
malice,  ignorance,  and  forgetfulness  of 
the  true  God  had  already  prevailed,  and 
that  mortal  languor  or  lethargy  which 
Ijenumbed  the  world  was  so  much  neg- 
lected, that  the  blind  and  miserable  vic- 
tims did  not  even  oj^en  their  mouth  to 
ask  for  a  remedy ;  when  pride  sat  en- 
throned, and  the  number  of  fools  was 
infinite,^  and  the  proud  Lucifer  would 
fain  drink  up  the  purest  waters  of  the 
Jordan  ;  §  when  God  was  most  oifended 
by  all  these  insults  and  least  honored 
by  men,  and  when  the  attribute  of  His 
justice  had  most  cause  to  reduce  all  cre- 
ated things  to  their  original  nothing : 

Such  was  the  moment  when  the  Most 


*  Wisdom,  xvii.  20. 
t  Rom  i.  20. 


I  Eccles.  i.  15. 
§  Job,  xi.  18. 


^  High  (according  to  our  ideas)  turned 
His  eyes  on  the  attribute  of  His  mercy, 
and  made  the  law  of  clemency  weigh 
down  the  balance  of  His  incomprehensi- 
ble justice,  choosing  to  be  more  softened 
by  His  own  goodness,  and  by  the  cries 
and  the  faithful  service  of  the  just  and 
the  prophets  of  His  people,  than  exas- 
perated by  the  manifold  offences  and 
perverse  ways  of  all  sinners.  He  de- 
termined then  to  give,  even  in  that 
dreary  night  of  the  old  law,  some  assured 
pledges  of  the  day  of  grace,  sending  into 
the  world  two  radiant  lights,  to  announce 
the  coming  dawn  of  the  Sun  of  Justice, 
Christ  our  Saviour.  These  two  lights 
were  St.  Joachim  and  St.  Anne,  whom 
the  divine  will  had  prepared  and  created 
that  they  might  be  according  to  His  own 
heart.  St.  Joachim  had  his  house,  his 
family,  and  his  parents,  at  Nazareth,  a 
small  town  of  Galilee.  He  was  always 
just  and  holy,  guided  by  a  special  grace 
and  a  heavenly  light.  He  penetrated 
several  mysteries  of  H0I3-  Writ  and  pre- 
dictions of  the  ancient  prophets,  and  by 
fervent  and  unceasing  prayer  begged  of 
God  the  fulfilment  of  his  promises;  and 
his  faith  and  his  charity  penetrated  the 
heavens.  He  was  very  humble  in  him- 
self, pure,  and  of  great  candor  and  sim- 
plicity, and  holy  in  all  his  ways;  a 
grave  and  serious  man,  of  incomparable 
meekness  and  modesty. 

St.  Anne  had  her  home  in  Bethlehem. 
She  was  a  maiden  fair,  chaste,  and  hum- 
ble ;  and  from  her  childhood,  holy ,  mod- 


822 


LIVES   OF   ST.    JOACHIM  AND    ST.    ANNE. 


est,  and  endowed  with  every  virtue.  She 
was  also  favored  with  frequent  inspira- 
tions from  on  high;  she  was  ever  occu- 
pied in  the  contemplation  of  things 
divine,  without  neglecting  her  household 
affaii-s,  in  which  she  was  most  assiduous. 
By  these  holy  occupations  she  attained 
the  highest  perfection  of  both  the  active 
and  contemplative  life.  She  had  an  in- 
fused knowledge  of  the  Holy  Scriptui'es, 
and  a  profound  understanding  of  their 
hidden  mysteries ;  she  was  incomparable 
in  the  infused  virtues  of  faith,  hope,  and 
charity.  Filled  with  these  gifts,  she 
prayed  continually  for  the  speedy  coming 
of  the  Messiah ;  and  her  prayers  were  so 
agreeable  to  the  Lord,  that,  like  the 
spouse  in  the  Canticle,  she  merited  the 
response  of  having  wounded  His  heart,* 
and  hastened  that  happy  time ;  for  with- 
out doubt,  the  merits  of  St.  Anne  con- 
tributed no  little  to  anticipate  the  advent 
of  the  Word,  holding,  as  she  did,  the 
highest  place  among  the  saints  of  the 
Old  Testament. 

This  strong  woman  also  prayed  fer- 
v'ently  that  the  Most  High  would  vouch- 
safe to  give  her  in  marriage  a  spouse 
who  would  assist  her  to  keep  the  divine 
law  and  become  more  perfect  in  the 
observance  of  its  precepts.  While  St. 
Anne  was  thus  supplicating  the  Lord, 
His  divine  providence  decreed  that  St. 
Joachim  prayed  in  like  manner,  to  the 
end  that  both  petitions  might  be  pre- 

*  Canticle  of  Canticles,  iv.  9. 


*  sented  together  before  the  tribunal  of 
the  Holy  Trinity,  where  they  were  heard 
and  accepted.  It  was  forthwith  appoint- 
ed by  a  divine  ordinance,  that  Joachim 
and  Anne  should  be  united  in  marriaire, 
and  become  the  parents  of  her  who  was 
to  be  the  Mother  of  the  Incarnate  God. 
For  the  execution  of  this  decree  the  holy 
ai'changel  Gabriel  was  sent  to  make  it 
known  to  each.  Pie  appeared  in  corpo- 
ral form  to  St.  Anne  when  she  was  in 
fervent  prayer,  petitioning  for  the  coming 
of  the  world's  Redeemer,  the  Salvation 
of  mankin(J.  She  saw  this  celestial 
prince  sp  radiant  in  glory  and  in  beauty 
that  she  was  troubled  with  a  holy  fear, 
accompanied,  however,  by  an  interior 
joy  which  his  presence  caused  her  by 
reason  of  the  lights  which  he  communi- 
cated to  her  soul.  The  saint  prostrated 
herself  with  profound  humility  to  honor 
the  ambassador  of  heaven ;  but  he  pre- 
vented her  from  so  humbling  herself, 
and  encouraged  her  as  one  who  was  to 
be  the  ark  of  the  tnie  manna,  the  thrice- 
blessed  Mary,  Mother  of  the  Eternal 
Word ;  for  the  Lord  had  revealed  that 
hidden  mystery  to  the  holy  archangel, 
when  he  sent  Him  on  this  embassy ;  al 
thougb  the  other  angels  of  heaven  did 
not  yet  penetrate  it,  because  this  revela- 
tion or  illumination  was  made  immedi- 
ately by  the  Lord  himself  to  the  arch- 
angel Gabriel  only,  and  neither  did  the 
archan<]:el  reveal  it  then  to  St.  Anne: 
but  having  demanded  her  attention,  he 
said  to  her:    "Handmaid  of  the  Lord, 


LIVES   OF   ST.    JOACHIM  AND    ST.    ANNE. 


823 


may  the  Most  High  bless  you  and  be 
your  salvation.  His  divine  Majesty  hath 
heard  your  prayers,  it  is  His  will  that 
you  should  persevere  in  asking  the  com- 
ing of  the  Redeemer,  and  He  decrees 
that  you  should  receive  Joachim  for 
your  spouse ;  he  is  a  just  man,  and  hath 
found  favor  before  God,  and  you  may 
go  on  with  him  in  the  observance  of  His 
divi'ne  law  and  His  holy  service.  Con- 
tinue your  prayers  and  supplications, 
and  have  no  other  care,  for  the  same 
Lord  will  decree  the  accomplishment  of 
your  desire.  Walk  in  the  narrow  way 
of  justice,  raise  your  heart  and  mind  to 
the  things  of  heaven,  pray  always  for 
the  coming  of  the  Messiah,  and  rejoice 
in  the  Lord,  who  is  thy  salvation." 
Thereupon,  the  angel  disappeared,  hav- 
ing left  St.  Anne  much  inward  light  for 
the  penetration  of  various  mysteries  of 
the  Sacred  Scriptures,  filled  her  soul 
with  consolation,  and  renewed  the  fervor 
of  her  spirit. 

The  archangel  neither  appeared  nor 
spoke  to  St.  Joachim  in  corporal  form 
as  he  did  to  St.  Anne ;  but  the  man  of 
God  heard  himself  thus  addressed  in 
a  dream :  "  Joachim,  blessed  be  thou 
among  men ;  persevere  in  thy  desires, 
and  practise  justice  and  perfection.  It 
is  the  will  of  God  that  thou  receive 
Anne  for  thy  spouse,  for  the  Almighty 
hath  filled  her  soul  with  benedictions. 
Have  care  of  her,  and  regard  her  as  a 
precious  gift  from  His  bountiful  hand, 
and  thank  His  divine  Majesty  for  hav- 


^  ing  confided  her  to  thee."  In  virtue  of 
this  divine  embassy,  Joachim  demanded 
the  most  chaste  Anne  for  a  wife,  and 
the  marriage  was  celebrated,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  will  of  God,  but  yet  with- 
out either  party  disclosing  their  secret 
to  the  other,  until  some  years  had  pass- 
ed, as  will  be  seen  in  its  own  place. 
The  holy  spouses  dwelt  at  Nazareth, 
and  there  walked  in  the  wa}s  of  God. 
They  rendereti  themselves  pleasing  to 
the  Most  High,  and  were  irreproachable 
in  His  sight,  because  of  the  plenitude 
of  grace  that  made  all  their  works  per- 
tect.  They,  every  year,  dl\ided  their 
revenue  into  three  parts.  Tlie  first  they 
offered  in  the  Temple  of  Jerusalem,  for 
the  worship  of  the  Lord ;  the  second 
they  distributed  to  the  poor,  reserving 
the  third  for  the  proper  maintenance  of 
their  family.  God  increased  their  tem- 
poral goods,  because  they  employed 
them  with  much  charity  and  liberality. 
Peace  was  inviolable  between  them ; 
they  lived  in  perfect  conformity  one 
with  the  other,  without  noise  or  disturb- 
ance of  any  kind.  The  most  humble 
Anne  was  submissive  in  all  things  to 
the  will  of  Joachim;  and  the  man  of 
God  was  ever  eager  to  anticipate  the 
wishes  of  St.  Anne,  nor  was  it  in  vain 
that  he  trusted  himself  entirely  to  her 
guidance.*  In  such  perfect  charity  did 
they  live,  that  all  their  life  long  they 
had  but  one  and  the  same  will.  Being 
united  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,f  Hia 


*  frov.  xxi.  11. 


t  Matt,  xviii.  20, 


824 


LIVES    OF    ST.    JOACHIM   AND    ST.    ANNE. 


holy    Vii    never  abandoned   them:   St.   f 
Joachim  never  failing  to  obey  the  com- 
mand of  the  anp'l  \o  lioiidr  and  cherish 
his  wife. 

The  Lord  prevented  the  venerable  St. 
Anne  with  blessings  of  sweetness,* 
communicatins:  to  her  the  most  sublime 
gifts  of  grace  and  of  infused  science,  to 
prepare  her  for  the  great  hapj)iness  she 
was  to  enjoy,  in  being  the  mother  of 
her  who  was  to  bring  foijth  that  same 
Lord.  And  as  the  works  of  the  Most 
High  are  perfect  and  complete,  He,  con- 
sequently, made  her  the  worthy  mother 
of  the  most  perfect  of  creatures,  who 
was  to  be  inferior  to  God  alone  in  sanc- 
tity, and  superior  to  all  pure  creat- 
ures. 

These  holy  spouses  passed  twenty 
yeai*8  without  having  a  child,  which  at 
that  time,  and  among  that  people,  was 
considered  a  great  shame ;  thence  it 
happened  that  they  were  often  assailed 
by  the  taunts  and  reproaches  of  their 
neighbors;  for  it  was  thought  that  those 
who  had  no  children  had  no  part  in  the 
coming  of  the  expected  Messiah.  But 
the  Most  High  chose  to  afflict  them  in 
this  way  in  order  to  dispose  them  by  so 
great  a  humiliation  for  the  extraordi- 
naiy  grace  he  meant  to  bestow  upon 
them,  and  gave  them  the  patience  neces- 
sary to  confomi  implicitly  to  His  divine 
will  to  the  end,  that  they  might  sow 
in  tears  and  in  prayers  the  blessed  fruit 
they   were   one   day   to   reap.f      They 


*  Psalm  XX.  4 


t  Psalm  cxxv.  5. 


begged  it  from  the  depths  of  their 
hearts,  agreeably  to  the  express  com- 
mand of  Heaven ;  and  they  made  a  par- 
ticular vow  to  the  Lord,  that,  if  He 
gave  them  a  child,  they  would  offer  it 
in  the  Temple,  and  consecrate  it  to  His 
service  as  the  fruit  of  His  benediction. 

This  vow  was  made  by  the  particular 
inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  or- 
dained it  so  that  she  who  was  to  serve 
as  a  dwelling  for  the  only  Son  of  the 
Father,  should  be  offered,  and  as  it 
were,  made  over  by  her  own  parents,  to 
the  same  Lord  before  she  received  being. 
For  if  they  had  not  bound  themselves 
by  a  special  vow  to  offer  her  in  the 
Temple  before  they  had  yet  known  her, 
they  would  afterwards  have  suffered 
inexpressible  pain  in  separating  from  a 
child  so  sweet  and  so  lovely,  and  would 
have  offered  her  perhaps  with  reluc- 
tance, because  of  the  great  love  they 
bore  to  her.  By  this  offering,  the  Lord 
not  only  satisfied,  according  to  our  ideas, 
that  species  of  jealousy  which  He  al- 
ready had,  that  none  other  but  He 
should  have  any  claim  on  His  blessed 
Mother;  but  His  love  was  also  in  some 
sort  compensated  for  the  delay  in  His 
coming. 

Having  persevered  for  a  whole  year 
in  these  earnest  supplications,  according 
to  the  order  they  had  received  from  the 
Lord,  it  came  to  pass  that  St.  Joachim 
went  to  the  Temple  of  Jerusalem  by  a 
divine  inspiration  and  an  express  com- 
mand, there  to  offer  prayers  and  sacri 


LIVES    OF  ST.    JOACHIM  AND    ST.    ANNE. 


825 


fices  for  the  coming  of  the  Messiah,  and 
to  obtain  the  desired  fruit.  Being  come 
with  others  from  his  own  neiirhborhood, 
to  offer,  in  presence  of  the  high-priest, 
the  customary  gifts,  a  priest  called  Issa- 
char  sharply  rebuked  the  venerable  old 
man  for  offering  his  gifts  with  the 
others,  being  barren.  Among  other 
things,  he  told  him:  "Joachim,  why 
dost  thou  present  thyself  to  offer  sacri- 
fice, being  a  useless  man  ?  Separate 
thyself  from  the  others,  and  go  thy  way 
hence ;  anger  not  the  Lord  by  thy  offer- 
ings and  thy  sacrifices,  for  they  are  not 
pleasing  in  his  eyes."  The  holy  old 
man,  confused  and  ashamed,  humbly 
and  lovingly  besought  the  Lord,  saying: 
"  My  sovereign  Lord  and  my  eternal 
God,  Thy  command  and  Thy  will 
brought  me  to  the  Temple ;  he  who 
holds  Thy  place  therein  hath  despised 
me  ;  my  sins  have  merited  this  affront ; 
I  receive  it  then  for  Thy  sake ;  despise 
not,  O  Lord,  the  work  of  Thy  hands."* 
Thereupon  the  afflicted  Joachim  going 
forth  from  the  Temple  (to  outward  ap- 
pearance calm  and  tranquil),  went  to  a 
country  house  which  he  had;  and  for 
some  days,  which  he  passed  in  solitude, 
addressed  his  sighs  to  the  Lord,  and 
prayed  to  Him  as  follows : 

"  God  of  eternal  majesty,  from  whom 
is  all  being,  and  the  entire  reparation 
of  the  human  race,  prostrate  in  Thy 
divine  presence,  I  beseech  Thine  infinite 
goodness  to  look  with  pity  on  the  afflic- 

*  Psalm,  cxxxvii.  8. 


#  tion  of  my  soul,  and  hear  my  prayers 
dnd  those  of  Thy  servant  Anne.  Thine 
eyes  penetrate  all  oui-  wishes;  but  if  I 
deserve  not  to  be  heard,  I'eject  not  my 
humble  spouse.  Lord  God  of  our  fathers 
Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob ;  turn  not 
away  Thy  clemency  from  us,  and  per- 
mit not,  since  Thou  art  Father,  that  I 
be  numbered  with  the  reprobate  and 
the  outcast  in  my  offerings,  as  being 
useless,  because  Thou  givest  me  no 
progeny.  Remember,  O  Lord,  the  sac- 
rifices and  oblations  of  Thy  servants 
and  Thy  prophets  the  fathers  of  my 
race;f  and  be  mindful  of  those  works 
of  theirs  which  found  favor  in  Thy  sight. 
And  since  Thou  command  est  me.  Lord, 
to  supplicate  Thee  with  confidence,  as 
the  almighty  and  all-bountiful  God, 
grant  me  what  according  to  Thy  good 
pleasure  I  desire ;  for  in  beseeching 
Thee  I  obey  Thy  holy  will,  in  that  Thou 
hast  promised  to  hear  my  prayer.  But 
if  my  sins  impede  Thy  mercy,  remove 
from  me  whatever  is  displeasing  to 
Thee.  Mighty  art  thou,  O  Lord  God  of 
Israel,  and  canst  do  whatsoever  Thou 
wilt.;};  Hear  my  prayers,  poor  and  mis- 
erable as  I  am,  for  Thou  art  infinite  and 
wont  to  have  compassion  on  the  hum- 
ble. Where  shall  I  find  a  refuge,  if  not 
in  Thee,  who  art  the  King  of  kings,  the 
Lord  of  lords,  and  the  great  Omnipo- 
tent! Thou  hast  loaded  Thy  children 
and  Thy  servants  with  blessings  in  their 
generations,    and   Thou   leadest   me    to 


t  Deut.  ix.  27. 


X  Esth.  xiii.  9. 


826 


l]\ 


iJF    ST.    JOACHIM   AND    ST.    ANNE. 


desiro  and  to  hope  from  Thy  bounty  ^ 
that  which  Thon  hast  done  for  my 
brethren.  If  it  be  Thy  gracious  will  to 
grant  my  petition,  I  will  otter  in  Thy 
holy  Temple,  and  consecrate  to  Thy  ser- 
vice, the  fruit  of  succession  that  I  may 
receive  fvom  Thy  bountiful  hand.  I 
give  up  my  heai-t  and  soul  to  Thy  divine 
will,  and  I  have  always  desired  to  turn 
mine  eyes  away  from  vanity.  Do  with 
roe  whatsoever  Thou  wilt,  and  comfort 
our  souls,  O  LdVd,  by  the  fulfilment  of 
our  hope.  From  the  throne  of  Thy 
Majesty  regard  this  miserable  dust,  and 
deign  to  raise  it  up,  that  it  may  adore 
and  glorify  Thee,  and  may  Thy  holy 
will,  not  mine,  be  done  in  all  things." 

Thus  did  Joachim  pray  in  his  soli- 
tude. Meanwhile  the  holy  ambassador 
declared  to  St.  Anne  that  it  would  be 
pleasing  to  the  divine  Majesty  for  her 
to  ask  a  succession  of  children  with  that 
pious  intention  and  that  fervent  desire 
to  obtain  it.  And  the  holy  lady,  find- 
ing that  it  was  the  will  of  God,  and  of 
Joachim  her  husband,  prostrated  herself 
before  God  in  humble  submission  and 
confidence,  and  prayed  in  this  manner: 
"Most  high  Majesty,  Lord,  creator  and 
preserver  of  all  things,  whom  my  soul 
honors  and  adores  as  the  true  God,  infi- 
nite, holy,  and  bountiful,  I  will  speak 
and  make  manifest  in  Thy  royal  pres- 
ence my  necessity  and  my  afliiction,  al- 
though I  am  but  dust  and  ashes.*  Lord 
God   eternal,  make  us  worthy  of  Thy 

*  Genesis,  xviii.  27. 


benediction,  giving  us  a  pure  and  holy 
offspring  whon\  we  may  present  in  Thy 
Temple.  Remember,  Lord,  that  Thy 
servant  Anna,  mother  of  Samuel,  was 
barren,  yet,  through  Thine  infinite 
bounty  she  received  the  fruition  of  her 
de.sires.f  I  feel  an  inward  motion  which 
incites  me  to  ask  a  like  favor  at  Thy 
hands.  Hear  then,  most  sweet  Lord, 
mine  humble  prayer,  being  mindful  of 
the  service,  the  oblations,  and  the  sac- 
rifices of  my  fathers,  and  the  favors 
wrought  in  and  for  them  by  the  might 
of  Thy  omnipotent  arm.  I  would  pre- 
sent Thee,  O  Lord,  with  an  oblation 
that  would  be  pleasing  in  Thy  sight; 
but  the  best  I  can  offer  Thee  is  ray  soul, 
my  powers,  my  senses,  and  the  being 
Thou  hast  given  me.  And  if,  vouch- 
safing to  regard  me  from  Thy  eternal 
throne.  Thou  givest  me  a  child,  I  con- 
secrate it  to  Thy  service  from  the  first 
moment  of  its  existence.  Cast  Thine 
eyes,  O  Lord  God  of  Israel,  on  this  vile 
and  poor  creature,  comfort  Thy  servant, 
Joachim,  hear  our  humble  supplication, 
and  be  Thy  holy  will  in  all  things 
accomplished." 

These  vt^ere  the  prayers  offered  up  by 
St.  Joachim  and  St.  Anne,  but  it  is  not 
possible  for  me  to  describe  the  exalted 
idea  which  I  have  of  the  sanctity  of  these 
blessed  parents ;  neither  is  it  necessary, 
for  what  I  have  said  will  give  some  con- 
ception of  it.  If  we  would  rightly  esti- 
mate the  perfect  holiness  of  those  great 

f  1  Kings,  L 


LIVES    OF   ST.    JOACHIM, AND    ST.    ANNE. 


827 


saints,  we  must  consider  the  high  destiny 
and  the  sublime  ministry  for  which  God 
designed  them,  who  were  to  be  the  im- 
mediate progenitors  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  the  parents  of  His  most 
holy  Mother. 

The  prayers  of  St.  Joachim  and  St. 
Anne  reached  the  throne  of  the  Most 
Blessed  Trinity,  where,  being  heard  and 
accepted,  the  divine  will  was  manifested 
to  the  holy  angels,  and  these  celestial 
spii'its  having  learned  the  decree  of  the 
Most  Higli,  the  archangel  Gabriel,  ador- 
ing and  honoring  the  divine  Majesty 
after  the  manner  of  those  pure  and  spir- 
itual substances,  bowed  down  before  the 
throne  of  the  Most  Holy  Trinity,  whence 
came  forth  a  voice  intelligible  to  him, 
and  it  said:  "Gabriel,  illuminate,  vivify, 
and  console  Joachim  and  Anne,  our 
servants,  and  tell  them  that  their  pray- 
ers have  reached  our  presence,  and  our 
clemency  hath  heard  them.  Promise 
them  that  they  shall  receive  a  fruit  of 
benediction  by  favor  of  our  right  hand, 
and  that  Anne  shall  conceive  and  bring 
forth  a  daughter,  to  whom  we  give  the 
name  of  Mary." 

Several  mysteries  and  secrets  which 
belonged  to  this  embassy  were  revealed 
to  the  archangel  St.  Gabriel,  receiving 
the  commands  of  the  Most  High,  pursu- 
ant to  which  he  descended  from  the  em- 
pyi-ean  sky  to  perform  his  mission.  He 
appeared  to  St.  Joachim  while  the  latter 
was  at  prayer,  and  told  him,  that  his 
prayers  and  his  alms  and  sacrifices  hav- 


*  ing  found  favor  with  God,  his  wife  should 
conceive  and  bring  forth  a  child  of  ben- 
ediction, whose  name  was  to  be  M  .?y-; 
that  she  was  to  be  from  her  infancy  con- 
secrated to  God  in  His  holy  Temple. 
"Thou  wilt  go  up  to  Jerusalem,"  said 
the  heavenly  messenger,  "  and  in  testi- 
mony of  the  truth  of  these  good  tidings 
that  I  now  bring  to  thee,  thou  wilt  meet 
thy  sister  Anne  at  the  Golden  Gate,  as 
she  will  go  to  the  Temple  for  a  purpose 
similar  to  thine." 

St.  Anne  was  in  like  manner  apprised 
by  the  archangel  of  the  great  favor  that 
was  to  be  bestowed  upon  her.  Filled 
with  a  holy  joy,  she  went  by  divine  In- 
spiration to  the  Temple  to  return  thanks, 
and  at  the  Golden  Gate  she  met  her 
holy  spouse,  St.  Joachim,  as  the  angel 
had  foretold.  They  both  returned 
thanks  to  the  Author  of  all  grace,  e^nd 
offered  gifts  and  particular  sacrifices  with 
that  intention.  They  then  returned  to 
their  home  full  of  heavenly  consolation, 
discoursing,  on  the  way,  of  the  miracu- 
lous favors  they  had  received,  and  ^he 
great  things  foretold  by  the  angel  of  the 
daughter  that  was  to  be  born  to  them. 
It  was  on  that  occasion  that  they  reveal- 
ed one  to  the  other  the  order  they  liad 
separately  received  from  the  same  angel 
to  espouse  each  other  for  the  greater 
glory  of  God.  For  twenty  years  they 
had  kept  this  secret  one  from  the  otner, 
and  only  revealed  it  when  the  angel 
promised  them  the  succession  of  such  a 
daughter.       They   afterwards    renewed 


LIVES    OF   ST.  JUAUHIM   AND    ST.    ANNE. 


their  offerings  in  the  Temple,  whither 
they  went  up  every  yeai*  on  a  certain 
day,  with  spet'ial  ofl'erings,  further  sanc- 
tifying tlie  day  l)y  prayer,  by  alms-deeds, 
and  l»y  thanksgivings. 

St  Anne's  pi-udence  made  her  keep 
the  secret,  even  fi"om  St.  Joachim,  that 
her  daughter  was  to  be  the  Mother  of 
the  Messiah.  And  the  holy  father  knew 
nothius;  more  about  her  all  his  life, 
except  that  she  was  to  be  a  great  and 
mysterious  woman ;  but  the  Most  High 
failed  not  to  make  the  great  mystery 
known  to  him  a  few  moments  before  his 
death. 

The  divine  Wisdom  had  prepared  all 
things  to  separate  from  the  corrupt  mass 
of  human  nature  the  Mother  of  all  grace. 
The  allotted  number  of  the  patriarchs 
and  prophets  was  already  complete,  and 
the  mountains  raised  whereon  that  mys- 
tical City  of  God  was  to  be  placed.* 
Mis  right  hand  had  prepared  the  incom- 
parable treasures  of  His  divinity,  to 
portion  and  endow  her.  A  thousand 
angels  were  ready  to  guard  and  protect 
her,  and  to  serve  her  as  their  lady  and 
royal  jnistress.  He  prepared  for  her  a 
royal  line  of  ancestors;  He  gave  her 
parents  holy  and  perfect  beyond  all  the 
men  and  women  of  that  age,  for  had 
there  been  any  greater  saints  or  more  fit 
to  be  the  parents  of  her  whom  He  chose 
for  his  own  Mother,  there  is  no  doubt 
but  the  divine  Majesty  would  have 
chosen  them. 

*  Psalm,  Ixxxvi,  2. 


He  disposed  them  for  their  office  by 
numberless  graces  and  blessings,  enrich- 
ed them  with  all  virtues,  and  illumined 
their  minds  by  divine  wisdom  and  the 
various  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  They 
having  been  apprised  of  the  admirable 
daughter  who  was  to  be  given  them,  the 
work  of  the  first  conception,  which  was 
that  of  the  pure  body  of  Mary,  was  exe- 
cuted. The  age/  of  her  parents,  when 
they  were  married,  was,  that  of  St.  Joa- 
chim forty-six,  and  that  of  St.  Anne 
twenty-four.  Twenty  )'ears  had  passed 
since  their  marriage  without  their  hav- 
ing any  children,  so  that  the  mother  was 
forty-four  at  the  time  of  her  daughter's 
conception,  and  the  father  sixty-six.  The 
conception  was  according  to  the  common 
order,  but  owing  to  St.  Anne's  sterility, 
might  be  considered  miraculous,  l)eing 
also  free  from  every  species  of  imperfec- 
tion. 

At  the  moment  when  the  soul  was  in- 
fused into  the  body  of  our  divine  Lady, 
it  was  so  appointed  that  St.  Anne,  made 
suddenly  sensible  of  the  presence  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  was  moved  with  such  an 
interior  joy,  that  she  fell  into  a  sublime 
ecstasy,  during  which  she  received  a 
knowledge  of  the  highest  mysteries,  and 
praised  the  Lord  by  new  canticles  of  joy. 
These  blessed  effects  remained  all  her 
lifetime,  but  they  were  greater  during 
the  nine  months  of  her  holy  pregnancy, 
when  she  bore  in  her  womb  the  treasure 
of  heaven. 

The  auspicious  day  at  length  arrived 


LIVES  OF    ST.    JOACHIM   AND    ST.    ANNE. 


829 


when  St.  Anne  was  to  rejoice  the  world 
with  the  birth  of  her  who  was  sanctified 
and  consecrated  to  be  the  Mother  of  God. 
Ihis  delivery  took  place  on  the  eighth 
day  of  September,  the  nine  months 
after  the  conception  of  the  most  holy 
soul  of  our  queen  and  mistress  having 
been  accomplished.  She  was  born  pure, 
fair,  and  full  of  grace,  clearly  indicating 
her  entire  exemption  from  the  law  of  sin. 
St.  Anne  received  her  divinely-endowed 
daughter  into  her  arms,  and  offered  her 
to  the  Lord  with  tears  of  joy  and  fervent 
thanksgivings.  And  the  angels  of  our 
Lady's  guard,  with  myriads  of  others, 
adored  their  queen,  and  paid  their  hom- 
age to  her  as  she  lay  in  her  mother's 
arms,  and  chanted  a  celestial  hymn, 
which  St.  Anne  heard  in  part.  At  the 
same  moment  the  archangel  Gabriel  was 
sent  by  the  Most  High  to  announce  the 
glad  tidings  to  the  holy  fathers  in  Limbo. 
It  was  a  precept  of  the  Law  in  the 
twelfth  chapter  of  Leviticus,  that  if  a 
w^oman  brought  forth  a  daughter,  she 
was  considered  unclean  for  two  weeks, 
and  remained  sixty-six  days  in  a  state  of 
purification  (but  only  thirty-three  if  she 
had  given  birth  to  a  male  child);  which 
having  accomplished,  she  was  to  offer  as 
a  holocaust,  at  the  door  of  the  taberna- 
cle, a  yearling  lamb  for  males  or  females, 
and  a  pigeon  or  a  dove  for  sin,  consign- 
ing the  same  to  the  priest,  that  he  might 
offer  it  to  the  Lord  and  pray  for  her;  by 
which  offering  she  was  purified.  The 
delivery   of  the   blessed  Anne  was   as 


*  privileged  as  became  tlie  dignity  of  her 
divine  daughter,  whose  purity  was  re- 
flected on  her  mother.  Hence  she  had 
no  need  of  conforming  to  the  law  of  puri- 
fication, yet  she  obeyed  it  to  the  letter.  . 
The  sixty-six  days  of  the  purification 
being  passed,  St.  Anne  went  to  the 
Temple  inflamed  with  divine  ardor,  and 
bearing  her  beloved  daughter  in  her 
arms ;  she  presented  her  at  the  door  of 
the  tabernacle  with  the  offerinnr  which 

o 

the  Law  required,  being  accompanied 
by  an  innumerable  multitude  of  angels, 
and  had  some  discourse  with  the  hisrh- 
priest,  the  venerable  Simeon,  who,  being 
always  most  assiduous  in  the  Temple, 
enjoyed  the  singular  privilege  of  re- 
ceiving the  Blessed  Mary  as  often  as 
she  was  presented  there ;  although  the 
holy  pontiff  did  not  always  perceive  the 
dignity  of  that  divine  queen,  still  he  felt 
inwardly  convinced  that  the  child  was 
to  be  great  before  God. 

St.  Anne  offered  the  lamb  and  the 
dove,  with  some  other  gifts,  with  great 
humility,  beseeching  the  high-priest  to 
pray  for  her  and  for  her  daughter.  His 
divine  Majesty  had  nothing  to  forgive 
either  mother  or  daughter,  in  whom 
grace  was  so  abundant ;  but  He  rather 
saw  new  merits  in  their  profound  hu- 
mility, since,  being  both  holy,  they 
believed  themselves  sinners,  and  as 
such  presented  themselves  before  Him. 
And  thus  the  holy  St.  Anne  entered 
the  Temple  with  her  daughter  in  her 
arms,  and  offered  her  to  the  Most  Hisrh 


630 


LIVES   OF    ST.    JOACHIM   AND    ST.    ANNE. 


with  tears  of  joy  and  tenderness,  being 
the  only  one  in  all  the  world  that  knew 
the  valuta  of  tlio  treasure  deposited  in 
her  cart , 

The  three  yeai*s  that  the  Blessed  Mary 
was  to  remain  with  her  holy  parents 
having  elapsed,  St.  Anne  was  admonish- 
vd  in  a  vision  that  the  time  appointed 
for  her  being  taken  to  the  Temple  was 
now  at  hand,  and  that  Joachim  and  she 
were  to  conduct  her  thither.  Tender 
mother  as  she  was,  this  news  filled  her 
pure  soul  with  joyful  emotion,  and  she 
thanked  God  with  all  the  fervor  of  her 
heart 

On  the  day  appointed,  the  holy  pa- 
rents, Joachim  and  Anne,  accompanied 
by  some  of  their  relatives,  departed 
from  Nazareth,  bearing  with  them  the 
true  ark  of  the  covenant,  the  most  pure 
Mary,  to  consecrate  her  in  the  holy 
Temple  of  Jerusalem.  They  arrived  at 
the  Temple,  and  going  in,  St.  Anne  and 
St.  Joachim  took  their  daughter  and 
mistress  by  the  hand,  and  aft^r  praying, 
all  three,  with  great  fervor  and  devo- 
tion, the  pious  parents  presented  their 
beloved  daughter,  who  also  made  an 
offering  of  herself  at  the  same  time. 
Before  ascending  the  steps  which  con- 
ducted to  the  apartment  where  the  royal 
daughters  of  Juda  dwelt  in  the  shadow 
of  the  altar,  Mary  asked  permission  to 
take  leave  of  her  parents ;  which  having 
obtained,  she  turned  to  St.  Joachim  and 
St.  Anne,  and  kneeling  down  asked 
their  blessing,  kissing  their  hands  and 


+  requesting  the  favor  of  their  prayers. 
The  two  saints  blessed  her  with  many 
tears,  and  she  walked  all  alone  up  the 
steps  without  turning  her  head  or  giv- 
ing  any  further  indication  of  sorrow  on 
pju'tiug  from  her  j)arents. 

St.  Joachim  and  St.  Anne  returned  to 
Nazareth  much  poorer  than  they  came, 
and  penetrated  with  sorrow  for  being 
deprived  of  their  treasure ;  but  the 
Lord  indemnified  them  for  her  absence 
by  many  signal  consolations. 

Little  more  is  known  w'ith  certainty 
concerning  the  illustrious  parents  of  our 
blessed  Lady.  Some  writers  affirm  that 
they  were  still  in  the  flesh  at  the  time 
of  her  betrothal  to  St.  Joseph,  but 
others  of  as  great  celebrity  and  as  great 
authority  in  the  Church  hold  the  con- 
trary opinion.  Those  who  maintain 
that  the  blessed  Joachim  and  Anne 
lived  till  after  the  birth  of  the  Messiah, 
base  their  opinion  on  the  fact  that  the 
Church,  according  to  St.  Bernard,  cele- 
brated the  feast  of  no  saint  (with  the 
single  exception  of  the  Machabees)  who 
had  departed  this  life  before  the  com 
mencement  of  the  Christian  Era.  St 
Joachim  died  on  the  9th  of  March,  it  is 
generally  supposed,  and  St.  Anne  on  the 
26th  of  July.  But  even  these  dates  are 
by  no  means  certain. 

It  so  happened,  that,  l)y  the  mys- 
terious decrees  of  God,  the  feast  of  the 
blessed  St.  Anne  Avas  celebrated  in  the 
Church  many  years  before  that  of  St. 
Joachim  her  holy  spouse.     In  fact,  the 


LIVES   OF  ST.    JOACHIM  AND   ST.    ANNE. 


831 


primitive  Christians  cherished  a  special 
devotion  to  the  mother  of  Mary,  which 
devotion  has  ever  since  been  perpet- 
uated and  greatly  encouraged  among 
the  children  of  the  Church  who  love 
and  honor  her  august  daughter.  Vari- 
ous cities  and  countries  glory  in  possess- 
ing portions  of  her  sacred  body.  The 
ring  with  which  St.  Joachim  espoused 
her  is  preserved  in  a  church  in  the 
Eternal  City  dedicated  to  the  blessed 
mother  of  Mary.  Innumerable  miracles 
have  been  wrought  by  the  intercession 
of  St,  Anne  in  every  part  of  Christen- 
dom, and  shrines  and  pilgrimages  estab- 
lished in  her  honor  both  in  Eastern  and 
Western  countries.  In  all  the  Chris- 
tianized countries  of  America,  the  name 
of  St.  Anne  is  held  in  honor,  not  by 
Catholics  alone,  but  even  by  some  sects 
of  Protestants.  The  Episcopalians  have 
churches  beaiing  her  name  in  many  of 


*  the  principal  cities  of  British  America 
and  the  United  States.  In  Lower  Can- 
ada there  are  several  shrines  and  pil- 
grimages consecrated  to  St.  Anne,*  and 
societies  established  in  her  honor. 

The  feast  of  St.  Joachim  is  now  cele- 
brated on  the  Sunday  within  the  Octave 
of  the  Assumption.  His  relics  are  still 
preserved  in  the  Church,  most  of  them 
in  various  cities  of  Italy.  His  head  is 
said  to  be  in  the  church  of  the  Macha-- 
bees  at  Cologne. 

Much  might  be  here  said  in  praise  of 
these  glorious  saints,  so  highly  favored 
in  the  mysterious  decrees  of  Providence, 
but  what  we  have  related  of  them  suf- 
ficiently establishes  the  fact  of  their 
pre-eminent  holiness. 

*  One  of  these,  on  the  Ottawa  river,  is  the 
"  Anne's  "  of  Moore's  Canadian  Boat  Song  : 

"  As  soon  as  the  woods  on  shore  grow  dim, 
We'll  sing  at  St.  Anne's  our  parting  hymn." 


THI    END. 


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